Weekly Rewind 10/24-10/30/10

We thought cooler weather was here to stay, so we turned on the heater this week.  However, the past few days have been much warmer.  No complaints, though.  The men were able to enjoy tossing the football around a bit later this afternoon, and the colors of autumn are all around us.

Wednesday, Whistler and I went to town for a book study date as well as for my appointment with the dermatologist.  The doctor had to freeze three places on my face, so I appreciate your prayers that the treatment has taken care of any cancer and future cutting won't be necessary.  One of the places is at the outside corner of my eye....can't comprehend having surgery there, but the doctor did say it's not an uncommon area for skin cancer.  I'll return for a follow-up in January.

We tackled in record time changing out our spring/summer clothes for autumn/winter.  That's no small task for so many of us, and I'm thankful most of it is DONE. :)

Scribe is doing well, but I think we're learning to accept that pain will be his companion for quite some time.  His attitude is wonderful, though, and I'm so thankful for his gracious spirit, enduring this without any complaining.  And, really, I mean NO complaining.  How wonderful is the grace of God!

Jedediah is growing and starting to move (rolling over).  The bed is no longer a safe haven, and I'm determined he won't join the rest of the Poff children in falling off of our bed.:)

Our sweet Whistler turns 10 tomorrow!  We're excited about making the day special, and we're thankful we were able to celebrate last night with our dear friends and their children.

Here's a picture of Whistler's favorite way to have Cap'n near her when she's unloading the dishwasher.  He lasts here about 1 minute.

The girls are amazed at Mountain Man's fancy cooking creation.

Sweet Boo gets little sister to sleep.

Have a wonderful week full of rejoicing over God's goodness and mercy!

Love,

For Tea and Biscotti

What she does......

Little Boy Blue

My Mom's favorite color on Cap'n......

Hmmm...

Of All The Places...

Last night's dinner question:

If you could sleep in a different place each night for a week, what seven places would you select?  (Locations can be anywhere in the world.)

Mountain Man had some creative answers, being the most traveled of us all.  He was very specific...in a tent in the Redwood Forest, on a cliff in an ice cave, and so on.  He had no trouble coming up with seven different places.  Reaches Up thought sleeping in a castle in Ireland would be nice, and Little Big Man thought a hillside in VA would be great.

But the best answer of all?

Well, that came from Scribe.  You know... he's the member of our family who's been sleeping in a recliner for the past five weeks.

So was his answer Scotland?  No.  Middle Earth? Not even.

If Scribe could choose to sleep anywhere in the world, it would be...

"on the right side, the left side, and in the middle of my own bed."

And all of us were a little more grateful to be able to climb in our own beds that night.

The Power of the Word of God

My biggest concern is the way in which the post-modern mentality is seducing the church, even the Reformed church.  There seems to be a tacit assumption that...a constituent change took place in the nature of human beings, from the manner in which we were created.  Now life is no longer constructed on the basis of truth piercing the soul by way of the mind.  Since about 1970, we have adopted a "sensuous culture" that is all about feelings, about relationships, about everything subjective.  Even truth itself is regarded as subjective rather than objective.  Therefore, truth is whatever you want it to be.  This is the most narcissistic generation in the history of the human race.

Driven by these changes, churches are rushing to alter their approach to the culture, adopting the use of sound bites, entertainment, and that sort of thing.  They are forgetting that the power is in the Word of God, not in methods, and that the Word is addressed in the first instance to the mind.  The Word was intended by God to be intelligible, and only as we understand it does it get into our bloodstreams and into our hearts, and show up in changed lives.

~R.C. Sproul
The Truth of the Cross

Wonder

Why We Love Fridays

Have you heard of Ligonier's Five Dollar Fridays?  We've purchased some amazing resources in the past few weeks because of these weekly specials.

We're currently watching Knowing Scripture by Sproul, and yesterday, we received this bundle.

Amazing prices and very prompt shipping!


With love,

Hey Thar, Handsome!

Even though my posting on our family blog has slowed down a bit, life hasn't.  We're enjoying the cooler weather, the delights of autumn, and getting back into our school schedule.

Scribe is progressing each day, and he's been able to greatly reduce his pain meds.

The installation ceremony for our new Pastor was this past Sunday.

****

Jedediah turns 4 months old this Saturday!  He's such a cutie.  The children had fun giving him the cowboy look the other day.

 Below:  He contemplates the life of having so many older sisters.

Yes, he rarely has a moment to himself, but overall, he seems to really love all the "sister love."

Here Elisabeth and Claire share with him hints on how to treat a sister.

"And you give her hugs everyday and tell her how lovely she is.  Open the door for her and be sure to let her pick the biggest cookie."

***

Do you know how old I am?  I thought I did, but I learned differently after hearing this conversation between Ella and Elisabeth.  

Ella:  "Yeeeeess, Elisabeth, 5 is older than 3."

Elisabeth: " Nooooooooo."

Ella: " Yes, it is!"

Elisabeth:  "No!  Mommy twee."

Ella:  "No, she's not three!  (pause, drumroll)  She's 18!

Don't you remember when Mommy and Daddy got married?  They had a party."

Elisabeth: " Ohhhhhh"

Wow.  I'm 18, and our 5th and 6th children were present at our wedding.  You really do learn something new everyday.

****

A recent British study suggests that if you're over 52, you're probably grumpy.  A poll of 2000 Britons found that those over 50 laugh much less than their younger counterparts.  Infants laugh up to 300x a day and teenagers only about 6x a day.  Those over 60 enjoy about 2 chuckles a day.  Men tended to be grumpier than women.

I'm still far off from facing such a problem, but here are a few jokes to help you increase your laugh quotient, in case you're one of those who can't seem to find much that's funny in your days.  Of course, my best tip for more laughter is to have lots of children in the house. :)

A Sunday school teacher asked her children, as they were on the way to church service, "And why is it necessary to be quiet in church?" One bright little girl replied,"Because people are
sleeping."

***

Six-year-old Angie and her four-year-old brother Joel were sitting together in church. Joel giggled, sang, and talked out loud. Finally, his big sister had had enough. "You're not supposed to talk out loud in church." "Why? Who's going to stop me?" Joel asked.
Angie pointed to the back of the church and said, "See those two men standing by the door? They're hushers."

***

A wife invited some people to dinner. At the table, she turned to their six-year-old daughter and said, "Would you like to say the blessing?" "I wouldn't know what to say," the girl replied. "Just say what you hear Mommy say," the wife answered. The daughter bowed her head and said, "Lord, why on earth did I invite all these people to dinner?"

***

Lastly, no matter what you're facing, remember these encouraging words from J.C. Ryle...

What a mine of daily comfort there is in the thought—that we have an Advocate with the Father, who never slumbers or sleeps, whose eye is always upon us, who is continually pleading our cause and obtaining fresh supplies of grace for us, who watches over us in every company and place; and never forgets us, though we, in going to and fro, and doing our daily business, cannot always think of Him.

We have a great High Priest in heaven, who can be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, and who bids us pour out our hearts before Him, and come to Him for grace to help in time of need.

Have a beautiful rest of the week!

With love,
 

 

The Rejoicing Feast~Jedediah's Birth

Last month we had our Rejoicing Feast to celebrate Jedediah's birth.  Having my Mom here made the event extra special.

Psalm 78:4 was our selected verse.

We made up a lovely menu and whipped up a fancy feast and reflected on God's goodness to us throughout my pregnancy and during and after Jedediah's delivery.

 Order of Rejoicing Feast

Opening Prayer of Thanksgiving

"O Lord, you are our portion and our cup.  It is You who uphold our lot.  Indeed we have a goodly heritage.  We bless you Lord and have set you always before us.  Because you are at our right hand, we shall not fall.  Our hearts are glad and our spirits rejoice.  You show us the path of life, and in your Presence is a fullness of joy, and in your right hand are pleasures for evermore. "~based on Psalm 16

Appetizers

Readings of Thanksgiving Scriptures

Main Course

Declaration of God's Goodness to Us

 (accounting specifically the ways God blessed us)

Hymn of Thanksgiving

"How Good It Is to Thank the Lord"

Closing Prayer of Thanksgiving

Dessert

Each of us had a verse of praise to read.  Sweet Whistler selected these and wrote them out on strips of paper.

Great Food

The Best-Ever Homemade Baked Potato Skins!

Lots of Laughter....wanna know how to get everyone laughing at the table?  Just start laughing out loud.  Everyone thought this Queen Mom was insane, but they couldn't resist following along.  Laughter is simply infectious. :)

"Rejoice in the LORD, O ye righteous; for praise is comely for the upright."

Psalm 33:1

With love,

Weekly Rewind 9/26/10~10/02/10

Oh my!  Can you believe it's already October?  And the time went where?

This means...

~Jedediah is 3-1/2 months old.
~There are only 3 months left to finish up some more books on this year's reading lists.
~Thanksgiving and Advent and Christmas are right around the corner.
~Fall is here, and we can enjoy the cooler nights and favorite comfort foods.
~Scribe is almost 3 weeks post-op and is improving daily.  We've noted a reduction in pain meds needed this week! Praise the LORD!
~Sweet Whistler will soon have her 10th birthday.

Mountain Man and I have resumed our nightly walks.  One of the beauties of living rural is the view of the stars.  I enjoy having him point out the different constellations and planets, and we've added a telescope to our wish-list.  How humbling it is to look at the stars and consider that this is exactly how God's mercies are....too many to count.

Mountain Man and the older boys finished up their study of Thoughts for Young Men, and now he and Reaches Up are going through Boyhood and Beyond.   The rest of this past week was marked by simply enjoying a quiet week at home.



Here are a couple new recipes we enjoyed this past week.

Cheesy Chicken Bundles

1 c. bread crumbs

1/2 c. cheddar cheese, grated

1/2 c. fresh Parmesan cheese, grated

1 t. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

6 boneless chicken breasts

1/2 c. butter, melted

2 T. butter

1/4 c. fresh Parmesan cheese, grated

Mix together bread crumbs, cheese, salt, and pepper.  Dip chicken pieces in melted butter, then in cheese mixture.  Tuck sides of chicken breast under to form individual bundles.  Melt 2 T. butter and pour over chicken.  Sprinkle with 1/4 c. Parmesan cheese, and bake uncovered at 350 degrees for approx. 1 hour, until chicken is crispy.

These turned out perfectly and were moist and crispy.  They're great re-heated in the oven, too, for another time.  This is actually a freezer recipe from Don't Panic-Dinner's in the Freezer.

Festive Corn and Broccoli

1/2 c. butter

12 oz. can Mexican corn

10 oz. pkg frozen broccoli, or 1 fresh bunch

1 t. basil

1/2 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. garlic powder

1/8 tsp. pepper

Melt butter in saucepan and add remaining ingredients.  Cover and cook for 8-10 minutes, until vegetables are tender but still crisp.

~ from Don't Panic cookbook

Scribe has received more gifts and  sweet cards of encouragement this week.  Thank you for continuing to think of him and keep him in your prayers.  

With love,