David's Surgery Tomorrow

Well, it's been an interesting day.  I'm too tired to post much about it now, but I did want to share an update about Michele's husband, David.

Please remember them in prayer.  Thank you.

David's surgery is set for 4 tomorrow. They will be making a vertical long incision in his stomach...yikes! I don't envy him...(and no baby afterwards!) :). Please pray for a smooth operation with his breathing and no complications or infection. I am quite nervous. Hoping to see the surgeon tomorrow before the surgery. Thanks for everything over these last 8 wks! Its been quite a ride :)
~Michele


We continue to covet your prayers as well.  Mountain Man was home once again today, and this illness seems to have super staying power with all of us.  I must say I'm getting weary of being sick, and it's only going on 2 weeks.  I can't begin to imagine what David has been feeling.  He's been in the hospital for over 2 months now.  All it takes is one glance away from ourselves to put it all in perspective.  


Much love,

Would Coulda Shouldas

All the woulda-coulda-shouldas

Layin' in the sun,

Talkin' 'bout the things

They woulda-coulda-shoulda done...

But all those woulda-coulda-shouldas

All ran away and hid 

From one little did.

By Shel Silverstein

(HT: Josh Harris)

Don't Say I Didn't Warn You

I know I'm a handsome guy, but that doesn't mean I don't have brains, too.  And, I'm warning you, little brother, that once you taste a milkshake, you're gonna be hooked.  No free will from here on out!

A little skeptical at first, Cap'n takes the plunge.  (or rather the spoon)

Hmm...this is good stuff.  What?  I have to let go of the spoon?

You're not gettin' this spoon from me....

unless you want to put more milkshake on it.

Thanks for your prayers!  We're slowly improving and are only battling severe colds now.  We're sleeping pretty well, trying not to cough on each other, and occasionally drinking milkshakes when we should be drinking carrot juice, or something like that.  The children have watched way to many videos, and we'll be spending next week de-programming them.  Other than that, everyone is looking pretty good, including handsome Cap'n, who enjoyed one spoonful of milkshake tonight.

We praise God for His mercies in sparing us many complications 

from this illness, in giving us a sense of humor in the daily, and for the many prayers you've offered on our behalf.  

Much love,

At Least Some of Us Still Have Our Sense of Humor

I woke up with the beginnings of whatever we have, and little Cap'n has been coughing off and on, too.  Scribe is feeling horrible, but thank the Lord, he hasn't had any issue with coughing, yet.  We've already had our morning's fill of Patch the Pirate, crossword puzzles, and hot tea, and now we've added Boo and Little Bit to the sick roster. (I guess that means we all have some symptoms.)

So, the picture of Cap'n aptly describes the Clan right now.

In the midst of it all, I (we) have A LOT to praise God for:

1) a sense of humor (ok, the Littles and I are the only ones who have this right now, but it's better than nothing!)

2) a dishwasher that does so much work for me and sanitizes, too

3)  a neighbor who went to the store for us and dropped the groceries off at the door

4)  convenience foods and a microwave

5)  a sickness that appears not to have any intestinal complications!  Did you know that the mothers of large families have often been driven to insanity after caring for an entire family with THAT kind of illness.  Yes, it's true.  Very true.

6)  the wonderful privilege to pray over and for my children any time

7)  a Pastor who forwarded us the order of worship for our church today so that we might be comforted (I know...we're very blessed!)

8) strength for me to at least do the next thing right now

9) sleep

10) medicine

11) audiobooks

12)  the comfort of God's Word

13) comfort foods like buttery grits, toast, or chicken noodle soup

14)  popsicles and ginger ale

15)  Cap'n's smile whenever he watches me cough (see, he has his sense of humor, too)

16)  God's provision of the right word at the right time:

This was what we read from our Puritan devotional book last night (and we were a day behind because of Friday's events, but these words were perfectly encouraging)


"Christians have great advantage because of their faith.  Their only error is the lack of skill or failure to use the shield of faith when a dart comes suddenly upon them.  When a storm rises, immediately run and awaken your sleeping faith.  Knock at its door.  Do your work, O faith!  Consider this medicine for your faith to drink in comfort: not the slightest trouble befalls you without the overruling eye and hand of God.  He is not only our wise God, but a tender Father.  He know what you are made of and measures out exactly every cross unto us as a chemist measures grains of medicine." 
~Samuel Ward

Such comfort!

Much love,

So It Spreads

In the quiet time of my Bible reading I hear IT.  Yes, it's the sound of this sickness spreading through our family.

So far, three have it, and Scribe is having some pain in his chest.  Please pray for everyone, and especially for Scribe and Cap'n.  This kind of illness would be excruciating for Scribe considering his recent surgery, and Cap'n....well, he's still a little guy and the severity of coughing could put him in the hospital.


I'm thankful to be feeling well so that I can take care of everyone....so prayers for an encouraged spirit and a lot of stamina are appreciated!

Love,

Three Hours, A Lost Pair of Reading Glasses, and...

over $100.00 in medication later......we're HOME! :)

Really, aren't we blessed as wives to make sure our husbands take care of themselves?  Mountain Man wanted to wait and see his own doctor, but that wasn't going to happen until next Tuesday, so I finally convinced him to go to the urgent care.

When you're coughing like he is when you make any kind of move, Tuesday is a long time away from Friday!

He's on an antibiotic, an inhaler, cough pills, and cough liquid.  Wow!  Please continue to pray for healing and for sweet sleep.  He hasn't rested well for a few nights now.

All of our eye appointments went well, though.  Scribe now has contacts, and Miss Whistler picked out a lovely pair of pink (she makes her Mama proud) glasses. She won't have them for another week and a half, and she can't wait!

It takes me forever to pick out frames, but Whistler marched in the showroom, eyed those pink frames, and said, "That's what I'd like."  We were done.  I can learn from her.  (Honestly, I didn't suggest frame color at all.)

Pictures will come tomorrow.  I've got some Little Ones to read to after I hire one of the many massage therapists we have in-house. :)

Thank you so much for your prayers!

Love,

Cough, Cough, Cough

We had a delightful day celebrating Claire's 2nd birthday.  I'll post pictures later.

For now, please pray for Mountain Man.  He missed the festivities last night because he's feeling quite sick.  We have three appointments in town today, and we're hoping we can get him into an urgent care.  His main symptom is the coughing fit which starts whenever he moves (and pain in his chest from all the coughing!).

So, we'd appreciate prayers for a competent doctor, since you just never know what you'll end up with at an urgent care.

Love,

Two Looks Good on You

Happy Eight Months, Dear Cap'n!

You get sweeter and sweeter every day!  How blessed we are to be your family!  Thanks be to God for His kindness in choosing us to train you up in the way you should go, all for His glory.  We love you!

Pink Eggs and Love

I know that some of you were making faces at the thought of red scrambled eggs.  That's ok.  I went with more of a pink shade, and I'm tellin' ya, our children ate them up cheerfully, with great awe and wonder! :)

There were sweet surprises waiting at the breakfast table, and the children enjoyed making candy necklaces and sticking the hearts on the dinosaur.  (I LOVE Target.  That store makes makin' things special very easy!)

Whistler made some delicious cupcakes that were sweet looking and sweet tasting.  And dinner of homemade lasagna and homemade breadsticks was a hit, too.

The sermon we began reading by Spurgeon about Daniel was amazing.  To know we are loved by God means that much should be flowing from us...humility, consecration, gratitude, courage, and more.  Check your pulse if you can read this one without weeping.

Here are a few highlights of the day. ( What a great sequence of funny pictures I got when trying to get a group picture of the children! But those will have to stay in the secret Poff picture vault. )

We are truly blessed to have each day bring endless opportunities to celebrate the love of God and each other!

 

Happy Valentine's Day!

This is one of our favorite days, and we love to make it super sweet!  God willing, we'll be doing the following today...

~enjoying strawberry slushes, I LOVE YOU toast, and red scrambled eggs for breakfast
~playing some Valentine's Day bingo
~enjoying sweet treat bags
~reading at least one of these sermons
~writing love letters to Daddy (shhh...don't tell him)
~making Valentine cupcakes
~sending my Beloved a love text every hour
~making a beautiful table for a dinner of lasagna and homemade breadsticks
~and still hitting the books :)

Do you have any Valentine's Day traditions?

I'll post pictures soon!

Love,

Diligently and Deeply

"Practice love diligently. It is one of those graces, above all, which grow by constant exercise. Strive more and more to carry it into every little detail of daily life. Watch over your own tongue and temper throughout every hour of the day,--and especially in your dealing with children and near relatives. Remember the character of the excellent woman: "She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue" (Proverbs 31:26). Remember the words of Paul: "Do everything in love" (1 Corinthians 16:14). Love should be seen in little things as well as in great ones. Remember, not least, the words of Peter: "Love each other deeply;" not a love which just barely is a flame, but a burning, shining fire, which everyone around us can see. (1 Peter 4:8) It may cost pains and trouble to keep these things in mind. There may be little encouragement from the example of others. But persevere. Love like this brings its own reward."

~J.C. Ryle

First Taste

Hmm, I keep hearing about this chocolate stuff from everyone, especially my Mom, the most wonderfullest woman who ever lived.

Ok. I'm really not impressed.

Yuck! I've tasted better paper than this when I get the scraps from Little Bit's cut and paste projects.

Oh, this is what the chocolate looks like.  Nothing like a big brother's helping hand.  That Scribe is somethin' else.  He refuses to believe Wise Mother's advice that I can't digest this kinda stuff, yet.  But, hey, she's always asking us if we're building relationships with one another, so who am I to tell my big brother  "no"?

Here we go.  I hope Queen Mom doesn't see this.  It might ruin my chances of getting more.

WOW!  Now I understand all the fuss over this stuff!  Uh-oh.  I think I hear Dearest Mother in the Whole World asking where her chocolate is.  Scribe better get outta here.  Me....I'm not worried.  Don't you see how cute I am?

Happy in the Season

It's one of my favorite things about living where we do....we get SNOW!  I love snow, and perhaps I'm odd in that I'm not pining away for spring or summer.  Winter is one of my favorite seasons.

Thanks to my brave young men, here are some lovely pictures from the snow we got last week.  (God blessed us with slightly more than a dusting last night, too!)

This is one of my favorites....makes me think of all these sweet Blessings in our home!

Mirthful Monday~Please, Mama, Not Again

Does Little Big Man have to do my hair again?

Ooh, I'm dreading it.  This just isn't one of his gifts, and I can't forget what my hair looked like the last time you asked him to brush it.  He's just one big jokester.

What's that, Mama?  When Daddy first met you, he said you'd look beautiful even if you were wearing a potato sack?  Is that supposed to make me feel better?  This is my hair we're talking about here.

I look cute even with this crazy style?  Hmmm....ok.  I don't think you're one of those mothers who can't see her children objectively.  You don't have on your rose-colored glasses today, so I'll believe you this time.

I have to agree, Mama.  I'm just way TOO CUTE!  Thanks, brother, for the Do.  

Now, someone go get the comb!