Triple Falls, Skin Cancer, and an Update from "Frozen Toes"

Wow, I bet you couldn't google and find such a combination of topics anywhere else but on this blog! I'll address them one by one...

~Poor Boo. I hope she survives her childhood. This morning she managed to fall out of one of our backless chairs onto the floor, and it was a hard hit. Then, while we're shopping in town, I opened the door for her, not realizing she was leaning on it, and she hit the cement in a flash. Oh, I felt her pain... Finally, while she was in the cart at Kmart, it was tipped over, and she fell to the floor. She didn't even cry for that one. Despite all that, she came home tonight and cheerfully helped Mommy finish up some cleaning. She's amazingly resiliant!

~My test came back positive for basal cell carcinoma, and I'm going to require surgery. I'm to be prepared for an all day event, as they basically cut away until the tests come back negative. So, it's cut a little, test, cut more, test again, etc., until there is no more evidence of the cancer. The challenge with the nose is that there is not much skin there, so if the cancer is extensive, a skin graft will be necessary. Also, if it is too extensive, they'll have to just bandage me up and get me in to see a plastic surgeon in a couple of days, so he can close everything up, and try and make me look halfway decent, I guess. The tenderness from all of this cutting can last 6-12 months, and there is the potential for permanent loss of feeling. And the pain--well, it will just plain hurt. Isn't this cheery? So even though this is quite daunting, especially since my Mountain Man isn't here right now, I can still rejoice because my God has promised to never leave me or forsake me, and each of my circumstances is an expression of His will, as well as His love for me. I have this surgery on December 5, and I desperately covet your prayers!

~In Mountain Man's words, "We're FREEZING!" It's amazing how quickly the temperatures dropped just in time for this trip. Mountain Man said that everyone is having a great time, though. They did a lot of shooting today and warmed themselves up with a warm bowl of homemade chili for dinner. Sleeping is another matter as it is just SO cold!

That's enough for this day, and actually for awhile! I promise to post more uplifting things tomorrow! :)

Love,
Queen Mom

Team Sparkle

"A sparkling, clean kitchen that stays that way is one that is probably rarely used."

Marmee Dear

Inspired by Marmee Dear's little e-book, "Kitchen Sparkle," I decided we would tackle a lot of deep cleaning in the kitchen to keep our minds off of missing our Mountain Men so much. I had the greatest of helpers..Little Bit, expert Counter Cleaner, Boo, the Greatest Cabinet Cleaner of All-Time, Whistler, Miss I'll-Clean-Those-Stove-Knobs-As -You've-Never-Seen-Before, and Reaches Up, Vacuum-Operator Extraordinaire. They worked diligently and enthusiastically. Whistler even exclaimed, "I love being in the kitchen doing a "sparkle." I'm going to do this with my family."

After much hard work, I released them to enjoy listening to The Chronicles of Narnia and rewarded them with a hot bowl of Tapioca pudding. As for the kitchen, well , it sparkles!

Here we come, "Frozen Toes!"

Okay, guys, before I go on, let me switch into my Mountain Man dialect... hmmm... (cough)... alrighty, folks, thanks fer waitin'. Now I can get ter the point.

~~~

Now, from my title, ya may be thinkin' that I just took decided to set a Guiness World Record for Stupidity by walkin' out in the snow in me bare tootsies and gettin' the most horrendous frostbite that ever was heared of... nah, nah, I ain't that cracked, yet. "Frozen Toes" be the name of a rondy-voo that me, Dad, and Little Big Man is goin' to.

~~~

This time though, we be aheadin' out inter an honest a goodness wilderness... well, sorta. Anyhow, de aforesaid "Frozen Toes" is 'bout three hours drive from here (what's that? Yeah, we done decided to try out one of them metal buggies this time - not that I trust 'em...). It's up south o' here, too, in the Capitan Mountains, and the camp itsef is kinda set in a little wooded valley - right down perty, ye understand.

~~~

Now this'll be my second time goin' to this rondy-voo, cuz last year, me an' Dad went up thar together to check it out. This time Little Big Man will come along, too, and in the process wow everybody which his knife flingin' skills... again.

~~~

Yessiree, we's headin' out now for the trail, ready to brave the rugged mountains, fight off the savages, battle wild cats and bears... well, maybe I was exageratin' a little bit... (sigh)...

~~~

Oh, yeah, and in case yer wonderin' how this rondy-voo got it's name, jest look at the night-time tempretures. They ain't perty. Why, last time I went with Dad, there was a guy who done covered his head with blankets to keep warm. In da middle o' the night, he woke up screamin' sayin' he couldn't see. Turns out, his breath was trapped under da blankets, and this, combined with cold tempretures, became ice, freezin' his eyleashes shut, and even turnin' his beard white! Ha!

~~~

Well, as Dad an' Little Big Man are waitin' fer me in the metel buggy thing, I'll jest wrap up by asklin' yer to pray fer our protection - ya know, when yer shootin' smokesticks, throwin' edged weapons at wooden blocks, and eatin' yer own cookin', something's bound ta happen, whether ya get a hit with lead balls, sliced and diced with knives and hawks, or perish miserably of an upset stomach from dinner... (sigh)... well, let's hope nothin' like that'll happen (ain't I sech a dire prophesier?).

~~~

And now, I guess I'll say bye, fer now, at least. That metel wagon be makin' weird honkin' noises. Ugh (shiver), it's jest unnatural fer a wagon to make honkin' noises, jest unnatural...

-Scribe

~~~

The valley fer "Frozen Toes"

Comfort Food and Garlic Red Potatoes

"Imagine how dull life would be if all God had created for us to eat was a tasteless diet of oatmeal. Even if it strengthened and sustained us, we would miss out on one of the greatest benefits food brings: different, delicious, satisfying tastes. Each different taste gives us the chance to appreciate something delectable."

Terry Willits, Creating A SenseSational Home

During fall and winter, we especially think of "comfort foods." So, throughout the next few months, I'll be posting several of our family's favorites. This first one is one of our most-loved ways to cook red potatoes.

Garlic Red Potatoes

2 lbs. red potatoes, quartered

1/4 c. butter, melted

2 tsp. minced garlic

1 tsp. salt

3 T. lemon juice or the juice of 1 lemon

1 T. grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place potatoes in an 8x8 baking dish that has a cover. In a small bowl combine melted butter, garlic, salt, and lemon juice; pour over potatoes, and stir to coat. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over potatoes. Bake, covered, in preheated oven for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 10 minutes, or until golden brown. (from www.allrecipes.com)

***Note: I've never had these get done in 40 minutes. It normally takes around 55 minutes for these to be tender. And, of course, we're always more generous with the cheese.:)

Checklist for Sons

I am studying a challenging course on Biblical manhood called Plants Grown Up. One of my assignments was to write up a checklist of qualities which godly young men should strive to exhibit. Of course, my list is not exhaustive, for one could go on and on about the standards for godly manhood, but these are just a few qualities I came up with.

(1) Be quick to recognize and repent of sin (Psa. 32:5; 38:18; 69:5)

(2) Study the Scriptures (Psa. 1:2)

(3) Keep a diligent watch over your heart and mind (Psa. 19:14; Prov. 4:23; Rom. 12:2)

(4) Love your fellow men (especially your siblings) (1 Cor. 13:1-8, 13; Rom. 12:10)

(5) Die to Self (1 Cor. 10:24; Phil. 2:4)

(6) Flee temptation (Prov. 27:12; Matt. 26:41; James 4:7)

(7) Be forgiving, and do not repay evil with evil (Luke 11:4; Rom. 12:17-18, 19-21)

(8) Be courageous in the strength of the Lord (1 Cor. 16:13; 2 Tim 1:7; Heb. 13:6)

(9) Strive to deal peaceably with your fellow men (Psa. 133:1; Romans 12:180

(10) Have patience and self-control (Prov. 14:29; 16:32; James 1:19-20)

(11) Have faith in God, His Word, and His sovereignty (James 1:2-3; Rom. 8:28)

(12) Control your tongue (Prov. 12:22; 17:27; 21:23; Psa. 34:13; James 3:5-12)
- speaking only the truth
- speaking with praise and encouragment
- do not speak tearing down words
- do not slander
- speak with courtesy, modesty, and consideration

(13) Be quick to listen and slow to speak (James 1:19:20)

(14) Do your best in everything, persevere in your tasks, and be diligent (Prov. 12:24; 21:5; 30:25; Ecc. 9:10)

(15) Be obedient and respectful to all in authority, as far as God's Word allows (Heb 13:17; Eph. 6:1-3; 1 Pet. 2:17)

(16) Justly judge (John 7:24)

(17) Protect, defend, and show honour to those weaker than yourself (Matt. 12:29; 1 Pet. 3:7; 5:8)

(18) Be a godly example (especially to your siblings) (1 Tim. 4:12; Titus 2: 7-8)

(19) Fellowship with the brethren (Psa. 119:63; Acts 2:42; Heb. 10:24-25)

(20) Share the gospel, and be a godly witness for Christ (Matt. 10:32; 1 Pet. 3:15)

I know that I fail often in these areas, but nevertheless, we must persevere in our walk with Christ, and it helps to outline different qualities to strive for as a young man. And now for some practical points of how to use this list:- pray, and ask God to enable you to work towards these as goals
- give a copy of this list to a family member or friend, and ask them to keep you accountable to it
- study God's word diligently, and hide these scriptures in your heart
- examine yourself every day, and at the end of every week, to see if you have progressed in any of these areas.

Persevero,

Scribe

Weekly Rewind 10/26-11/01/08

Here's a look back at this past week....

1) Whistler, of course, turned 8! You can read our previous post to find out about her birthday celebration. Thank you, Lord, for eight years with our precious daughter. Please help us to faithfully train her up in Your ways and be wise stewards of our time with her.

2) Mountain Man had a rough week at work again. His work load continues to be very heavy, and he covets your prayers. He also suffered a gout attack early this morning, and he's currently in quite a bit of pain. He managed to get through his teaching at church, and we would appreciate prayers for his healing, especially since he and the older boys are supposed to be heading out to "Frozen Toes," a cold-weather rendezvous. They'll be leaving Wednesday. Thank you, Lord, for taking Mountain Man's mind off of his pain during his teaching and blessing us with such a compassionate church family. Thank you for being our Great Physician.

3) The gentleman who does home repairs for us came by to do some cold weather tune-ups, including replacing the anode in our water heater. He discovered that some of the piping to the water heater was actually corroding, and it could have leaked at any time, leaving us with quite a bit of flooding. He said that we never would have heard the leak. If you were to see the hole in the pipe, you would know that God had been protecting us from quite a mess. Thank you, Lord, for working in the smallest details of our lives and sparing us from this potential trouble.

4) At a routine visit with my dermatologist this past week, I had to have a biopsy done on my nose. I'll return next week to have the stitch removed and for the doctor to see how the incision is healing. Please pray that there is no cancer, especially since this particular type can spread to the bone. Thank you, Lord, for the peace that only You can give us and for the compassion of my sweet children and husband.

5) Poor Little Bit accidently had her pinky finger smashed under a large piece of glass on a wicker table we have. It was so bad that she lost that nail this week. The boys, being so scientifically minded, of course, thought it would be fascinating to take close-up pictures of this nail since we don't have a microscope. Queen Mom has one word for such fascination...UGH! Thank you, Lord, for the natural ways You've created our bodies to heal. Thank you for making boys and girls so different!

6) We're so proud of Reaches Up. (I do post this with his permission) After a discipline issue, he wasn't allowed to watch Robin Hood with us this past week. Normally, such a consequence would mean lots of crying and a big struggle to submit. He was very sad he couldn't watch, but he actually exhibited quite a measure of self-control. (He's 6!) It's wonderful to see him growing and maturing in the Lord. Thank you, Lord, for your promise to finish the work You have started in us. Thank you for the blessings that encourage us to not grow weary in the training up of our children in Your ways.

7) After much prayer and thought, Mountain Man decided it would be best for us not to travel to Virginia this Christmas. We had been planning this trip for over a year, but considering I'll be 32-33 weeks along, Mountain Man thinks it wisest to stay home. We're all disappointed, but please know that any of you are welcome to spend Christmas with US! Thank you, Lord, for giving us wisdom when we ask and for giving us strength to submit to Your will.

8) I'll wrap up on a lighter note with a picture of the "Saturday Morning Coffee Club."

Thank you, Lord, for the gift of family and the special moments we share together.

Isn't it wonderful to see God at work in our lives, giving us reason to praise Him continuously?

Until next week,

Queen Mom

Sanctification - Part 2

In this post, we will look at what Ryle says about the visible evidence of sanctification.

(1) "True sanctification... does not consist in talk about religion." In other words, we need to be actively living out Christianity, and not just be standing by and talking about it, while in reality , we are serving the world and sin. Ryle states that during his day (as it is with many "Christians" today), "People hear so much of gospel truth that they contract an unholy familiarity with its words and phrases, and sometimes talk so fluently about its doctrines that you might think them true Christians. In fact it is sickening and disgusting to hear the cool and flippant language which many pour out about 'conversion - the Saviour - the gospel - finding peace - free grace,' and the like, while they are notoriously serving sin or living for the world...Can we doubt that such talk is abominable in God's sight, and is little better than cursing, swearing, and taking God's name in vain?... We must be sanctified, not only 'in word and in tongue, but in deed and truth' (1 John 3:18)."

(2) "True sanctification does not consist in temporary religious feelings." Many, it is sad to say, may receive the message of the gospel with great joy, but then, like the stony-ground hearers in Jesus' parable "The Sower and the Seed" (Matt. 13:18-23), they fall back into their worldly ways.

(3) "True sanctification does not consist in outward formalism and external devoutness." Basically, you cannot deceive yourself into thinking that real holiness is to be manifested by a bunch of outward show. It is a very dangerous slough to fall into, for only the working of the Holy Spirit in our hearts can sanctify us. Ryle says, "There may be an immense amount of 'bodily service', and not a jot of real sanctification."

(4)"Sanctification does not consist in retirement from our place in life, and renunciation of our social duties." Ryle makes the point that,"Hundreds of hermits have buried themselves in some wilderness, and thousands of men and women have shut themselves up within the walls of monastaries and convents, under the vain idea that by doing so they would escape sin and become eminently holy. They have forgotten that no bolts and bars can keep out the devil, and that, wherever we go, we carry that root of all evil, in our own hearts. To become a monk, or a nun, or to join a House of Mercy, is not the high road to sanctification. True holiness does not make a Christian evade difficulties, but face and overcome them."

(5) "Sanctification does not consist in the occasional performance of right actions." Ryle says that "... there are scores of people in the present day who seem to have spasmodical fits of 'goodness', as it is called, and do many right things under the influence of sickness, affliction, death in the family, public calamities, or a sudden qualm of conscience. Yet all the time any intelligent observer can see plainly that they are not converted, and that they know nothing of 'sanctification'. A true saint, like Hezekiah, will be wholehearted. He will ' count God's commandments concerning all things to be right, and hate every false way' (2 Chron. 31:21; Ps. 119:104)."

(6) "Genuine sanctification will show itself in habitual respect to God's law, and habitual effort to live in obedience to it as a rule of life." Ryle declares that "There is no greater mistake than to suppose that a Christian has nothing to do with the law and the Ten Commandments, because he cannot be justified by keeping them... St. Paul never made light of the law; on the contrary, he says, 'The law is good, if man use it lawfully.' 'I delight in the law of God after the inward man' ( 1 Tim. 1:8; Rom. 7:22)." In essence, the man who thinks himself a "Christian", while he disregards and sneers at God's law and the Ten Commandments, thinking naught of dishonoring his parents, lying, stealing, adultery, and the like is very much deceived.

(7) "Genuine sanctification will show itself in an habitual endeavor to do Christ's will, and live by His precepts." Ryle says here that "To hear some men talk, and read some men's writings, one might imagine that our blessed Lord, when He was on earth, never taught anything but doctrine, and left practical duties to be taught by others! The slightest knowledge of the four gospels ought to tell us this is a complete mistake. What his disciples ought to be and to do is continually brought forwards in our Lord's teaching." See also John 15:14.

(8) "Genuine sanctification will show itself in an habitual desire to live up to the standard which St. Paul sets before the churches in his writings." It is false to think that Paul's writings consist only of "justification, election, predestination, prophecy, and the like..." Ryle reminds us that Paul offers much practical instruction about the Christian's duty "in every relation of life, and about our daily habits, temper, and behavior to one another." To fail to attend to such direction is to deceive oneself about his sanctification.

(9) "Genuine sanctification will show itself in an habitual attention to the active graces which our Lord so beautifully exemplified, and especially to the grace of charity." See John 13:34-35. As Ryle says, "The selfish Christian professor, who wraps himself up in his own conceit of superior knowledge, and seems to care nothing whether others sink or swim, go to heaven or hell, so long as he walks to church or chapel in his Sunday best... such a man knows nothing of sanctification." Ryle declares that sanctified men will reflect their Master, doing good to others and loving not only with words, but with actions and "self-denying work."

(10) "Genuine sanctification... will show itself in habitual attention to the passive graces of Christianity." Ryle means, by passive graces, the "graces which are especially shown in submission to the will of God, and in bearing and forbearing toward one another." Read 1 Peter 2:21-23, and consider that "it is nonsense to pretend to sanctification unless we follow after the meekness, gentleness, longsuffering, and forgiveness of which the Bible makes so much." Ryle then cautions that "people who are habitually giving way to peevish and cross tempers in daily life, and are constantly sharp with their tongues, and disagreeable to all around them--spiteful people, vindictive people, revengeful people, malicious people...all such know little, as they should know, about sanctification."

Ryle closes this section by asserting that those who know nothing of the marks listed above may well doubt if they are truly sanctified.

The final section about sanctification will address the difference between sanctification and justification.

-Scribe

Happy 8th Birthday, Whistler!

Happy Birthday, Whistler! We love you, and we're so thankful God chose us to be your family! It's such a blessing to watch you grow more and more in wisdom and grace and in your love for the Lord. May you serve Him faithfully all the days of your life.

God gave us a beautiful day for a birthday picnic. We finished up the food preparations this morning. I wouldn't have been able to finish everything so quickly without my Beloved's help. He cheerfully fried up the chicken we had been marinating overnight in buttermilk. We fried it on the stovetop first and then finished it off in the oven for a crispier texture. It was very delicious and quite tender.

We also made one of Mountain Man's favorites--macaroni salad. Now this doesn't look appetizing to me, but he did say it was one of the best recipes for this salad that he's tasted. That's what every wife wants to hear!

After the fiasco with the cupcakes last night, it was great to make a fresh batch and frost these with the Littles' help. They did such a wonderful job and had so much fun.

We set up a lovely table at the picnic grounds. The dinnerware was pink, of course.

Whistler was delighted to open her gifts. Her siblings gave her such thoughtful presents and sweet birthday wishes.

Whistler's favorite spot was the creek that flowed right near the picnic grounds. She and her brothers and sisters spent most of their time playing there.
Scribe thought it very important for Little Bit to practice her pull-ups.
All of the boys spent most of their time at the creek or in these big things called trees, of which we have none in our yard to climb.

One of Whistler's favorite gifts was this beautiful colonial dress. She's been wearing it ever since we came home.
It was truly a delightful day. What a blessing it is to have these special days to make unforgettable memories and cherish the gift God has given us in the art of celebration. Thank you MeMaw, Grandma, and PawPaw for the generous gifts and the lovely cards you sent. We miss you!

Love,

Queen Mom

It's Not a Myth

There truly is such a thing as pregnancy-induced forgetfulness or scatterbrainedness (trust me, that's a word~I made it up myself!) Yesterday, after a too-long day in town going to appointments and picking up a few things, Mountain Man and I got back home around 8:00. Since today is Whistler's 8th birthday, I was looking forward to finishing up our picnic menu together, including her birthday cupcakes. Whistler and I got started, and I was already hoping the recipe would turn out okay since it suggested using a food processor to mix everything. There's no way my food processor would hold that much batter. So, we mixed it in the old faithful Kitchen Aid. The consistency of the batter worried me a bit, but I assumed any problems would bake themselves out (rather, I was desperately hoping...:)) The timer rings, and I pull out some very nice looking cupcakes.

Eager to taste our delicious creations, I realize at the first bite that I forgot something. Any of you who know me well know that I have a serious "sweets radar", and believe me, nothing sweet was being detected in that first bite. Of all things, this silly Mama forgot to mix in SUGAR. So, here I am staring at 24 pretty but very poor-tasting excuses for cupcakes. Mountain Man comes to the rescue and orders me not to throw any of them out...after all, apple butter (courtesy of his parents) makes almost anything tastes good.

Ok, I'll just move on to finishing the macaroni salad. I mix the mayo, mustard, and celery seed, as well as the paprika. All expert macaroni salad makers know that the paprika is to be sprinkled over the salad, not mixed in with the dressing. At least I caught my mistake before mixing the dressing in with the macaroni. I toss it out, and begin again.

By this time, it is after 10:00. Little Bit is a walking smoothie (it kept her quite entertained to try to feed herself a papaya smoothie while Mommy was baking), the rest of the children are very tired, I'm very tired, and I need to change the bandaid on the stitch on my nose, which was the earlier victim of a doctor's cutting. So, I decide to just get everyone cleaned up and in bed, take care of my bandage, and start baking again.

There was supposed to be just a bit of skin taken off my nose for a biopsy, but that's not what I saw when I removed the bandage. I mean, I actually have an indentation in my nose! I start to cry~what else would any almost 6 months pregnant Mama start doing after her baking has been a flop, it's late at night, and her nose is a mess? Word to the wise...don't cry when you have a stitch in your nose. It's quite painful. This stitch will have to be bandaged for a week! A week! Can you imagine Queen Mom not crying at least once in an entire week??

My sweet Little Big Man gives me a kind note before going to bed, reminding me that he'll love me no matter what I look like (he really was trying to comfort me) :). So, I cry some more, and then look at my dirty kitchen, my flopped cupcakes, and decide to call it quits. A boxed cake mix will just have to do in the morning because Queen Mom is simply done.

And isn't it wonderful that God's mercies are new every morning? I wake up this morning refreshed, whip up some homemade cupcakes, having just the right amount of cake flour and cupcake liners left, clean up my messy kitchen, and praise God for a new start. I remembered that I forgot to make homemade rolls...but I think Mountain Man will be buying those at the store. After all, I still have some yummy fried chicken to fry up and some pretty cupcakes to frost, and the rest of my children can be thankful they don't have a birthday while I still suffer from pregnancy-induced forgetfulness.

Love,
Queen Mom