Sunday, January 25, 2009
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Just Thinking Out Loud :)
I read an article in my college alumnae magazine that came the other day about a man who "converted" to the Eastern Orthodox church after being in a mainline protestant church for his growing up. He mentioned how he felt connected to all the saints who had gone on before him as he worshiped in this new church. As I read several books on Catholicism from the Catholic point of view last year, I can see how this more encompassing view of church history and our place in it can enrich one's spiritual life. What I appreciated most from my Catholic readings was the emphasis on remembering the Christians who have gone on before us and seeing the continuity of the church from Jesus until now.
These past few years have been a time of spiritual upheaval for me and I am still processing through a lot of things. I have read about church history and the tenants of other Protestant faiths and the Catholic church (and even others outside these groups just to see where their beliefs came from). The last time I went through such spiritual wrestling was after my mom died twenty years ago when I asked the questions "Who is God and what does He want from me?" I went through the Bible and every time a verse said "God is...." or talked about an attribute of God, I wrote it down into a long list.
This time, however, I have focused on studying core beliefs and what can be considered "open for interpretation". I wonder, too, how much our gravitation towards a particular flavor of Christianity has to do less with the way we were brought up (although that is a part of who we are) and more with our personality (preference for hymns vs praise songs, charismatic vs liturgical) and stage in life. As the man in the article stated, when he was young, the Eastern Orthodox church "made sense" to him, it was a good fit for where he was in life (and he ended up becoming ordained in that church). As we move through the years, our needs change and the expression of who we are changes. I know I am not the same person I was twenty years ago and what would meet my needs spiritually is different in some ways now. Perhaps as a teen-ager one might prefer praise songs and as one matures, might prefer a more liturgical style worship (or the other way around). As a young adult we might hold certain teachings more strongly than we might later on when we have had a chance to grow more in grace.
My belief in the core tenants of the Christian faith remains the same and in some ways even stronger than before. But being encouraged by the emphasis in other Christian traditions has broadened my thinking and enriched my faith. It has soothed the wounds inflicted by oppressive teachers (most specifically in the homeschooling realm) and helped me to grow. It has helped me view the Christian faith as a journey and that the outward expression of one's faith can change in response to what is happening within us and God's moving in our lives.
These past few years have been a time of spiritual upheaval for me and I am still processing through a lot of things. I have read about church history and the tenants of other Protestant faiths and the Catholic church (and even others outside these groups just to see where their beliefs came from). The last time I went through such spiritual wrestling was after my mom died twenty years ago when I asked the questions "Who is God and what does He want from me?" I went through the Bible and every time a verse said "God is...." or talked about an attribute of God, I wrote it down into a long list.
This time, however, I have focused on studying core beliefs and what can be considered "open for interpretation". I wonder, too, how much our gravitation towards a particular flavor of Christianity has to do less with the way we were brought up (although that is a part of who we are) and more with our personality (preference for hymns vs praise songs, charismatic vs liturgical) and stage in life. As the man in the article stated, when he was young, the Eastern Orthodox church "made sense" to him, it was a good fit for where he was in life (and he ended up becoming ordained in that church). As we move through the years, our needs change and the expression of who we are changes. I know I am not the same person I was twenty years ago and what would meet my needs spiritually is different in some ways now. Perhaps as a teen-ager one might prefer praise songs and as one matures, might prefer a more liturgical style worship (or the other way around). As a young adult we might hold certain teachings more strongly than we might later on when we have had a chance to grow more in grace.
My belief in the core tenants of the Christian faith remains the same and in some ways even stronger than before. But being encouraged by the emphasis in other Christian traditions has broadened my thinking and enriched my faith. It has soothed the wounds inflicted by oppressive teachers (most specifically in the homeschooling realm) and helped me to grow. It has helped me view the Christian faith as a journey and that the outward expression of one's faith can change in response to what is happening within us and God's moving in our lives.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Music- One of God's Most Wonderful Gifts!
I thought Yo-Yo Ma did an excellent job performing at the inauguration and we enjoyed listening to it again on youtube. This, however, has to be my all time Yo-Yo favorite.
January Days
The weather the past two days has been just like Spring- it was over 70 degrees this afternoon. We have been trying to up our vitamin D level to fight off the flu-type illness Jacob and I are fighting.
A great benefit of homeschooling- being able to do your schoolwork outside in the nice weather! The kiddos are reviewing state capitals and teaching them to Hope (who, when it was her turn, read from the card and asked "What is the capital of South California?" Mommy answered "Mexico").
Abby cut out her skirt today from some silky black fabric. It's her first time to sew on anything other than cotton. I see frustration in the coming days...
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Oops..
I sent our Christmas cards yesterday. I've never sent them after Christmas before and I hope people will forgive me. I knew I was in trouble when I retrieved a phone message from a friend worried about us because she hadn't gotten our Christmas card yet.
And all along I was thinking we were just "fashionably late". Guess not!
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Abscessed Teeth and the Musings They Inspired
Today Hope had a baby tooth pulled by an oral surgeon. On Monday, she had quite a bit of pain in her tooth, which I assumed was being pushed on by a permanent tooth. On Tuesday when we were out, Abby said, "Mommy, did you know Hope's cheek is all swollen?" Sometime after lunch Hope's face began to swell, so on our way home we swung by the dentist's office for an x-ray. The dentist said Hope had an abscessed tooth and it would need to come out. So, today, it did. We hope that the infection will now go away and she will soon be back to "normal".
Before we went to the oral surgeon, the dentist had referred us to a pediatric dentist to have the tooth pulled. I called the dentist we had used when the girls were little (big, big mistake). This woman takes the worst case scenario and presents it to you as if this is what you will be facing. She warned that Hope might end up in the emergency room on IV antibiotics - Hope, listening in the chair with tears streaming down her face. This was the same dentist who warned us that Abby would *almost certainly* loose her permanent front teeth due to an eye tooth situation- and Abby is just fine today.
Mulling over the situation, I realized that this dentist uses fear to gain power over people. She uses her theatrics and medical knowledge to create panic in loving parents who only want their kids to be alright. Even her dental hygienists treat parents with scorn when they learn the child doesn't floss twice a day and if the child has a cavity, you'd better run and hide! I wonder if creating unwarranted fear in people gives her a sense of importance (since *she* has the answer for you and if you don't do as she says, your child will suffer harm).
Mulling further, I thought of a woman who runs a very nice fabric store nearby. However, the atmosphere in the store is suffocating and the employees have a meek and scared demeanor! The owner was at the cash register once when I was checking out and I could see why. She controlled everyone through threats and fear.
Many people in religious organizations and in the church do this as well- "If you don't live your life the way I think you should (dress the way I think you should, eat or don't eat what I think you should, etc.) you'll be in danger of hell... Control through fear.
I can see how fear of hell can be a good thing in causing us to turn to Christ, and He certainly did warn people about it while on earth and through the Bible, but that is not how God deals with us. He doesn't try to control us using fear and intimidation. It seems that looking around lately, whether it be situations at Brian's work or at the dentist's, it amazes me how many people try to control other people (it's like a bunch of toddlers in grown up bodies!).
Anyway, these "musings" are just for my own reflection- I think that domineering people are one of my "pet peeves" and this dentist taking advantage of Hope's situation to create more panic than was necessary (even the first dentist used the words "too much drama" in referring to her...) made me think on this.
I am grateful that Hope is feeling better tonight and that her experience with the oral surgeon was a positive one. We pray that the infection will go away now and that this will be the end of this adventure!
Before we went to the oral surgeon, the dentist had referred us to a pediatric dentist to have the tooth pulled. I called the dentist we had used when the girls were little (big, big mistake). This woman takes the worst case scenario and presents it to you as if this is what you will be facing. She warned that Hope might end up in the emergency room on IV antibiotics - Hope, listening in the chair with tears streaming down her face. This was the same dentist who warned us that Abby would *almost certainly* loose her permanent front teeth due to an eye tooth situation- and Abby is just fine today.
Mulling over the situation, I realized that this dentist uses fear to gain power over people. She uses her theatrics and medical knowledge to create panic in loving parents who only want their kids to be alright. Even her dental hygienists treat parents with scorn when they learn the child doesn't floss twice a day and if the child has a cavity, you'd better run and hide! I wonder if creating unwarranted fear in people gives her a sense of importance (since *she* has the answer for you and if you don't do as she says, your child will suffer harm).
Mulling further, I thought of a woman who runs a very nice fabric store nearby. However, the atmosphere in the store is suffocating and the employees have a meek and scared demeanor! The owner was at the cash register once when I was checking out and I could see why. She controlled everyone through threats and fear.
Many people in religious organizations and in the church do this as well- "If you don't live your life the way I think you should (dress the way I think you should, eat or don't eat what I think you should, etc.) you'll be in danger of hell... Control through fear.
I can see how fear of hell can be a good thing in causing us to turn to Christ, and He certainly did warn people about it while on earth and through the Bible, but that is not how God deals with us. He doesn't try to control us using fear and intimidation. It seems that looking around lately, whether it be situations at Brian's work or at the dentist's, it amazes me how many people try to control other people (it's like a bunch of toddlers in grown up bodies!).
Anyway, these "musings" are just for my own reflection- I think that domineering people are one of my "pet peeves" and this dentist taking advantage of Hope's situation to create more panic than was necessary (even the first dentist used the words "too much drama" in referring to her...) made me think on this.
I am grateful that Hope is feeling better tonight and that her experience with the oral surgeon was a positive one. We pray that the infection will go away now and that this will be the end of this adventure!
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Mold and Mildew on the Windswept Plains...update
Today yet another Mold Remediation man came out and spent a couple of hours in our basement. I wonder if there is a legal limit of how many people can look at your basement to try to find the cause of your mold. So far we have consulted with five people (one builder, three mold remediation people and one architect) and read stacks of books.
Mold Remediation Man #2 told us we had to replace all the siding around our windows (because that was where the water was coming from, he said), but most everyone else did not feel that was the problem. And we are glad, because that would be more money than we want to think about right now. We will need to look further at our siding to see if there are any issues, but that can wait until spring.
Mold Remediation man #1 agreed with Mold Remediation man #3 (henceforth known as MRM3) that the source of the moisture in the basement is coming from the floor which apparently did not get a proper vapor barrier at the time of construction. And our heavy clay soil holds the water right against the foundation.
MRM3 ran several mold tests today, so when we get the results later next week, we should be able to proceed with plans to have the mold removed (most likely dry ice blasting), all surfaces painted and then (Lord willing), an end to this chapter for now.
This has been frustrating because there are so many differing views as to how to treat the problem. As MRM3 said today, "If you listen to ten different mold specialists, you'll get twelve different opinions!" And we felt MRM2 was trying to take us for a ride, which I think is a common problem with that industry.
Mold Remediation Man #2 told us we had to replace all the siding around our windows (because that was where the water was coming from, he said), but most everyone else did not feel that was the problem. And we are glad, because that would be more money than we want to think about right now. We will need to look further at our siding to see if there are any issues, but that can wait until spring.
Mold Remediation man #1 agreed with Mold Remediation man #3 (henceforth known as MRM3) that the source of the moisture in the basement is coming from the floor which apparently did not get a proper vapor barrier at the time of construction. And our heavy clay soil holds the water right against the foundation.
MRM3 ran several mold tests today, so when we get the results later next week, we should be able to proceed with plans to have the mold removed (most likely dry ice blasting), all surfaces painted and then (Lord willing), an end to this chapter for now.
This has been frustrating because there are so many differing views as to how to treat the problem. As MRM3 said today, "If you listen to ten different mold specialists, you'll get twelve different opinions!" And we felt MRM2 was trying to take us for a ride, which I think is a common problem with that industry.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Meet Jane
The newest member of Hope's doll family.
We promised Hope a trip to "Build-A-Bear" for her birthday- this past summer. Since the store is a bit of a drive for us, we said we would go whenever we were in the area. On the last day of the year (gulp), we finally made it.
Such excitement!
Jane is now Tom's wife. Tom (the white bear) is her most favorite toy. Tom goes everywhere with Hope (maybe he's not so white anymore...). Now it will be Tom and Jane going everywhere together. Good thing Hope has two hands.
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas!
From our family...
To yours...
Too much egg nog?
Nope- Jacob got a balloon sculpting kit. Fun!
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Christmas Mold
Hello! Just popping in with a quick Christmas Mold update (as I know y'all are waiting anxiously to know about our fungi problem!). Well, after a consultation with Brian's brother who is Mr. Architect and a mold remediation man (#2), it seems that the moisture problem in the basement is due to the way the builders wrapped the Tyvek around the house near the ground (to guide the moisture right into the basement area) and the wrong way they installed the windows.
Mr. Mold Remediation Man recommended we tear off all the siding on the house and re-do it properly. So, right now we are coming out of the shock of that and trying to decide if we *really* need to be that drastic. And it's winter and the thought of having the whole house without siding is a bit much. If we were younger, we would have had that siding off the next day...but now we try to think about things that involve lots of money and manual labor first.
In the meantime we have a dehumidifier in the basement- it filled up halfway full (it holds a gallon) in *one* day. We heard that's a lot.
I smile (or cringe, cry, wring hands?) when I think about our efforts to humidify the air last winter. I think Jacob's dry hands were due to the *mold* and not dry air (since we obviously had a tropical rain forest going on in our basement).
If we are successful at getting the air dry enough, we can begin to address the mold growing on the floor joists and in the crawl space (wood above it). Guess what Brian will be doing over his Christmas break?
Mr. Mold Remediation Man recommended we tear off all the siding on the house and re-do it properly. So, right now we are coming out of the shock of that and trying to decide if we *really* need to be that drastic. And it's winter and the thought of having the whole house without siding is a bit much. If we were younger, we would have had that siding off the next day...but now we try to think about things that involve lots of money and manual labor first.
In the meantime we have a dehumidifier in the basement- it filled up halfway full (it holds a gallon) in *one* day. We heard that's a lot.
I smile (or cringe, cry, wring hands?) when I think about our efforts to humidify the air last winter. I think Jacob's dry hands were due to the *mold* and not dry air (since we obviously had a tropical rain forest going on in our basement).
If we are successful at getting the air dry enough, we can begin to address the mold growing on the floor joists and in the crawl space (wood above it). Guess what Brian will be doing over his Christmas break?
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Holiday Tour of Homes
Welcome to our home! It has been below zero for the past several days and *windy*.
Our front door (hope the wreath doesn't blow away!)
In the entry way is our little church where we place our Christmas cards. We haven't received many yet, but I haven't sent ours out, so I guess I can't complain!
In the dining room...
The children decorated a gingerbread house again this year. The candies are slowly falling off as time goes by :).
I brought out my Christmas "quilt" square made of paper to decorate in the kitchen.
On top of the kitchen hutch.
A wreath for the kitchen. I took two rather anemic wreaths I had used in the past and gussied them up this year using the left-over ribbon from the wreath on the front door.
The mantle decorated a la "The Nester". After seeing all of the wonderful garlands from the "Garland Party", I added more berries, the candles on the mantle and moved the nativity to the center of the mantle.
I love the soft colors of this nativity set.
We have a little tree this year. (Story behind our mold problems and why most of our Christmas decorations remain in storage *here* and *here*.)We made gingerbread ornaments and a few with family pictures to add to our Precious Moments ornaments.
Awaiting Christmas morning.
On top of the piano.
Our family's traditional Christmas candy. This year our flavors were grape, strawberry, orange, and other fruit flavors. We usually make mint flavors, but we thought we'd try something different this year.
*Here* are the instructions (and pictures of us making it) for how to make your own.
Thanks for stopping by! Merry Christmas to you and yours!
*Here* are the instructions (and pictures of us making it) for how to make your own.
Thanks for stopping by! Merry Christmas to you and yours!
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Due to mold issues in our basement, we decided not to use the Christmas decorations stored down there this winter. This year, then, has been a time for doing things differently than in the past.
We had always hung our stockings on our mantle, but I think the highlight of our decorating this year has been our garland made following "The Nester's" suggestions.
At night we light the candles, turn on the Christmas music, and enjoy the lights from the tree and mantle.
It has been so good to hear my children say how much they are enjoying our Christmastime- even though at first they were skeptical that Christmas could be any fun without our special things.
And the starfish? We had to put one in- just because "The Nester" had one in hers!
Monday, December 8, 2008
He Took Me Seriously
"Hey, Jacob- you've lost so many teeth this past month, you could make them into Christmas ornaments..."
And here we thought fixing the basement was a fun project to do in winter.
This is what the outside of my living room looks like right now. A storm is moving in and the wind makes strange sounds against the Tyvek as it blows against it.
Underneath the Tyvek is the side of our house where we had a big water leak- the builders did not do a good job of caulking the siding and we are just now seeing the results of eight years of leaks. We still remain hopeful (ignorant, hiding our heads in the sand?) that this is isolated to the side of the house. Although we know of one other place on the front of the house that will need fixing.
These are the helpful books that have given me nightmares recently (!). After reading these, I think I see dust mites and mold everywhere... It is a good thing I never went to medical school.
Brian spent 7-8 hours working on the basement crawl space this weekend. He thinks that part is done and all that is left to do is to finish vacuuming and seal the walls. The floors (I think) have been sealed although the cracks still need to be caulked.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Christmas Decorating
Since we are still in the process of making the basement safe for us mold-sensitive people, we made the decision to not use any of the Christmas decorations that have been stored in the basement for this year. We plan to take them out in the summer to clean/air them for next year.
Thankfully, not all of our Christmas things are stored in the basement! Brian's mom sent us the "Willow Tree" nativity set this year. We have it in the family room and have been enjoying it since fall (!). I love how in this set Mary is holding Jesus instead of looking at Him in the manger. If I were Mary, that's what I would be doing, too.
We bought a little artificial tree and put on our Precious Moments decorations. We hope to make gingerbread ornaments this week.
Flocked wrapping paper? Be still my heart!
On top of the piano.
A wreath for the back door.
Even though our Christmas decorating will be very simple this year, we are grateful that we have a few special items we can display. We are listening to Christmas music each night watching the lights on the (ever so little) tree, the mantle and the candles on the piano. I hope this year's more quiet celebration will bring fond memories in the years to come.
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