It Happened

We figured it was only a matter of time. She's called the cops on everyone else in the neighborhood. Tonight was our turn. Apparently she could tell (based on her immense experience with little dogs) that the four pigs on the trailer parked in front of our home for the last ten hours were being abused.

The two police officers who came to "investigate the complaint" were pleasantly surprised to find four fine, well-fed and watered swine. They were obliged to give us options if we would like to move the truck and trailer, but they found no basis for the complaint and apologized for our inconvenience.

Hmmm . . . now to get Quinn to sleep. He was certain that his daddy was, "going to get cuffed!"

The End of Reason

Pleasure without boundaries produces life without purpose - Ravi Zacharias

This book is best read AFTER reading Sam Harris' "Letter to a Christian Nation" - or not. Ravi replies to the illogical arguments, errors and misrepresentation of facts in Harris' book. I enjoy a good debate, but this is definitely one-sided. God wins.

I'm a Traditionalist

And I support abstinence education. What else is 100% effective at preventing pregnancy and STDs? Do you trust these statistics?

Maria Sue Chapman

If you follow contemporary Christian music, you probably already know that Steven Curtis Chapman's youngest daughter died a week ago. Have you read his (manager's) blog that describes her memorial service? Absolutely beautiful.

Perhaps, like me, you will be moved to contribute to Maria's Miracle Fund.

Teeth

Quinn lost a tooth last night. He lost another one the night before. The tooth fairy is going to go broke.

(Reminds me of another time we threw money away. . . . Rachel's dentist advised us that she needed a partial root canal. We paid $700 for it. The tooth fell out two weeks later . . .)

Quinn's trying to save up for a Nintendo DS game, so I've been watching him wiggle some other teeth today. I told him he could weed the garden and I'd pay him five bucks. No deal.

Total Money Makeover

Dave Ramsey writes in his book a profound thought:

"It is the duty of the good people to get wealth to keep it from the bad people, because the good people will do good with it. If we all abandon money because some misguided souls view it as evil, then the only ones with money will be the p*@nographer, the d r u gdealer, or the pimp. Simple enough?"

Good book. Great, practical plan for financial security. Reminiscent of Larry Burkett.

Vocabulary Lesson

Quinn asked me if I knew where his Nerf Gun ammo could be. I told him, "You'll probably find it in that abyss called your bedroom."

He quickly ran to his father to tell him, "Mom just cussed at me!"

Class Reunion

What's twenty years among friends? At the formal banquet, there were three women attending from the class of 1933. Amazing. The speaker from the class of 1938 told a story about his dog named "sex." I guess when you are 87 years old (and have just contributed 100 grand to the school district), you can talk about whatever you want . . .

Grandma Phoebe

This picture shows that one is never too old to learn new tricks. It was sweet to see what a patient teacher Quinn could be. Who doesn't want to play Nintendo DS?

March 1st Wedding

1st: Rellim Family

2nd: Mr. Rellim with his two brothers, two nephews and Quinn, on the occasion of a beautiful wedding.

Pretty

The cheddar pinks are blooming. Come see my garden! Sorry, couldn't smile. Sun was in my eyes.

Prince Caspian

Douglas Gresham, C.S. Lewis' stepson, is co-director on this film that is absolutely amazing. The battle scenes are somewhat intense, but the themes of honor, integrity, loyalty and love abound. The directors even added a bit of flirting to their version. The scene where Lucy stands with Aslan alone at one end of the bridge over the Fords of Beruna , holding only a small dagger, against the entire army of Miraz reminded me of David and Goliath. This is a must-see!

Can You Drive 55?

I tried it today. Weird. I think I could run that fast. I felt that I should run behind the van and push it to help us go faster. I can see how someone could have a false sense of security that applying make-up, texting, calling, eating or shaving does not interfere with driving skills.

Oligarchy!

"The California Supreme Court clearly decided "what ought to be" rather than "what is." But the function of "what ought to be" belongs to the people and their elected legislators, not a handful of crusading escapees from law school who find the actual practice of judging d eadly boring when compared to the temptation of creating social policy. . . .

A proposed constitutional amendment defining marriage as between one man and one woman awaits the voters of California in November, having received more than 1.1 million signatures during the petition process. If that amendment passes, perhaps the justices on the California Supreme Court will be forced to dust off their unused copies of the state constitution and discover that it is the citizens, not the courts, who decide how they should be governed."

by Bruce Hausknecht, judicial analyst

Household Chores

Ever feel like it could be one of your children winning this award some day? I've actually been waiting three days for Rachel to clear her school papers off the kitchen table. I keep setting the table on top of her papers. It doesn't seem to bother her at all.

Endoscopy

Rachel asked me why a tube with a light on it would have to go inside her friend's dad's butt. I briefly described colonoscopy and age-related preventative medicine. I told her this procedure for the colon is analogous to the annual pap smear for women. I knew I shouldn't have started this conversation over breakfast, but it had to happen sometime. It ended with her loudly proclaiming, "THAT IS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN TO ME!"

Bedtime

Quinn has requested that his new bedtime be "permanently" changed to 8:30. Planning ahead, he has also DEMANDED that his bedtime be 9:00 when he turns 16.

I made the deal. Now I'd like to get that in writing.

Sixth Grade Chorus Concert

The first song on the program was "Gloria." Mr. Rellim started humming, "G-L-O-R-I-A -- Gloooooooria!" He was extremely disappointed when the chorus sang, "Gloria in excelsis deo." Rachel also sang in the show choir that performed Greased Lightning. Mike told her that she was the best dancer and that he could hear her singing above all the others. I tried to tell him that was not complimentary and he said, "Your mom doesn't know what she's talking about. My ears are more 'atute' than hers."

I think he combined "astute" and "in tune." Mr. Rellim, you're a hoot!

One Month to Live: 30 Days to a No-Regrets Life

This book by Kerry and Chris Shook was . . . eh . . . OK. If you've read Rick Warren's Purpose-Driven Life, then you might consider it repetitious. There were some interesting analogies and practical applications suggested, but overall nothing particularly inspiring.

Next Up

The Complete C.S. Lewis Signature Classics

"A man can no more diminish God's glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling the word 'darkness' on the walls of his cell."
— C. S. Lewis

True Life

So far, I've spent this Mother's Day afternoon spending time with my children, sitting in front of a roaring fireplace, eating M & Ms and reading to them The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. I find this preferable to waiting to be served mediocre food at an over-crowded restaurant.

Now, I will not refuse to be served mediocre food by my loving family in my tiny kitchen this evening. I'm thinking that homemade barbeque chicken pizza sounds good.

Mother's Day

I would like my house to be clean and my daughter's room to be picked up, vacuumed and dusted. She told me I should ask for something more realistic.

Flying

In case you didn't know, I do NOT enjoying flying. Tomorrow my sister is taking her first flight (from Chicago to Texas) and called to ask me if I want any of her stuff in case she crashes and burns. I know she was kidding, but I called to tell her to put my name on her new couch and loveseat anyway.

Spicy Sweet Doritos

Quinn tried one then said, "Well, I like them OK, but I wouldn't want to make a living eating them."

Surprise

I got home early today and walked to the bus stop to surprise the kids. I waited and waited and waved to passing cars and chatted with my neighbor. After about 15 minutes I decided that I should just wait for them in our driveway. As I walked up the driveway I noticed our front door was open.

Surprise! My kids were ALREADY home and psyched that I was not around to monitor their after-school snacking. I guess I should read the school calendar more closely for those early dismissals.

I have a suspicion that my neighbor knew my kids were already home too. She was probably enjoying watching me wait in the sun and wind.

Decisions

“Wisdom and money can get you almost anything, but only wisdom can save your life.” Ecclesiastes 7:12 (NLT)

Use wisdom (or basic math) in discerning whether or not clearing $118/week can cover over $200/week in child care expenses. Contributor of this story shall remain anonymous.

ABCs

My nephew, Austin can sing the alphabet backward. I found that amazing. His little brother, Carson has a different skill. When I asked him to say his ABCs in order to get a chocolate chip cookie, he said, "B . . .C." When I prodded him for more, he added, "6 . . . 7!" then grabbed the cookie from my hand and ran away.

Ah! Surprise and diversion. Excellent skills for a three year old.

"If you ever have any questions . . . "

That's how I ended the most recent installment of "THE talk" series. To which Rachel replied, "What do you mean? Haven't you told me everything already? There's MORE to know? How am I supposed to ask questions about anything if you haven't told me everything?! HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO KNOW WHAT I DON'T KNOW?! WHAT AREN'T YOU TELLING ME???!!!!"

Ahhh . . . hormones. That's it. I haven't told her about how hormones affect mood, appetite, decisions, anger management, how one speaks to her loved ones, etc.