Gone to Missouri

The boys and I are heading to Missouri this weekend to be with my mom. She isn't doing well right now. Her liver is in bad shape and isn't functioning properly, which is allowing fluid to build-up around her stomach. She is basically bed-ridden. I'm going to supervise her care, clean her house, cook meals, and just be with her and my dad for a few weeks, or as long as necessary. I am afraid of what awaits me, yet I know the Lord has called me to serve her. Last night in my Bible time, I was reminded of this:

Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father. Colossians 3:17

Whatever I do, I want to do it for Him, and do it heartily, with a song in my heart, with encouraging words on my lips, with peace in my heart, devoting myself to prayer, and loving others the way Jesus has loved me.

If you think of us, pray for me and my unborn child as I take on this task. Pray for my mother to be healed, whether its His will she be healed on earth, or to have her new and glorious cancer-free body in heaven.

Who knows when I'll have a chance to blog again, but I'll try to keep you posted now and then. There's no computer at my parent's house, so it will be up to the local library to keep me connected!

Thank you for your prayers.

"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

Marla

A New Reason to Rejoice

I fell off the face of the earth for awhile, but I'm back again. I won't bore you with excuses. Instead, I'll tell you some good news!

Something very exciting has happened in our family. Before 2005 is over, there will be a tiny addition to our family! And I'm not talking about a kitten or a puppy or anything along the lines of pets...

My thirty-something body has kicked into overdrive and is a hormone producing machine. Its got me flat on my back most of the time, either in a fatigued, exhausted state, or else a sick to my stomach, "oooh, get that food away from me" state.

I wish I could tell you what we've been up to lately, but dog-gone if I have any clue.

The only thing I can think of is taking my boys to the library sale this week. We bought home 2 boxes full of books and we've got no place to put 'em. Some things are worth having, even if you can't find a place for them. That may be true of Child number 3. We have a tiny house, but isn't it nice that babies don't need much room? By the time he/she is romping around this house, it will no doubt be time for another military move. So the Lord has a way of working out the details, doesn't He?

Thank you Lord,
for this new reason to
Rejoice!

Marla

Schoolish Things

We're wrapping up our study of the Civil War for awhile. We began filling our Timeline Notebook with the important events and dates of the Civil War. Should be done with that tomorrow. I'll take the boys to visit the Fredericksburg Battlefield this week. Then we need to move on to a historical subject that is less depressing!

We have been preparing our back yard for summer. Dragged out the patio table and chairs, cleaned them up and have already had an evening meal there. Set up our badminton net. We've already spent the last couple weeks clearing out the fencerows and especially removing some nasty sticker bushes. Fertilized the grass, hung out a birdfeeder and filled the birdbath with fresh water. I also hung up the hummingbird feeder, but its a little early for that. I think the nectar has gone bad already and instead of birds, we have dead ants floating in the top!

~D~ has battled strep throat since Thursday. He was down and out for 4 days, finally returning a little bit to his old self yesteday. I was worried about him. We went to the doctor on the 2nd day because I figured he had strep and he was on antibiotics by that evening. I really thought the fever would break within 24 hours of being on medicine, but it didn't happen till Monday morning. Strep is terrible. And seeing my child so miserable and sick was awful. Hubby and I couldn't wait to see his bubbly personality come back. Praise God for good medicine, and for dear children.

~D~ finished his Leo the Lion drawing today. His turned out looking more realistic than mine! I am so impressed. The book, "Drawing With Children," has helped this non-drawing family do some pretty amazing art.

~N~ absolutely broke down yesterday when I asked him to do some cursive handwriting practice. He had an old handwriting book from the school he attended last year, so I thought it would be good for him to practice from it. He's a printer - he hates cursive with a passion. I insist that he hates it because he isn't comfortable with it, because he simply needs more practice with it. After a 15 minute showdown, I finally erupted into gales of laughter when he said this:

Much wailing, crying, pleading....
Then, with head down, he says in miserable, quiet voice
"My teacher said we could throw these books away last year....
but I FORGOT!!!!"

Oh, I laughed till I cried. When I started laughing, he started laughing, and we could hardly stop. Then he did the one page handwriting requirement that his mean old teacher gave him. And that was that.

Today, I told hime to do another page and he did so willingly, without a fuss. But also without the laughter of yesterday!!

Rejoicing,
Marla

The Geyser Experiment

Here's a fun experiment that we tried yesterday. We were surprised at the results!

Simulate a geyser:

You needa 2 litre bottle of cola
2 Mentos mint candy

(You need to do this outside in the grass!!)

Place the cola bottle upright in an open area.
Remove the top from the cola.
Drop 2 Mentos mints into the cola bottle and STAND BACK. Watch what happens!

The cola will immediately begin to foam and will be forced out of the bottle's opening, creating a fountain of cola! Other carbonated drinks will work as well. Scientists disagree about the cause of the reaction that happens. Most think that the rough surface of the Mentos provides a place for the CO 2 to quickly change from being dissolved in solution to its gas form. It's not a chemical reaction that causes the fountain, but a physical change as the CO 2 changes from liquid to a gas. Geysers work because of a physical change as well. The most famous geyser is Old Faithful, which erupts about every 67 minutes!

This cool experiment is from the book "Weird Science." We borrowed a copy from the library and are having a ball trying the fun and easy experiments!

Another fun thing we did yesterday was visit the Hugh Mercer Apothecary in downtown Fredericksburg. Our tour guide explained the different herbal remedies the doctor would use to help you with the symptoms of your illness, but rarely had a cure for it. She described the techniques of Spring bleeding, by using razors or leeches. We were all amazed (and somewhat grossed out) by the fat, long and slimy leeches. She grabbed one from the bowl of water and carried it around for all of us to see up close. They would place 8-16 of them on the body. After that, we experienced what an amputation would have been like, thanks to a 10 year old volunteer. He sat in the chair, with 2 helpers next to him "to hold him down", while the tour guide went through each step. The whole process would have been finished in under a minute! One time the doctor did it in 26 seconds, but he accidentally cut off the fingers of his assistant!!!

Hope I didn't gross you out too much... It was a very interesting field trip and it gave us a new appreciation for the modern advances in medicine and for the good doctors we have today.

Speaking of doctors, please say a prayer for my mother. She continues to receive chemo treatments. This week has been one of her worst, as she deals with mouth sores, stomach pains, weakness and a low blood count. In a word, she feels awful. Her fighting spirit is flagging right now, and my brother and I are worried about her.

If you are in good health,
Rejoice!
If you aren't, or know someone else who isn't,
Pray!

Marla

Send a card to the Schindlers

I have been very moved by Terri Schiavo's story-- many times moved to tears of grief, and tears of frustration and anger. I believe she was murdered. There are so many questions that remain. Why couldn't she be taken outside for sunshine? Why couldn't the blinds in her room be open? Why couldn't she have the TV on in her room? Why did she have multiple fractures? Why didn't her husband divorce her, since he apparently was through with Terri and had found another woman, with whom he has children? Why wasn't she allowed to have a swallow test? Why was she denied rehabilitation? Why couldn't she have basic tests done, such as an MRI or CAT scan? Why did the judges believe it was her choice to die, when Mr. Schiavo never brought that up until 7 years after the onset of her condition? Why did she fight to live for 14 days after being denied food and water? Why did Michael want her cremated? What is he trying to hide? Do you realize that if anyone treated an animal like we have treated Terri, they would be tossed in jail? We don't even treat criminals on death row like this! I believe Terri wanted to live, and I believe the courts should have allowed her parents to care for her. They would have looked after her best interests. They would have worked with her. I believe her condition would have improved with therapy.

If you feel so moved, you can send the Schindlers a personal note or prayer of condolence to this address:

The Terri Schindler-Schiavo Foundation
4615 Gulf Blvd - #104/103
St Petersburg Beach, FL 33706

My card is already in the mail. Please keep this family, and Michael Schiavo in your prayers.

Marla