tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61902677268450070032024-03-12T21:12:31.135-07:00Families of the NationsAll the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, And all the families of the nations will worship before Thee. Psalm 27:22Families of the Nationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17876367490954881560noreply@blogger.comBlogger86125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190267726845007003.post-57023081920246577672017-04-05T20:41:00.000-07:002017-04-05T20:41:53.072-07:00Big Family Times, Spring, 2017We drove away from home in Kennewick at 10 am on Wednesday morning, March 22 in our 2015 red Passat loaded with luggage, various bags of books and stuff and several acoustic instruments. Dennis, Arthur and I made it to Phoenix by Thursday evening around 7:00, driving right to Sky Harbor Airport to pick up Paul, who had flown in from New York. Arthur stood waiting for him to walk into the big room near his gate and when he saw Paul, ran across and leaped into a body hug with legs and arms!<br />
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Paul, sans luggage, navigated us out of the labyrinth of the airport and in 10 minutes over to Keith and Bethany's home, where the others had enjoyed a meal of pork chops, salad and lemon curd together. Annie Laurie had flown in from LA around 3 pm, with Zach and Kaley and their children having driven down from Colorado Springs in two days, arriving around 5 pm. Now all 16 members were together, though baby Isaiah was asleep already. The four of us arriving late had a chatty supper, then we drove 5 minutes to the rental house where all from out of town were staying.<br />
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What a place! Huge, luxurious, filled with art. The living room boasted a huge fireplace and a harpsichord! They had graciously designated the master bedroom for Dennis and me and our suite was at least 1000 square feet! Paul and Arthur slept in the large den with Zion and Kacia. Keziah had a roll away in the family room. Zach and Kaley had a bedroom as did Annie Laurie, who had a fever when we arrived.<br />
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Friday morning, Kaley and Zach took Zion, Kacia and Arthur to a special childrens' park, meeting up with Keith and Bethany and their four children. Keziah stayed with us, since she was ill also, and got in an extra nap. We had a relaxed morning talking with Paul and Annie Laurie in the big kitchen before scrambling off at noon to the Royals/Mariners game, which was an hour's drive away. We had forgotten our tickets in the car, parked very far away, but in time they were found online so we got into the game by the second inning.<br />
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It was so nice to sit on the blankets in the grass in the sun, talk with Zach and Kaley some, watch the children frolic and see the game. Bethany was home with Isaiah, but Kaley took a picture of the rest of us by the fence and great shots of the 6 children too. Mariners had been ahead the whole game, then the Royals rallied but fell short. Zach's whole family had their Royals shirts on, while Keith's had their Mariner's garb on!<br />
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Rearranging who was going with whom for the ride back home, I went with Keith and the little boys, Annie Laurie went with Kaley and the girls, and Zach, Paul and Arthur went with Dennis. Only problem was, I had the keys for the Passat! So Keith, well away, had to turn around and go back to find Zach in the parking lot to give him the keys! Then we all had long drives home, crawling in the rush hour traffic, but that gave Keith and I a nice chance to visit. Near home, Dennis bought Rubio's take out Mexican food for all, which we ate together in the "mansion". Bethany brought Isaiah over, whom I got to hold as much as I wanted. Uncle Paul let the older children play Minecraft. Annie Laurie went to sleep on the floor of the family room, but felt some better the next day. Arthur established his place in the living room at the square coffee table to work with his markers and paper<br />
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Saturday morning provided a welcome time of catching up over the breakfast table with Zach and Kaley about their natural fight against cancer. They'd been dealing with close friends who disapproved of the course they are taking. Keith rode bikes with Evangeline, K2, and Abraham over from their house. Kacia was full of talk about how Annie Laurie was going to take her to buy her some candy! Some of the games from March Madness were on later, so everyone who cared about those enjoyed watching them together. All six of the children were glad to have a chance to go swimming in the very big pool at the mansion in the afternoon, since there hadn't been time on Friday. It was cold but fun, with Annie Laurie and the bigger guys joining in as well. I took Paul and Annie Laurie to Costco for clothes for Paul and groceries, with a fun stop at Starbucks. Zach and Kaley also shopped at Costco. They were in charge of supper that night, making their delicious chicken taco recipe with Keziah pitching in as well.<br />
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Zach directed the conversation at the huge table with the adults, asking everyone to say what they admired about each of the others. This was very affirming for everyone, a great "official" beginning to our time together. There was some warring over the Minecraft play throughout the week but overall, everyone got along very well. Arthur had some good wrestling times with Paul and with the younger children while he was feeling ok.<br />
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Sunday morning we got breakfast done quickly and out the door to meet Keith and Bethany at their church. Isaiah, Keziah and K2 stayed with the adults and the other children went to the children's class. I was glad to take communion, then when the pastor announced he was preaching about Stephen from the book of Acts, I was very ready to hear what he said, since Dennis has been preaching about Acts and I have been reading MLJ on Acts.<br />
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Waiting for everyone to gather after service was over, Kaley suggested we take a family picture when we got back to the mansion before anyone changed their clothes. A tripod was rigged that hid Kaley from our view, but she got some great group photos around the pretty painted bench that graced the large courtyard entry way to the mansion. In the afternoon, several went to a bookstore where Paul bought some great books for both sets of grandchildren. We finally discovered the stash of games so the children played those off and on the rest of the week.<br />
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Sunday evening, Annie Laurie and Paul made chicken curry & rice with dosas & garlic spread and Paul's potatoes for a special supper. Their direction for the dinner conversation was for each to talk about their big goals/dreams in life. We didn't get too far that night since we cut it short to do music together and to get the children to bed a bit earlier, so we continued and finished this topic on Wednesday eve. Playing and singing worship songs altogether in the family room went well. The children were eager to play Paul's bass with him, taking turns.<br />
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Monday was free until evening. Our usual pattern in the mornings was Zach would make a big pot of steel cut oats, I would cook a big skillet of scrambled eggs and Annie Laurie would make a pot of coffee. Others would make toast or squeeze oranges right off the tree in our yard for whoever wanted such. This day, Dennis and I took Bethany with us to look at vintage and antique stores in Mesa, and also a music store. Paul and Annie Laurie went out for coffee and a quiet workplace. Some swimming and Minecraft for the children and baby holding time for me in the afternoon too. Zion walked up the tree in the backyard! Kacia and Abraham spent their time around the pool rather than in it for the most part.<br />
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Bethany had arranged for a babysitter for the children so the nine adults could go to dinner at True Foods Kitchen. The healthy food was delicious and it was special for Arthur to be included as an adult with the others. Afterwards, we toured the 100 year old Frank Lloyd Wright designed Biltmore Hotel nearby. A big party was going on for NFL team owners and managers! Some of us "crashed" the outdoor garden party with concert and wandered around.<br />
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Tuesday morn we all gathered at the Desert Botanical Gardens. It is a huge, designed planting of every kind of cactus and succulent (with other herbs, vegetables and flowers as well) that grow in the region. I got to carry Isaiah quite a while as we walked through the different areas. Even though Kacia was now coming down with the "bug" we all had a great time together enjoying the beautifully designed and cared for huge collection of living things. Kaley got lots of great cousin shots.<br />
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That evening we joined Keith and Bethany at their home for grilled chicken, salad and rice, with coconut chips. We ate outside on their patio and our subject for conversation was to give a scripture passage that had special meaning this past year. So good to hear how God is working in different ways in each one! Then we gathered in the living room to make music together again. Dennis taught Evangeline how to play Cripple Creek on her violin before we ate supper, and she nailed it during the jam! Keziah played piano, leading us in several hymns. Keith played bass this time.<br />
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Wednesday, Kaley and Kacia (who were both now fighting the "bug") along with Bethany, Abraham and Isaiah stayed home and enjoyed time together. Keith had to go to moot court to work on a big case he'd been preparing. The rest of us drove down to Tucson. Zach took Annie Laurie, Arthur, K2, Zion and Evangeline to an air museum called Boneyards. Dennis, Paul (battling the "bug"), Keziah and I drove into downtown Tucson to shop at the unique furnishing stores Mimi had showed us 2 years before.<br />
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Then at noon, all of us gathered at a pizza place near Mimi and Chuck's home to have lunch with Mimi, Chuck, along with Lorna, Gordon and David Kaufman! The Kaufman's were a welcome surprise as they were in town from Boston and just ready to fly back in a few days! It was a great blessing to get to see, eat with and visit with all five of them a couple hours before we scurried off back to Phoenix. We did stop first at Mimi's to see all the improvements Chuck has made since we were there last. Zach had to get the children to Awana's for their pinewood derby at 4:00 and we had to get back to back to grocery shop and make supper for everyone! Annie Laurie was making a special birthday berry pie for dessert in honor of Arthur's recent 22nd bday.<br />
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By this, our last evening together, Zach, Kaley, Zion, Kacia, Keziah, Annie Laurie, Paul, Dennis and Arthur were all dealing with various stages of the "bug". But everyone kept a great attitude! (Thankfully, it was not a stomach flu!) Dennis grilled the steak, Zach cut it in thin strips, I fried the basmati rice and the stir fry veggies so we had it all ready with the pie cooling soon after the Awana group of participators and watchers showed up. Evangeline won a trophy for her Seahawks inspired design!<br />
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We learned more about each other as the group finished sharing their goals and dreams, then everyone sang Happy Birthday to a reluctant (sick) Arthur and enjoyed the delicious pie. The guys and Annie Laurie had a shot of scotch while we talked about what a great summit this had been and hopes and plans for another next year, maybe in Maine near Lorna's summer home.<br />
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Zach and Kaley were planning to drive all the way home in one day so we packed up and cleaned up at the same early time they did. Before loading, Dennis drove Paul over to Keith's so he could go to work with him and see the real court presentation that Keith had practiced for on Wednesday. Paul's flight was in the evening so he had that last day to spend with them. We were taking Annie Laurie to LA and left shortly after Zach and Kaley, stopping by Bethany's to say goodbye. Annie Laurie knew about an installation called Mirage in Palm Springs and we got there at the perfect time to see it: a house all made of mirrors, inside and out! Thursday eve we checked into the Pasadena Rose Inn in Pasadena, planning to go to Universal Studios the next day. Ate supper at great, healthy place called Lemonade, one of Annie Laurie's favorites.<br />
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Friday morning, Dennis was feeling pretty rough and Universal Studios reviews did not make us think we would enjoy it much for the $100 per person price, so we decided to go to the La Brea Tar Pits and Museum instead. It was enjoyable though, of course, full of climate change propaganda. We considered going also to the art museum next door, but instead called Sharron and Armand and found we could bring dinner to their place that evening. So we headed toward our motel, stopping at the American Shopping Center in Altadena for Pressed Juicery ice cream-- delicious! Time for a little nap for Dennis before picking up a wood fired pizza on the way to the Deny's. Two sweet hours to spend with them eating, talking, seeing their place and yard and all of Sharron's quilted creations that Armand helps her to make. Wish we'd have taken pictures both here and with the Kaufman's and Youngs!<br />
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Saturday morning Dennis, Arthur and I drove away from the motel just minutes before Annie Laurie was picked up by her friend Brittany and they were driving the same direction as us clear to Redding! So we met up with them for coffee after going past the most congested part of our trip so I could meet Britt. We did spend the night in Redding too, but Arthur was feeling worse so we decided to not meet them for church but to get going on our way home. Dennis was still feeling rough too, so I spelled him a couple times. Had a delicious lunch in Bend, at the Old Mill center, made it home by 7:30 on April 2.Families of the Nationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17876367490954881560noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190267726845007003.post-86796451436755057122017-01-17T11:08:00.002-08:002017-01-17T11:08:51.617-08:00Almost two years have gone by!Arthur turned 21 in March and graduated from high school last year (2016) in June. We had a big party at home with extended family, friends, classmates, even his teachers came! Annie Laurie and Paul flew in from New York too. Later in June, his boss at Columbia Industries awarded him the Best Employee of the Year plaque. Artie worked two school years at Columbia Industries through the program they run through his high school. He worked two hours a day, four days a week on stamping hoods, clipping strings, assembling lanterns and replacing stickers on ducks for the annual duck race, earning a paycheck. He greatly enjoyed one week of Young Life camp with his Capernaum buddies in western Oregon again for the second year, also in June.<br />
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Now he works at Artmil again, helping with deliveries, shopping, mailings, bank deposits, emptying trash. In between his other work, he watches classic movies on DVD's and draws with markers at his desk near Dad and Mom in the office. He and Dad work out at the gym two doors down from Artmil. At home he helps with shopping, mowing, cooking, cleaning, washing cars. He takes videos of his large VHS collection of classics with his iPad and talks with his siblings occasionally on FaceTime. He enjoys shooting his bow and arrows or air pellet gun at his target in the back yard, helps out at our small church that meets upstairs at Artmil, takes part in blue grass jams and festivals with us and occasionally attends monthly Young Life Capernaum meetings.<br />
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Derek got our fancy new website up for Artmil last November amidst web development efforts continuing to grow to meet the rising demand for business websites. Dennis is working to include Chris and Andy on staff into the web development team so Derek can spend his time doing the work only he knows how to do along with part-time designers Katrina and Dagnie. Our son Zach in Colorado Springs has also shown interest in joining the team long distance by learning SEO skills and selling websites for Artmil in that region of the country.<br />
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Zach got out of the Air Force last spring and has had a tough year with Kaley's cancer and surgery and in finding what to do work-wise. We saw his family several times last year and plan to get together with them and the rest of our immediate family this coming March of 2017 in Tempe.<br />
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Paul came out December, 2016, to visit between the holidays. He had stayed with us most of 2015, then went back to New York in late fall. He started heading a new site called Circuit Breaker, part of The Verge early spring of 2016. It's been fun to see him demonstrating gadgets on video on Facebook.<br />
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Annie Laurie helped out in Colorado surrounding Kaley's surgery in the fall of 2016 and is now immersed in a big project designing a massive installation for The Magicians in Brooklyn. Dennis is going out next week to tour the installation when it opens, celebrate turning 68 and spend some time with Annie Laurie and Paul and the bluegrass scene in the big city.<br />
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I got to fly down to Tempe in late February 2016 to spend a week with Keith and Bethany's family. Then in early December, Isaiah was born so I flew out the second week of 2017 to get acquainted with their him and enjoy the family. I also got to have a nice time one afternoon with my sister Mimi. We lunched together outside in the nice weather, then happily toured IKEA together.<br />
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I returned home to the longest-feeling winter snow and cold-wise in 60 years here in Kennewick. Dennis and I are nearly finished with the remodel of our home begun nearly six years ago, just a couple more doors and windows and some trim work. Maybe this year!Families of the Nationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17876367490954881560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190267726845007003.post-39502299901357059742015-02-18T17:39:00.000-08:002015-02-18T17:39:59.986-08:00A year later . . .After a year away from writing on here, lots of news! <br />
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We moved our business just about one year ago to 5601 W Clearwater Ave. We have offices downstairs and our production room, along with a kitchen and two large bathrooms. Upstairs, half of the space had become a small concert venue that holds around 50 people. The other half is becoming a music/antique store with lesson cubicles. The far end of the upstairs will also house storage for Artmil, along with another kitchen area and two more large bathrooms, plus another nice office with a large window and room for three work stations. The floors are connected by two stairwells and an elevator!<br />
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Arthur is going to high school full-time now, from 7:40 to 2:20 officially. He rides a bus down to Columbia Industries four days a week to work for them for 2 hours each day. It is a school placement for training but he gets paid $3.08 per hour. He also goes to Zumba most Tuesday afternoons from 4:30 to 5:15. He likes following the teacher who leads the class of special needs young people in a different moves for each song she plays from her iPod. I go along and learn the moves too! He is much better than me at learning dancing but I am improving.<br />
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For most of the last year, Arthur and I would visit Ms Katie at Sun River Speech Therapy on Mondays over in Richland. Arthur made great strides in his cognitive awareness and grew in independence as a result. He is also able to read at a k-first grade level. His speech never grew clearer though he uses more words so he is not any easier to understand. I had originally taken him to Ms. Katie to get his speech clearer. When I realized last month that no speech therapist I know even believes he can get better because they feel his speech patterns are unchangeable, too ingrained, I decided the time has come go a new way. We are now exploring how to craft a communication tool that will permit him to communicate more and better when his words don't do the job for the long range years ahead.<br />
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The remodel of our home made a little more progress with the master bedroom window, floor, trim and paint done. However most of our remodel time and energy has been devoted to the workplace remodel. Walls were taken out, floors repaired, painting is still going on, etc.<br />
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The business has boomed so we've had to hire two new people! Lots more websites are being built. Dennis stays busy also with BNI which has brought in lots of business too. He also has been involved with the MCTAMA bluegrass group again this year as president. He promoted the three concerts we've held upstairs in the Hidden Scene for MCTAMA.<br />
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We got to see all our children and grandchildren at Christmas time down in Phoenix and other times in the year when we traveled to Michigan and Colorado plus several came here for the summer bluegrass festival. We also got reacquainted with Dennis' large extended family in Minnesota at the Sauter reunion in August, saw Dennis' hometown of Jamestown North Dakota through his eyes, visited my cousin Roberta and her husband in in their Montana home and enjoyed my sister Mimi and her family in Arizona at Christmas time.<br />
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Our church group doubled in size, plus Dennis began leading a men's Bible study early on Tuesday morning. Both these meetings take place around the large table upstairs at work in the sunny large room. The year has seen a lot!Families of the Nationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17876367490954881560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190267726845007003.post-51820721643352586052014-02-01T14:41:00.000-08:002014-02-01T15:26:14.589-08:00GeorgeI started writing this on November 14, 2013: <br />
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Just a little more than five years ago, a very hungry, pretty long haired black, white and tan kitten meowed piteously at the dining room window. He was starving. His eyes were being turned up at the outer corners he was so hungry! Annie gave him some milk, then he came back several times for food and soon he was adopted into our home, though he really belonged to the whole neighborhood. She named him George. We figured he was 4 or 5 months old; had him fixed a few months later.<br />
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George was very friendly but also very brave. Once he stood down two big dogs in the back yard! His bravery earned him some scars. Last year (2012) he tangled with what we figured must have been a squirrel who did such damage to his face we had to take him to the vet to get help for it to heal. He had way more moxie than sense and used up several of his nine lives when he was quite young. But all his scrapes healed each time till he looked good as new. Just this summer, we learned he was a Maine coon cat when a friend who came over met George.<br />
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He did not endear himself to Shasta, our older female cat, since they both wanted to be #1, but in time they got used to each other and mostly got along. His only other fault was scratching the carpet after every meal. He got really good at begging for more food and getting what he wanted. He would just sit in the kitchen and stare at me until I got the idea!<br />
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Sometimes when Arthur would let him in the door, he would leap in and gallop to his food dish. Arthur said he was a horse when he did that. George loved to jump over Shasta, which, of course, she did not appreciate!<br />
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He was such a good friend to us all. Whenever anyone went to work or play outside, he was out there too nearby, either watching or participating. He closely observed the ping pong games when the grandchildren came and they were delighted with him.<br />
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He would wait for us outside in the yard to come home, kind of like a dog would. He would lay on his belly with his hind legs splayed out behind him. Often he would sleep on his back with his paws in the air above him, right in the middle of the walkway! He'd often sleep on Arthur's bed during the days-- such a buddy he was.<br />
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Dennis found that George loved to have his back rubbed. George wasn't much of a cuddler but he would crawl up in Dennis' lap when he was cold. His purr was immense!<br />
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Sunday, November 10, 2013, he did not come in for the night as was his habit. The weather was warm so we didn't think much of it since he'd stayed out before occasionally. (He was great roamer, tried to go on long walks with us even!) The next morning our neighbors across the street, Karin and Scot, rang our doorbell about 7 am. Karin had noticed George across the street from their house, laying at the edge of the road. She and Scot brought George to us in a cardboard box. George was crying. We thanked them and brought George inside in the box, not wanting to think he wouldn't get better like all the other times before. We covered George's body with a towel to keep him warm. Dennis sat at the table and petted George's head, and cried and prayed for him for quite a while, then he got ready for work. Arthur prayed for George too and said he was good. I soon moved George's box under a light to keep him warmer. He would cry every once in a while; didn't move much at all.<br />
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Later we fixed lunch and took it and George in the box over to work with us. I told Andy about George, and right away when he saw him he was concerned that George should be in bigger box. When he moved him into a bigger box, he saw how stiff George was when he picked him up. Andy then encouraged us to take George to the vet in Pasco, the same one whom we'd taken Rita to years before, a no-nonsense type vet. So Arthur and I drove George over to the vet and waited about an hour, watching all the other pretty pets come and go, holding George in his box. The kind vet checked to see if there was any feeling in George's paws and there was none in any of them. He showed us how squeezing George's paws hard did not make him cry, and said George's spine had been broken. So I quickly said goodbye to George, but Arthur kept saying everything was good and didn't say goodbye. We paid the vet office to put George down and dispose of his body, then went back to work. I cried with Dennis there and at home later. Karin came over and cried with us too. She loved him too.<br />
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That was three months ago now. Dennis still deals with his loss of George by not thinking of him-- that's how much that cat had gotten into his heart and what deep loss he still feels since George is gone. Arthur never seemed to go past his denial though he knows George is gone and seems accepting about that fact. Shasta is happier and easier to care for since George is no longer here to threaten her domain. Never before experienced a cat like George. He sure knew how to make us feel loved.<br />
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Families of the Nationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17876367490954881560noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190267726845007003.post-59510335523920342162014-02-01T13:38:00.002-08:002014-02-01T13:38:42.289-08:00Almond Coconut KuchenGotta tell the story on this one first. Even before we married nearly 37 years ago, Dennis would sing the praises of the kuchen he had as a boy in North Dakota and would describe it to me. Sweet yeast raised crust filled with fruit, covered with custard. Problem was, his mother, even though she was of German descent, wasn't the one who made it. She learned from her mother-in-law how to make wonderful treats like rhubarb custard pie, which he loved too, but no kuchen. He discovered kuchen and would buy slices of it in a store after school on his way home. He didn't even know how to spell it-- the word sounded like "kugen" to him.<br />
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Since I've always loved custard, I would try to make a yeast raised crust, lay fruit on top, pour custard over all and bake but it would always turn out as an under-done mess. Then, we had years of no wheat or dairy in our quest to keep everyone healthy.<br />
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Year before last, we discovered that wheat acts much like sugar in the body so if you have problems with your blood sugar, it is best to stay away from wheat (and most other grains for that matter) which quickly turn to sugar upon digestion. This past year we discovered the concept of low carb high fat eating, which makes sugar the villain destroying our health instead of butter and cream, lard and marbled meat. So I've learned to bake with coconut flour, almond flour, stevia for sweetening, and coconut oil, butter and cream for fat.<br />
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Then, just a few weeks ago on FaceBook I noticed an article by a woman who had stopped being ashamed she was from North Dakota (people just couldn't believe anyone could really live there!) and had begun to embrace all the oddities of her heritage. She had a link to another woman from ND who makes 70 varieties of kuchen like Dennis had as a kid! I learned how to spell it, saw pictures of it, found the basic recipe! You see, kuchen is just the German word for cake, which can be made a zillion ways, but at last I knew what vintage North Dakotan kuchen was!<br />
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What I have adapted here is not low carb, but it is high protein and high fat and has no added refined sugar. The high protein and high fat content more than balance out the carbs so that eating a slice will not spike your blood sugar. Of course it is different from real ND kuchen but it looks the same and tastes creamy and sweet. We plan to eat some during the Superbowl tomorrow. And Dennis said to make a lot so we can either celebrate with it when the Seahawks win or comfort ourselves with it should they lose! It makes a great special breakfast too.<br />
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<b>Almond Coconut Kuchen</b> 4 pie pans 325 degrees F Total prep & bake time: about 50 min.<br />
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Butter bottoms and sides of 4 pie pans, glass or metal, 9" or 10"<br />
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In medium bowl, add each of these ingredients one at a time, whisking after each addition:<br />
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4 eggs<br />
1/2 cup plain full-fat yoghurt<br />
1/4 cup heavy cream<br />
1/2 cup coconut oil<br />
1 tsp real vanilla<br />
1/3 cup coconut flour<br />
1/2 tablespoon xanthan gum<br />
1/2 tsp salt crystals<br />
1/2 tsp baking soda<br />
1/4 tsp stevia powder (after this, switch from whisk to spoon)<br />
1 and 1/2 cup almond flour<br />
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Spoon one fourth of this stiff crust mixture into the center of each pie pan. With buttered spatula, spread mixture in thin layer over bottoms of pans and up the sides. Spread evenly over each pan:<br />
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1 cup fruit such as canned apple slices, canned peach slices, blueberries, strawberries, etc. (4 cups total)<br />
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Bake in oven 20 minutes. While the fruited crusts are baking, mix the custard on the stove in a medium pan over medium heat:<br />
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4 eggs, beaten<br />
1/2 cup heavy cream<br />
1/2 cup water<br />
1 cup half and half<br />
1 tsp real vanilla<br />
1/4 tsp stevia powder<br />
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After the fruited crusts have baked 20 minutes, take them from the oven and pour one fourth of the hot custard over the fruit in each pan. Bake them for 20 more minutes, or until the custard is set.<br />
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<br />Families of the Nationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17876367490954881560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190267726845007003.post-58988619574585117712013-10-21T20:44:00.000-07:002013-10-22T11:22:27.372-07:00Arthur in school and remodel workAfter nearly two months of paperwork, meetings, testing, emails, evaluations, observation and detailed IEP, Arthur started high school last Thursday. He attends from 8:30 to 10:30 each day. Today, his third day, his teacher walked him out to meet me at the gate and got him to tell me about the origami paper boat he had made. Later, he told his dad about it! The word "origami" wasn't quite understandable till I explained it, but already we've seen an increase in the words he is initiating and using, with an effort to say many of them more clearly.<br />
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This past weekend in the lovely weather he helped me carry the sawhorses and a piece of plywood out from the garage to the backyard to set up a work station for sanding the trim boards for his room. We often remembered to get him to say the words of what we are doing or the tools we are using. He got to man the electric sander that is shaped like a baby clothes iron to sand the wide trim boards. Then Dad would sand the edges and tack cloth off the dust before I rubbed the stain on them on top of the covered ping pong table on the porch. Arthur's had a big part in remodeling his room, from pulling staples out of the floor to rolling paint on big areas of his walls and closet, to laying out the wood floor puzzle pieces to sanding the trim! His new blinds are installed so when his trim goes in, his room will be the first all the way finished room of the remodel!Families of the Nationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17876367490954881560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190267726845007003.post-63475163355443960632013-10-03T07:03:00.000-07:002013-10-03T07:08:21.481-07:00Arthur's EducationLast Monday, the day came for Arthur and me to observe and experience the classroom #418 from 8:30-10:30 am for Special Needs high school students at Kamiakin. Upon entering the classroom, the first person we saw was Eser, Arthur's best friend from Vista Elementary School, 6 years ago! They both remembered each other and shook hands.<br />
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After the class preliminaries where 2 teachers and 5 adult aides help 19 students read and mark their calendars with the day's news, Arthur and Eser and three other students walked across the sidewalk with two aides to room #348 for academics with me along, observing. They read a story about Cloudy 2, the new sequel movie to Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs just coming out. Arthur sat near Eser, taking his queues from him on how to follow the handout. (On Thursday at the SmartMAp trade show, Dennis won a $30 gift certificate to the theatre, so on Friday we all enjoyed watching Cloudy 2 together the day it came out!)<br />
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When the group returned to Rm #418, they were divided into teams for life skills. Eser and Arthur were assigned to sweep the kitchen floor and unload the dishwasher, while the two young women stacked and tied up bundles of newspaper. (The other young man went to choir). In the half glass kitchen room, Eser showed Arthur how to hold the broom properly. Soon Arthur and Eser were outdoing each other in dramatic sashaying across each row as they took turns sweeping the grid marked on the floor. As they (and the aide!) were laughing, Eser snorted, which sent Arthur into spasms of laughter so that he rolled on the floor. After they got it all into the dustpan, they moved onto the dishwasher. Eser handed Arthur each dish, and with a flourish and a wiggle, Arthur put each one in the cabinet across the room. Their good humor helped them get all the work done in quick time!<br />
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When the teams switched, Eser threw a huge stack of papers together hastily, so had to start over to make a small, neater stack, just up to the line taped on the wall. Arthur and the aide watched him, then the aide had Arthur tie the first bundle before he stacked up the next one for Eser to tie. Arthur was very deliberate and precise, wiggling at first with each added paper, then just steady work. Soon it was time for lunch (at 10:30!) so time for us to go.<br />
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Dennis has given Arthur three music lessons in the past couple weeks. He's getting him to count to four over and over in an even rhythm, and hold down and pluck one bass string in that same, even rhythm. Keeping it even is the hardest thing for Arthur at this point. It's as if he thinks, once I know how to do this, why can't I do it faster and faster! But Dennis is very patience. When I tried to teach Arthur a few years ago, I was not able to get him to repeat 1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4 over again, he kept trying to go to 5-6-7, so we have real progress. He is also now using the same song sheets we use at church, cognizant of the titles and words, whereas before he wanted to use his own songbook without regard that the words were not what we were singing.<br />
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Yesterday, Arthur and I were sitting at the computer ready to Skype with Bethany and her children. I was going to read everyone a story called Love You Forever. (If I have ever read this book to Arthur, it was only once and quite a while ago.) While we waiting for them to call, I asked Arthur if he would like to read the book out loud to me. He did just that! Before they called, he read the first two pages, following each line, nearly every noun understandable, the other words made with sounds not understandable, ending with the word, "crazy", which was the last word on the page! I was amazed!Families of the Nationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17876367490954881560noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190267726845007003.post-12582138086455899992013-09-27T13:37:00.000-07:002013-09-27T13:37:31.692-07:00Peanut Butter CookiesPeanut Butter Cookies<br />
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3 eggs<br />
1/2 cup yogurt<br />
1 teaspoon vanilla<br />
3 tablespoons coconut flour<br />
1 teaspoon xanthan gum<br />
1/2 teaspoon baking powder<br />
1/2 teaspoon salt<br />
3 tablespoons erythritol<br />
2 packets plain stevia powder<br />
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Whisk the eggs, then add and mix the above ingredients together in a medium bowl while melting<br />
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2 tablespoons coconut oil<br />
3/4 cup peanut butter<br />
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Stir in the c. oil and p. butter, then add and stir in<br />
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1 cup almond meal<br />
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Bake 12 large or 24 smaller cookies at 350 for 15 minutes (less for small cookies) on buttered cookie sheet.<br />
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These puffed up nicely. A good snack low in carbs and sugar, high in protein and enough fat to satisfy for hours!Families of the Nationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17876367490954881560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190267726845007003.post-15864496879691552402013-09-21T19:35:00.003-07:002013-09-21T19:35:25.160-07:00A year ago . . .<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A year ago, Chuck and Mimi were here reconstructing our bathroom along with Dennis. Today, I found a picture of that event to post!Families of the Nationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17876367490954881560noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190267726845007003.post-21626574765281422812013-08-18T15:21:00.001-07:002013-08-18T15:21:17.297-07:00Eating high on the hog!Dennis and I have been venturing out into a new paradigm. For years, we've all been told over and over that two reasons we have an obesity epidemic is because people eat too much and do too little, and that most fat, especially saturated fat, is bad for you. Not only will fat make you fat, it will clog your arteries, kill you early, etc. Therefore, plans to lose weight nearly always severely limit fat, except Atkins, which touts high protein and low carb with some fat.<br />
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Then we had a neighbor down the street try a new way of eating called low carb high fat (LCHF) who posted on FB about it. Wanting to avoid diabetes that runs in his family, he lost 60 pounds and his wife lost 40. Both of them brought their high triglycerides and blood sugar levels down to low, healthy levels. We had started experimenting with eating less carbs and more fat, and found a great cookbook at Barnes and Noble by a guy in Sweden who lost more than 100 pounds with LCHF and gained a much healthier heart and circulatory system.<br />
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Since we still felt like we didn't know enough, we had our neighbors over to see how it all worked for them. Besides sharing how they did it, they told us about the Diet Doctor online who has explanations for why and how to do LCHF that we are just beginning to explore. He also interviews other doctors on videos who explain their research and experience in the realm of how and why LCHF produces better health. They explain how and why the two reasons given above for the obesity epidemic are not true.<br />
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Today we came home from church to face a package of thawed hamburger, two zucchini and a bunch of kale. Usually I make a kima with the burger and zucchini, adding onions, garlic and curry seasonings. But then Dennis recalled my sister saying you could make pizza crust with zucchini and eggs and we were off! He discovered we had bacon we could use for bacon bits in the kale salad plus bacon on the pizza. He started on the salad and frying 4 slices of bacon while I worked on the zucchini pizza crust (from an online recipe) and browned the hamburger into an italian spiced tomato sauce with onions and mushrooms. Dennis sauteed the sliced mushrooms first in the bacon fat (very tasty!) before they went into the sauce. Arthur came out and grated two cheeses. Dennis added red onion and sun ripened tomato to the kale and bacon bits, I added some olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and s&p, then he added feta crumbles and a tad of stevia. We built the pizza with the italian meat sauce and the cheeses with pepperoni slices in neat concentric circles by the aproned Arthur. The pizza baked for 15 more minutes and we were ready to eat!<br />
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Because I hadn't baked the zucchini crust long enough to make it hold together for handling before adding the toppings, it was more like a layered dish we ate with forks that tasted great, as did the kale salad. Since we just learned that to lose weight with LCFF you need to keep your carbs under 50 grams for the day, we have to learn to track our carbs and the pounds should start coming off. In the meantime, we are eating high on the hog, enjoying a great variety of meals and feeling full, with less need to snack and less achey joints.Families of the Nationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17876367490954881560noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190267726845007003.post-70580469932335422912013-07-24T10:28:00.000-07:002013-07-24T10:28:10.328-07:00TransitionThe year of 2013 is shaping up for us as one of continual transition. With Arthur, with Artmil, with Dennis turning 65 next year and being required to go on Medicare, with our health insurance, our status quo is anything but!<br />
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Because Arthur turned 18 on March 1st, we had initiated the process of becoming his legal guardians at the close of 2012. After the court appointed us his guardians in May, paper work to be filed with the state about how we plan to spend his money the first year was prepared with the lawyer's help. Since Arthur has no estate, this assumes he will receive some form of state aid funds that we would oversee and report on. Our lawyer and guardian ad litem both encouraged us to apply at the Social Security Administration on his behalf for a monthly stipend to defray his living expenses.<br />
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He was denied Social Security Disability because he has not ever worked, but was awarded Supplemental Security Income, or SSI, in less than a month! We opened a guardianship bank account for him before we applied for SSI, and within a week, two months of payments had been electronically deposited into it, pending approval! Another astounding byproduct was the fruit of the government streamlining their notoriously inefficient bureacracy: the SSI application was automatically forwarded to the DSHS system so that Arthur was also awarded medical coupons right away (also pending his approval for SSI.) This swift approval, now in place and activating these government programs, appears to have been based on the faxed blood work report establishing he does have Trisomy 21 (down syndrome) that I had kept in his files since right after his birth.<br />
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At Artmil we underwent a major change in April when Kathy left for work at her brother's firm and we hired a full time web guy. (Kathy was my daily prayer partner so adjusting to the loss of sharing and praying about our concerns has made dealing with all the other transition more difficult for me.) Dennis has joined Business Network International to find and help new customers and has increased the amount of time and effort he is giving to Artmil toward reinventing it once again to meet the changes of the times and the challenges of our economy. Therefore we have been doing less remodeling and less bluegrass. We hope to move toward semi-retirement from Artmil but this year isn't shaping up to be that transition time yet.<br />
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In a move to decrease our hefty health insurance premium, we have moved to Medi-Share as of next month. This is a Christian organization that qualifies under Obamacare as health coverage though it is not insurance but rather a method of sharing health cost needs different members have. Because Arthur has medical coupons now, our outgo for catastrophic coverage will be a fraction of what we had been paying. And because Dennis turns 65 next year, with his going on Medicare, our premiums or share may be further reduced.<br />
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Wish I could say I have sailed through all these changes but I haven't. I have prayed and praised the Lord at times and I have complained bitterly at times and gone "on strike" in my heart. What I am learning is that fear is something to be faced and gone through, that it is part of the fallen world we live in and needs to be reckoned with to keep from being paralyzed by it. Courage is not the absence of fear (my old belief). Courage is facing the fearful circumstances with trust in God to fight the battle in faith. Refusing to complain, choosing to be thankful, to keep on praying and trusting and living one day at a time trusting in Him-- those are the lessons. To keep working when everything is hard and scary and uncomfortable and seems useless. To keep encouraging myself in the truth, to stay in the Word daily. Facing my laziness engendered by fear allowed to go unchecked hasn't been pleasant, but God is faithful. He never gives up and leaves me to myself.<br />
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We still have our little church which so far hasn't changed, so everything isn't in transition. But in another way, circumstances and people are changing all the time, they don't really stay the same-- that is just an illusion that makes us feel secure. In truth, everything is winding down in this sinful fallen world, including our bodies and minds. Only those souls who have been filled with God's Holy Spirit are delivered from this decay. They are being renewed daily in their new, inner man by Him and they cannot be shaken when everything that can be shaken is shaken, for they are anchored on the Rock. "This world is not my home, I'm just a-passing through."Families of the Nationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17876367490954881560noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190267726845007003.post-74833617087771393992013-06-27T16:31:00.000-07:002013-06-27T16:31:08.285-07:00Our third bathtub and other Craigslist furnitureAt work this week, Andy taught Dennis how to put a search on Craigslist. In next to no time, great old cast iron bathtubs were showing up online, ones that had just been posted. In Spokane, one family had removed their tub from their attic bathroom in their home built in 1913 near Manito Park. So Monday afternoon we drove up and bought it from them. They gave us the pedestal sink as well; Dennis would have liked to take the old toilet also but stopped himself! Four of us lifted the heavy tub onto the pick-up bed, then added the sink and pedestal, all padded and tied with ropes for the drive home.<br />
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Wednesday eve, Dennis and I moved the second tub (fiberglass, clawfoot, too short, not yet installed) out of the bathroom into the garage and got everything prepared for the move in of the new-old tub today. Arthur and I drove over to Artmil at 9 am to hold down the fort at work. Soon, Dennis, Andy, Chris and Derek drove over to our house with the furniture dolly to move the tub out of the truck into the bathroom. In less than an hour, they were back to work with teasing reports of how many dents they'd made in the walls, how three of the claw feet had gotten broken off, etc. but actually it had all gone very well. The new tub, made in 1912, resembles the one we had upstairs in our house on Stanford Street in Springfield. I am looking forward to stretching out in this one! (Our first tub acquired for the bathroom remodel was a huge fiberglass jetted tub that Lowe's gave us since it was scratched. We decided not to use it but it hasn't made it to the dump yet! The second tub will go into our smaller bathroom when it gets remodeled.)<br />
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Andy and Dennis had found a couple bookcases and a dresser via Craigslist at different times earlier. The first bookcase was solid wood, four shelves, maybe '50's, bought for a song at an estate sale reeking of cigarette odor. We used it for toys and books while Kaley and children were here. Last weekend I had time to clean it thoroughly with 3 dousings of vinegar water, finished with Howard's Dark Oak Restore-a-Finish-- came out very nice. The second was a three shelf lawyer bookcase from the Franklin County Courthouse, dark oak, about 100 years old in very good condition. Now all the books and music in the family room have homes and the last of our four plain, tall oak bookcases is removed to Artmil. The dresser is for me, since the one I had been using is now in the guest room. The antique oak dresser has a mirror, a curved front and lots more drawer space. We found it at Foelber's home in Richland, a family who remembered Zach from Bethel from years ago.Families of the Nationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17876367490954881560noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190267726845007003.post-44820008126508121062013-06-14T13:07:00.000-07:002013-06-14T13:07:11.844-07:00Family TimeKaley and Keziah, Zion and Kacia stayed here with us for two weeks. They just flew home yesterday. I thought it would be good to try to remember what we did while they were here.<br />
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On the way here from the airport in Spokane on Thursday, May 30, Keziah and Zion climbed trees at a rest stop while Grandpa took photos of them that he posted on Instagram. Kaley needed that time to nurse Kacia, who turned 7 months old while she was here. Keziah is nearly 6 and Zion is 3 1/2.<br />
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They explored our newly remodeled rooms when they arrived, then we had supper and played outside on the swing set and the trampoline. The weather was sunny and warm and still nearly the whole time they were here! At bedtime, I read them stories on the couch in the family room from new old books I'd picked up at a garage sale.<br />
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Arthur gave up his bedroom so Keziah and Zion could sleep there near their mother, who was in the guest room with Kacia. Arthur slept out in the shed with his dad for company that first night.<br />
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On Friday morning, they explored the toys and books I had gathered in the family room. Kacia tasted the blocks in the Noah's Ark model. Arthur joined Dennis at work so I could take Kaley and children to Target, where we found clothes for each child. I went to work after lunch, thinking that Paul wasn't due in until suppertime. He called at 2:30, already at the Pasco Airport, so Dennis went to get him and we all enjoyed him at supper with us! We played croquet somewhat hilariously out in the back yard, then we played music together in the family room before bed. Paul held the phone with Facetime so Daddy Zach deployed in Qatar could read a story to his children! Zach called most mornings and evenings to share lives for a time, him being on the opposite schedule of us. Sometimes he would pray for our meal or recite scripture to us he'd been memorizing.<br />
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Paul slept out with Arthur the week he was here with us. Arthur kept his clothes and rags, shows and the laptop out there and would escape whenever we let him but we got him to join us and play often. He was great about sharing all his toys with the visiting children. Sometimes he would hold his ears when the baby cried but mostly he was very patient with everything.<br />
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Saturday morning, Dennis, Arthur and I left home about 8:00 to head to the Pasco Farmers Market to help get set up for the play date we had with other musicians to publicize the upcoming Sacajawea Bluegrass Festival. Arthur set up his computer with dvd's behind the stage. Our music started at 9:00. Paul brought Kaley and children about 10:30 so they got to hear and see the band play. After the bend finished at 11:00, we stopped at Starbucks, then drove onto to Ethan's graduation party at Craig and Martha's where Paul and Kaley got to visit some of the Millers who were not yet on vacation. Zion napped, Keziah was shy and Kacia charmed everyone! That evening when we did music together at home, Keziah and Zion "played" instruments and sang with us just like they had seen our group play and sing together earlier that day!<br />
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Sunday, we drove over to Artmil to have a kid-friendly church service there with Loretta Maki who joined us. Dennis led action songs while I played guitar and Paul played uke bass after his lessons from Dennis on Friday and Saturday. With fruit leather & water, paper & markers, we watched and listened to Grandpa read the creation story, <i>A is for Adam</i>, that also presents the Gospel.<br />
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After lunch and a short nap, we took off for Palouse Falls in two vehicles since neither could hold all eight of us! I took care of "the babycake" (my name for Kacia) while the others walked down closer to the falls. Kacia and I explored the picnic area near the metal safety fence on the rock ledge. We discovered eight creatures that looked like a cross between a beaver, a porcupine and a prairie dog! After exploring further, I found a sign that identified them as marmots. Kaley said they were the fattest marmots she'd ever seen, obviously fed by humans. Dennis got some good pictures of Zion down with his nose too close to the mouth of a marmot!<br />
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On Monday Paul bought Arthur a mini iPad and taught him to take photos and make videos with it. Arthur made a video with scads of short clips, and played back the whole thing every time he added another clip to it. He filmed us playing bluegrass music, then put other music to his video! Since he went to bed before Paul, while he was alone he videoed himself talking seriously a long time about wanting a girl and other heart rending stuff.<br />
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On Tuesday, Jen Miller came to visit with her two little girls, Elli and Ava, who played together with Keziah and Zion and Kacia, all outside enjoying the glorious weather.<br />
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Paul worked several hours, then took Zion to find a bike. They put it together and then we gathered all the helmets we could find around the place but all were extra large! So Kaley wrapped a dish towel around Zion's head like a turban under one helmet and we went out in the street in front of the house. Paul had gotten his red 16" Diamondback fixed so he rode it with Keziah on the back tire bars while Zion rode and then learned how to mount his new bike, taller than he was used to. Kacia sat in the grass or I held her while Kaley and Arthur took pictures. Dennis worked to get the trailer ready to take it out to the campsite at Sacajawea, filling it with water and stuff from the garage.<br />
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Wednesday morning Dennis hitched the trailer to the truck, first time without any assistance! Zion was up so we took him out to the campground and unhitched the trailer there, meeting our fine neighbors on each side. When we got back home, we realized we'd forgotten to take the programs so Keziah and I drove out with those, giving her a chance to see it too. Noon held the promise of Keziah's luncheon date with Paul. They both got dressed up and went to Shari's for lunch. Later, after supper, we all drove out in our two vehicles to enjoy the evening at Sacajawea, playing a few songs at the campsite.<br />
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Thursday morning at 10:00, Kaley drove her children off to a play date with Jen, Meridith and Mallory and all their children in West Pasco. If she had made it, 8 of the 12 great-grandchildren of Floyd and Joan would have been together, but, alas, she never found the home where they were meeting-- I should have driven them. She did make it back home at 12:30 after a long 'adventure'!<br />
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When Zion woke from his nap, Paul took him to a dirt racing track near the Richland Airport. After riding a while up and down those hills Zion seemed tired, but then he got a second wind, singing "This little light of mine", pedaling on and on with new strength!<br />
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Jen had invited us to a jewelry (made in 3rd world countries) party at her parent's home on Thursday evening so Kaley and her children and I drove there while Dennis, Paul and Arthur drove out to spend the night at the campsite after jamming with some of the other campers. They returned Friday morning so both Paul and Dennis could get a little work done before we all packed up to go out after lunch to campout until Sunday.<br />
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The 10th Annual Sacajawea Blue Grass Festival and Dutch Oven Rendevous was a big success, both for the organization who puts in on and for us as a family. The weather was great, the children enjoyed the concerts and jamming, both at our campsite and with neighbors. Zion got to ride his bide around and got lost the first time! But the president of MCTAMA, Nancy Burgess found and kept him till Paul found him. After that he rode with company! Kacia loved playing outside on the mat with her toys and would rock in rhythm to the beat of the music as she had done at home. She was pulling together and practicing all the skills to crawl during the two weeks here. She screamed for an hour near midnight the first night, then Keziah woke with growing pains, but other than that our sleep was pretty peaceful. Zion, Paul, Dennis and Arthur slept out in our big two room tent while all the ladies slept in the Jayco.<br />
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On Saturday, Rochelle Hopp drove out from town to visit us and soon Kyle and Erin Shannon arrived by bike. We visited with them at our blue checked covered picnic table until it was time for Rochelle to drive Paul to the airport to fly to LA for a work engagement there. (But not before he got to show off on the uke bass!) We all hugged him goodbye, glad for all the fun and special things we each got to do with him. After lunch Arthur, Kaley, Kacia and I visited the Interpretive Center while Zion and Dennis napped. We learned about the houses the Indians made of river reeds sewn togethe, amazing facts about Sacajewea, etc. Dennis was jamming with Foghorn Stringband and his friends Ken and Lowell at Ken's campsite.<br />
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Later, while Kaley and Kacia napped, I took Zion and Keziah down near the point of land in the park at the confluence of the Snake and Columbia Rivers. This is where Lewis and Clark camped back in the 1800's. Two large, old model full sail pirate-type ships were fake fighting each other with booms as they skidded across the water down the Columbia. After we watched them out of sight, we collected tiny shells and rocks at the water's edge. Then we scurried home to be in time for their favorite concert, Top String, 5 young people ages 12 to 18 from two homeschooling families. All five had helped teach the young people's class earlier that Keziah took part in for a bit. After their set, Foghorn Stringband came on. Soon Kaley, Keziah and Zion all went to the sidelines to dance-- it was real old time toe-tappin' music! Later Arthur joined them-- that boy is always ready to dance!<br />
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The neighbors on our left were impressed that our whole family made music together. Dennis talked with them and found out he had been the owner of Color Press in Walla Walla back a ways, a firm Artmil had used for print when he was owner and we were named White Stone!<br />
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Sunday after the Gospel sing and Top String again, we started tearing down the camp, but left before all was done since Arthur and Dennis would be coming later in the truck and would finish up when they were ready to leave. I drove Kaley and children to Jack Miller's 3rd b-day party, held in a big gym behind the mall with all kinds of gear for little kids. Keziah and Zion did the zip line and other stuff while I entertained Kacia on baby toys. Kaley got to chat with Meridith, Jen and Jessica Miller as well as Craig & Martha.<br />
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Monday morning Jen brought her girls again to our house to visit. I got Arthur to play outside with everyone part of the time and got the bills paid inside! So much of our time was spent outdoors. Kacia particularly liked it outside in the baby swing; it was often a tonic for fussiness. One day I showed Keziah and Zion the sand box that Dennis and Arthur built two years ago up on the ledge, covered with the old red, metal saucer. They dug "down to the sewer" in the shade of the cedar tree, surrounded by ivy vines that well camouflaged the site. Another day we stuck small stuffed animals up in the arborvitaes and had Batman and Spiderman rescue them!<br />
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Arthur and I went to work several of the afternoons. Kaley took Keziah to the craft store one day while we were at work. They got me some fabric for making children stuff as well as Keziah got some fun craft supplies. Another time, Paul encouraged her in her watercolor painting when it became frustrating. The wading pool they used for a bathtub within the shower was also used outside for water fun for all three children. They played with medicine syringes I'd saved for years and realized I would never use again! Shasta stayed pretty scarce but George accepted all the new residents of our home and often joined them outside like he does with us. Our meals were delicious and varied, thanks to good ideas from Kaley and a box of asparagus we bought early in their visit. Keziah and I made one supper together.</div>
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After supper, Dennis worked with Zion and Arthur to make little wooden racing cars from kits he'd bought at Lowe's. This experience helped them become better friends, less competitive. Kaley, Keziah, Kacia and I walked to Vista Park to enjoy the swings, slide and teeter totter there. </div>
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Tuesday we climbed Flat Top, a short but steep sandy hill in West Richland. Since Arthur wouldn't fit in my car he stayed with Dennis at work, and it was a good thing as climbing in that deep sand was not a snap! Of course, after pictures at the top, Zion ran all the way down in a flash. Keziah had to go slower with us as she hadn't tennies to wear. Kacia didn't fuss the whole trip with Kaley carrying her, wishing she had her baby back pack! We met Grandpa and Uncle Arthur for lunch at the Thai place behind the mall for a scrumptious buffet!</div>
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After supper, Kaley treated us to organic yoghurt and toppings at Finnegan Frost, partly owned by Michael Miller, Jack's dad! Then we sang some songs, read some stories, prayed our prayers and topped off the night and their visit with a wrestling session, requested by Zion!</div>
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Wednesday we got ready to for the drive to Spokane as Dennis took Arthur to work with him. Before we left, Kaley got a text from a friend in Colorado Springs that fires had already burned 100 homes not too many miles from where they live. Thankfully, Kacia made it through the flight in peace and they arrived home to a voluntary evacuation, so stayed unpacked, ready to leave if necessary. Thankfully, they did not have to leave their home, and good thing because Kaley's family was coming to celebrate Keziah's b-day!</div>
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Families of the Nationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17876367490954881560noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190267726845007003.post-10534834173961267412013-05-23T17:21:00.003-07:002013-05-23T17:24:54.256-07:00Home School Never Stops<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">I was raised in the 50s and 60s. I was not well related to my older sister (we ignored each other or fought), and my parents, who both worked full-time outside the home, were busy, tired and unhappy with life, and my younger sister was 8 years younger, like a play toy to me. My preferred world, my real life, was public school.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">My elementary school still had big windows that let fresh air and light into our classrooms, George Washington framed on the wall by the Stars and Stripes, and young, pretty, happy teachers who often would retire as soon as they started their own families. There was time to do all kinds of art. We got great stories read aloud to us everyday after lunch recess with our heads on our desks to rest. A music teacher came in once a week to lead us in the glories of choral music. Thanks to a great phonics teacher, reading, writing and spelling were a snap for me so I got affirmation there. Everyone seemed to value me at school.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">In the mid 70s, I had a part-time job as a hall monitor in the new junior high in the town where I grew up. School was very different now, thus my job had been born to help keep order. The kids were disrespectful of authority, smoked pot out back with the principal's knowledge, trashed the lunch room everyday and some bullies intimidated others from being able to use the restrooms. I decided right then my children, should I have any, would not go to public school.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">It wasn't until the mid 80s I discovered the concept of home education from a Focus on the Family program with Dr. Raymond Moore. Married now with two young children, I was thrilled to find a way to teach them that did not require the expense of private Christian school. I plunged in and read everything I could find, implemented everything I could, bought into the belief that education begins at birth.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">But as my children grew in number and age, it became increasingly difficult for me to do what I wanted and needed to do in their home education. I missed the affirmation of the teachers who had liked me and my fellow students who had valued me. That was all I knew experientially about school; all my homeschool knowledge was theoretical. I lacked maturity and discipline to do what was required of me as my children's teacher without any outside affirmation. My empty, valueless feeling was strong. Also, my working-outside-the-home mother had not been an at home model for me. I didn't even know how to be a stay at home mom, much less one who educated her children at home!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">The discontent I experienced, the lack of value I sensed, the absence of feeling accomplished and successful at what I was doing did not make me dig in and work harder. I needed to learn how to motivate my children rather than to control them. I needed to work hard at overcoming my lacks in hands-on home education so they could learn to work hard. Instead, I figured I needed to be developing myself, my writing, speaking, singing, sewing, etc. I thought I just had a thankless job and needed to find value somewhere else, in some loftier aspirations where others would affirm me.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Of course, that just made everything more difficult and caused me to do even a poorer job at mothering, home making and home educating. I eventually drifted into doing those things much as my mother had lived, as busy, tired and unhappy, even though I was not working outside the home as she had! Perhaps the worst fruit of all was I taught my children by my example to be discontent with whatever they were presently doing, to always long for time to do what is really important and valuable but out of reach, because what you are doing now isn't all that.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">In God's mercy, He gave me a son with Down Syndrome, who will never be done learning and will not move away. I am slowly learning to do hard things, to be content, to be affirming instead of critical and controlling, and Arthur is slowly blooming. I have moments, hours, even days when there is nothing else I'd rather be doing!!! Home school never stops.</span></div>
Families of the Nationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17876367490954881560noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190267726845007003.post-85395385708343309022013-05-03T16:30:00.000-07:002013-05-03T16:30:38.804-07:00Arthur Goes to CourtLast December we initiated the process of becoming Arthur's legal guardians. After a person turns 18 in this country, they are legally free from their parents' oversight. Therefore, in order to retain the right for us to care for Arthur and make decisions for him, we had to become his guardians.<br />
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First we met with a young lawyer who started filing the forms, instructed us where to get the online training required by law to become a guardian and assigned us to a Guardian Ad Litem, who would determine whether Arthur met the requirements to receive guardianship and whether we were suitable guardians.<br />
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We met with this man, who is older than the lawyer but younger than us, in our family room in March after Arthur turned 18 and after we completed the online training and had a court hearing date assigned. The GAL saw that Arthur was an "incapacitated person" and appeared to think we would be good guardians for him. But he still required a doctor's appraisal of Arthur to confirm that Arthur needed guardianship.<br />
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Getting Arthur's doctor to fill out the form took longer than anyone figured it would, but the GAL had it in his hands a week ago, so he could finish his report and recommendation and we could keep the court date of May 3 at 8:30. On the phone to Dennis he was very positive in saying he felt we were the best guardians Arthur could have in that we were parents who loved him. That was encouraging!<br />
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Our lawyer, the GAL and the three of us Millers were allowed into the courtroom a few minutes before 9 o'clock. After one other brief case, Arthur Miller's case was called and we all walked forward and sat in the chairs they offered with the lawyer and GAL standing. After our lawyer made some date changes with the clerk regarding when the records we will keep have to be filed, the judge asked us if we had anything we wanted to say. Now we had told Arthur that the judge wanted to meet him. So when she said this, he went forward to get into the witness seat! (Too many movies!) They let him go ahead, and then he launched upon a several minute long testimony that only had a few words we could make out, those words being Paul and Annie. Dennis finally stood up to signal to Arthur his need to be done talking, so Arthur got out of the seat and returned to us. Then it was over and we were all dismissed.<br />
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Outside the courtroom, we waited for some paperwork from the lawyer, who had to stay for some other legal work there that day. We walked out with the GAL, who mentioned he could help us with the new forms the lawyer would be sending should we have questions.<br />
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Yesterday there came in the mail Ethan Miller's graduation from high school announcement. Ethan is four months younger than his cousin Arthur. Should we have taken a photo of Arthur on the witness stand, I suppose we could send that out as he commences upon being under our guardianship!<br />
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<br />Families of the Nationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17876367490954881560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190267726845007003.post-48832574924481493702013-04-28T22:11:00.001-07:002013-04-28T22:18:27.098-07:00Reading the Bible everydayThere are many good reasons to read the Bible everyday and many desirable fruits that come from reading God's Word everyday. Since I'm reading through the Bible this year for the first time in many years, I have new appreciation for these good reasons and desirable fruits.<br />
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One pastor's wife I know refuses to counsel anyone who isn't reading her Bible everyday. Her experience taught her that a great majority of the problems that other women want to talk over with her either disappear or are effectively handled when the Bible is read everyday. I have found this principle true in my own life. My days of being a "basket case" have been nearly eliminated this year even in the face of plenty of stress and difficulties!<br />
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We don't need any help or instruction to sin. We know how to get angry, envy, become bitter, exact vengeance, worry, be selfish, complain, fall into sloth, let fear paralyze us, eat too much, etc. without how-to lessons! We are natural sinners by nature, our fallen sinful nature. When God's gift of new life in Christ opens our eyes to the supernatural ways of God, we have a whole new set of ways of living to learn. We are not by nature patient, kind, forgiving, content or faithful. Those are His Ways that we have to learn and practice.<br />
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Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. He IS the Word of God! He came to reveal the ways of His Father to us, and all of this Way of Truth has been written in the Bible for us to read, know and live by.<br />
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But as I was reminded this week, we forget 90% of what we read! This fact is a huge reason to stay in God's Word daily. Not only are we naturally inclined toward sinful ways instead of righteous ones, we also forget almost everything we read about His righteous, Kingdom of God ways!<br />
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Because of this forgetfulness, we have an inclination to continually reinvent God in our minds, casting Him in the image of what we think He is or what we think we need. The only way to correct this deceptive tendency is to keep putting His truth in everyday. Our minds need to be washed daily.<br />
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For the most part, putting on our spiritual armor so we can withstand the subtle attacks of the devil consists of continually being bathed in the Truth. If we fail to read His Truth in His Word everyday, we become sitting ducks for our enemy. The devil feeds our minds lies all the time. We start to believe them and quickly fall into unbelief in God if we fail to stay washed with His Word of Truth.<br />
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His word is our necessary food. The Word of God is our spiritual nourishment. It doesn't just protect, cleanse and train us, it grows us up into the fulness of Christ. We are conformed to His image by His Word of Truth administered by His Spirit to our souls. How can we afford to miss a day of this nourishment?<br />
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He guides, comforts, strengthens, encourages and speaks to us personally through His Word. Where would I be without the Psalms? David teaches me to speak to my soul, to "Bless the Lord, O my soul," instead of listening to all my fears and worrisome thoughts. If I miss filling myself with His Word, I risk being vulnerable when I could have been fortified. My emotions have a greater chance of getting the upper hand when I miss reading His Word to me.<br />
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One of the most welcome fruits of my staying faithful in God's Word each day is a saner, kinder me. When I have taken time to feed upon His words, I have the good sense to restrain my tongue from uttering words that would not edify those who hear them. I can overcome by His Word-- what a blessing! I don't let the devil's lies beat me up. I rest in His Truth. Trials and temptations don't derail me nearly as often as when I face my day without being washed in His Truth.<br />
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My reading program has me reading in four different places in the Bible each day and I'm continually amazed by how something I notice in one place will be echoed in another. The whole Bible is His Word to me!<br />
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My goal is heaven. This world is not my home. His Word prepares me to live with Him forever in a realm very foreign to this world system even as it equips me to live in this world as His ambassador of love. I can't afford to not stay in very close communication with Him! How blessed we are to have His word fill us each day!Families of the Nationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17876367490954881560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190267726845007003.post-25964755939963737432013-04-18T15:49:00.000-07:002013-04-18T15:49:33.465-07:00The guest room is shaping up!When we discovered our banjo picking buddy, Lowell, from the weekly bluegrass jams has his family in Minnesota, we invited him over on a Saturday to help out in exchange for a good meal and a good jam! Lowell's extra hands made it possible to go ahead with changing out the window in the guest room right after we'd gotten everything out and before painting and flooring it. It was nice to able to make and clean up that dusty mess before the rest was finished!<br />
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Now, the walls & ceiling are painted pale yellow, the hickory flooring is all laid and the first coat of stain has been applied to the wooden double-hung window pair. We have alder enough for the window trim but the floor trim for this room and the rest of the house will have to wait for another trip to Seattle. The furnishings are arranged in a whole new way since the extra clothing rod is gone so the room has a lighter, spacier feel than previously. My sewing machine, cutting table and fabric cabinet are still in there, but not my desk, books or filing cabinet.<br />
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It's been a nice change to stop with major construction for a while, changing gears into finishing up some places and decorating the rooms that have new wood floors. Dennis found a great new sofa at an estate sale store price to go in our living room-- looks great with one of the new rugs. We had originally planned to get Arthur's room refloored now too, but since it is just 3 weeks till we go to NYC, we decided to do his room and ours later in the summer. That way we'll be able to get the windows done in each room first, like we did with the guest room.<br />
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We've been going through a major transition at Artmil with two staff members leaving and one new one coming on at the start of April. I've picked up a few more responsibilities and different hours, while Dennis and ChrisB and Andy are dividing most of the tasks Kathy used to do. Christian handed off the web work to Derek, who is also able to do regular graphic design work.Families of the Nationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17876367490954881560noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190267726845007003.post-8539803324458238872013-03-27T09:36:00.001-07:002013-03-27T09:36:15.908-07:00Wood Floors!As March comes to a close, our hall and living room are sheathed with hickory wood flooring. It has been so quick, easy and painless compared to tiling the dining, kitchen and laundry room! The hickory floor, the alder front door, the new pine windows with alder trim and the pale chocolate paint color on the walls all look good together and create a whole new feel of old! The only vestige of the former mid-century style that sticks out is the closet door next to the front door, so we may refinish that until we replace it. Dennis found a great 8 x 10 wool hooked-style rug for a great price that pulls everything together even more!<br />
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But before that room gets furnished and decorated, we'll be moving stuff from the bedrooms out there so those rooms can receive their new sheaths of wood as well! We have enough hickory for two of them, and have found some oak very close in color for the third. I plan to paint those rooms as soon as we get enough stuff moved out to make that do-able.<br />
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Since it is only 6 weeks till we fly to New York for Annie's graduation ceremony, we don't think we'll attempt replacing the bedroom windows or the other 4 remaining just yet. Two weeks after we get back from New York, Kaley, Keziah, Zion and Kacia will be here for two weeks and the bluegrass festival season will be upon us! So we'll fit in the window change outs and trim work where we can.<br />
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Between Zach coming out in January, getting to see Annie, Paul, Keith, Bethany and children in New York and having Kaley and children coming here in June, we'll thankfully have seen the whole scattered family in the first half of the year!Families of the Nationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17876367490954881560noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190267726845007003.post-57561321008466142412013-03-25T09:56:00.001-07:002013-03-25T09:56:58.396-07:00Blueberry SconesWheat free since last fall, I've developed a sweetened flour mix for pancakes, cookies, cake, muffins or scones. Since it has many ingredients, I mix up two batches at the same time to save opening all the containers! Substituting your favorite flours may work as well if you add a little xanthan gum, which the Chia Omega Flour below does. Keep mix refrigerated with your flours.<br />
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A. Sweetened flour mix (2 cups)<br />
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1/4 cup coconut flour<br />
1/4 cup sweet sorghum flour<br />
1/4 cup tapioca flour (starch)<br />
1/4 cup oats ground fine in blender<br />
1/4 cup brown rice flour<br />
1/4 cup Chia Omega Flour (blend of chia, rose tapioca, millet and chestnut flours. Includes xanthan gum which helps thicken the batter nicely without an inordinate amount of flour.)<br />
1/2 cup almond flour (meal)<br />
1/2 tsp salt<br />
1/2 tsp baking soda<br />
1/2 tsp baking powder<br />
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1 tablespoon erythritol (or substitute any sweetener you desire for both the stevia and the erythritol to equal 1/3 cup sugar sweetness)</div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Blueberry Scones</span></b> (Gluten free, refined sugar free, can be dairy free) Yield: 12.<br />
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B. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease cookie sheet with coconut oil. In medium bowl, whisk:<br />
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3 eggs<br />
1 cup Hungarian Cultured Buttermik (for dairy free, add 1 tsp apple cider vinegar to 1 cup almond or rice milk)<br />
1/3 cup melted coconut oil (I add a little butter for additional flavor)<br />
1/2 tablespoon vanilla<br />
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C. With large spoon, stir in:<br />
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2 cups flour mix<br />
1 generous cup blueberries (defrost them on a plate for a few minutes if frozen)<br />
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D. Spoon 12 scones onto greased cookie sheet, bake 20-25 minutes. Cool on paper towel; prepare to see them disappear quickly!<br />
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PS<i>: Please let me know if you know of a way to make GF cinnamon rolls-- thanks!</i>Families of the Nationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17876367490954881560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190267726845007003.post-70515124673967003692013-02-26T18:26:00.001-08:002013-02-26T18:26:53.076-08:00February, 2013February is coming to a close. Dennis got the kitchen window trimmed in alder after we painted the kitchen walls and ceiling a light chocolate color, with the ceiling lighter than the walls. But first, he reconfigured two soffits because we took out and moved cabinets to move the refrigerator. That meant demolition, rebuilding with sheet rock, mud, sanding-- lots of evenings worth of work.<br />
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Lately, he reconstructed the wall in the hall where the bathroom door was moved over 8 inches so that is ready to paint. He also installed the new Craftsman style door that goes from the hall into the living room. And has filled and mudded the triple-window unit in the living room and around the front door. So we are very close to being able to paint the living room and hall! We already have the paint. Then the alder the trim can go up-- it is all ready. And then the wood floor will go down!<br />
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I sent some photos of the kitchen to several people by email and thought I could put them up here, but alas, I cannot figure it out!<br />
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In other news, today I painted the sunny area near the back door at work for a studio for me to design and sew quilts when time permits. I plan to have one wall covered with flannel or something similar to be able to 'stick' fabric pieces to when designing. The other two adjoining walls of my alcove I plan to adorn with a 15 foot timeline and other items of interest or beauty to me.<br />
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Blue grass jams continue to be a pleasure to take part in. It is so welcome to have a group of people to make music with, to share old songs together and learn new ones and harmonize, encourage, enjoy! Such a super format!Families of the Nationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17876367490954881560noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190267726845007003.post-60954158122298207642013-01-30T18:43:00.001-08:002013-01-30T18:43:20.637-08:00New kitchen floor and a visit from ZachZach came to help out with the remodel for several days last week. It was a blessing to have him here to lend his hands and muscle, as well as to celebrate Dennis' birthday.<br />
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Among many other tasks done, he helped us finish cleaning out the thinset between the tiles so we could get it grouted. Four weeks after beginning camp cooking in the living room, the stove island was reinstated in the kitchen, with his help! The table is back in the dining room! And the washer and dryer are back at work in the laundry room! All three rooms now have 18 inch porcelain tile (offwhite with taupe lowlights) set on the diagonal in malt colored grout. The floor looks great but since the room hasn't been repainted yet, the full effect awaits that task. I am still in shock from the amount of work and time it took to get the floor done, and from the change. I did not work my fingers to the bone but my fingernails were certainly worn down and nerves got a bit frayed!Families of the Nationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17876367490954881560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190267726845007003.post-5929996587173813152012-12-28T17:48:00.002-08:002012-12-28T19:14:03.585-08:00Camp cooking in our living roomBack in '77, Dennis' aunt and uncle gave us a slim green and yellow Primus cookstove for a wedding gift. Only one of the two burners still work now but it served us in all our camping trips all these years. Now it is in use in the living room on top of a displaced cabinet next to the displaced island stove cabinet in front of the large window that looks out on the street. Across from the cooking place is our displaced refrigerator. A card table between serves for the place to eat. All we lack is water, and the food, dishes and utensils stilled stored in the kitchen. All the extra steps it takes to make a meal are good exercise during this cold, dark season!<br />
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Our old vinyl kitchen floor is gone! It was 20 to 25 years old. Now the wide open floor space is all covered with HardeeBacker board, from the dining area through the kitchen and into the laundry room.<br />
The tile and thinset are ready, the transition piece between the wood and tile is being completed. The tile saw is about six feet from the cookstove. The days of actually laying the tile, plus drying time and the grout application will mean no trips to the kitchen for water or anything else. So we'll use paper plates and eat take out food a lot and try to have everything we need taken out of the kitchen and put in the living room.<br />
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In the meantime, the bathroom is nearing completion! The 20's chandelier is wonderful, the door step is installed in the shower, I've even bought some towels and rugs in neutral shades from ivory to taupe! The mirror frame and shelf are stunning, nearly all stained and finished. The trim work around the window really sets the tone for the room. The new alder door just has a few more finish layers to be ready to install. Pictures are getting closer, I promise!Families of the Nationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17876367490954881560noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190267726845007003.post-64760173331086752622012-11-29T19:20:00.000-08:002012-11-29T19:20:00.486-08:00MRTOC: Gender Identity"Children are born either male or female. Boys become men who can become husbands and fathers. Girls become women and may become wives and mothers." Those simple, straightforward statements, marking the up till now obvious difference between male and female, are under huge, unrelenting attack today from Hollywood movies and every other media, from Gay Rights activists, from the humanistic religion that rules our nation, from our own sin natures. Therefore, it behooves mothers raising their own children (mrtoc) to open their eyes and become part of the solution instead part of the problem.<br />
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Men and women are designed differently by our Creator. Men are designed to be provider and protector of their family. The Savior is his model, who sacrificially laid down his life in love for His Bride. Women are designed to be helpmeet to their husband, to nurture their children. The Bride of Christ is her model, faithful to submit to and glorify her Head. Together, they train up their children to know our Creator, who made us male and female. Marriage and family were God's idea to demonstrate His sacrificial love of redemption for all those who would receive Him.<br />
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A lot is at stake in being faithful to the masculine and feminine roles God ordained. For many more than 50 years now in our nation, women have been encouraged to abandon all traditional feminine roles and instead, to compete with men. This revolution left many homes without mrtoc. This "liberation" has made whole generations of women to become men in women's bodies and produced more and more men who are anti-marriage. They don't want to compete! Sex is easily available outside marriage now since feminism took over, so that gives men one more reason they needn't marry.<br />
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What's a mrtoc to do? First, make peace with your own femininity. Ask God to show you how glorious it is to be a women made in His image, for His purposes. Eve was made out of man, for man and brought to man to be his helpmeet, because he needed a helpmeet, not a competitor.<br />
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Second, ask God to show you how to honor your husband. There are a myriad of ways to show him honor, and many other ways to dishonor him. Choose to practice the honoring ways and to neglect the dishonoring ways. Honoring your husband speaks louder than any words you will ever utter. Respecting your husband says to your boys that it is very good/valuable/important to be a man, husband, father taking care of his family. It says to your girls that being cherished by your husband is the best thing in the world!<br />
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Third, don't treat your children all the same. They are not neuter, all the same because they are immature. Each boy is a young man, each girl is a young woman. Yes, they all eat dinner and have other commonalities, but they have different destinies. Don't foster their competitiveness by treating them all the same. Set back in the 1800's, there is a story called Smiling Hill Farm we read in our home school. Progress brought a beautiful coach that traveled the roads around Smiling Hill Farm with mail and passengers. Every boy in those parts wanted to grow up to become the driver of that handsome coach. Matilda, who lived at Smiling Hill Farm, said she wanted to drive it too! But she was quickly reminded that women didn't drive coaches, only men. So she changed her desire and said she wanted to marry the driver of the coach and have him take her for a ride on it every Sunday afternoon! Today, we laugh, knowing, of course, that a woman could drive a coach. She could compete with men. But how could she be a mrtoc AND compete with men at the same time? She couldn't. Mrtoc are either important and very valuable and necessary, or they are not.<br />
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I was born in 1951. Girls wore dresses and wanted to be mommies, nurses or teachers. Boys wanted to be cowboys, soldiers, doctors. Girls played with dolls, made mud pies, played house. Boys wore pants, played with weapons, cars, erector sets. Girls played with girls and boys played with boys. The fall after I graduated high school in 1969, the dress code changed to let girls wear pants. Now, in 2012, it is considered flat out wrong to teach a girl to prepare to become a mrtoc (since it takes no skill at all!), or that becoming a professional will make becoming a mrtoc unlikely, not to mention that becoming a good helpmeet would be virtually impossible as well. Of course a woman CAN become a professional. But how much chance will her daughter have of becoming a good helpmeet or a mrtoc? And how likely is it that her son will find and marry a good helpmeet or a mrtoc?Families of the Nationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17876367490954881560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190267726845007003.post-56690582290465364892012-11-07T12:14:00.000-08:002012-11-07T20:59:02.019-08:00Moms Raising Their Own Children: Example & WorkWhile I was visiting Keith and Bethany and their children at their home in Michigan this past week, I picked up a book about the myth of being able to have a full-time/outside the home career and children too and do it all well.<br />
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The author makes the point that it has done mothers who raise their own children an insulting disservice to label them "stay at home moms". What they really are is mothers raising their own children (mrtoc), an infinitely complex, demanding, fulfilling calling and occupation that each child's mother is best suited to because no one else loves her child like she does.<br />
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Mothers who raise their own children are as much like the daycare providers or babysitters, whom children who are being raised by other than their mothers are entrusted to several hours each day, as someone you pay to come in to clean your house is like a homemaker. Keeping a child safe, warm, dry, fed and entertained is a fraction of what a mother does for her children.<br />
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For example, mothers are constantly training their children by their example to be like themselves, to value what they value, to do what they do. They are teaching them limits and giving them areas to explore in great numbers of ways, all day long. Other children who are not related to them are not there to compete for their mother's attention. No, each mother's child is the apple of her eye, and she communicates that to them all day long in a huge variety of ways. Just this one aspect of mrtoc is reason enough to only entrust your children to childcare providers for a limited time each week. But there are many other important reasons as well. Here is one big one.<br />
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Work is what we are made for. Each successful adult in life is able to work at a variety of tasks that bring satisfaction and meaning as well as provision for his life. Being able to work is a skill that makes one responsible and able to be independent. Children who grow up cared for mothers and fathers who include them in many of the daily tasks necessary to keep body and soul together gain well-being and confidence that a child who has everything done for them and is left to play all day with peers will not develop. So a mrtoc having her toddler put the forks on, dry the unbreakable cups, help her make the bed, fold the washcloths, fix the meal, dust the bookcase or help her in the grocery store is doing a far-reaching service for that child. She is teaching him/her to work and that she/he is an important part of the family, necessary to its well-being. This is the kind of self-esteem you want a child to develop. Child care providers cannot do this, it being their very job to do everything for the child!<br />
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In future posts, we'll talk about children learning male and female identity, customized training according to each child's bent, basic obedience, spiritual training, playing outdoors and other home health practices, preparation for formal learning, pitfalls, living on a budget, how cool this is or isn't and much more. The riches mothers can impart to their own children in their own homes will take your breath away! Every sacrifice that is made to make this kind of home possible for your children is worth it!<br />
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I raised my own five children in my home, starting in 1979. I'm still learning how to do the things above with my youngest son who is 17 now. I was very encouraged by the book I mentioned. It made me proud of what I had done and am still doing. And it made me want to encourage every mother I know to raise their own children!<br />
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<br />Families of the Nationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17876367490954881560noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190267726845007003.post-84969332416101559122012-10-29T21:18:00.000-07:002012-10-29T21:18:00.682-07:00The Scope of LifeYesterday when we arrived home from church, the sun was shining and the temperature was around 65 degrees. After weeks of cool rain, this was very welcome! We took a grateful, pleasant walk around the block going west of us before making dinner. The humidifiers are up and going round the clock now, bringing our indoor humidity above 50, making our sinus passages and all our wooden musical instruments very happy.<br />
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Today, again, it was near 70 and so sunny and beautiful-- Arthur, wearing his new skinny jeans, and I walked around the block going east of us. There are several nice houses for sale in this 50-year-old neighborhood so we prayed for people to buy them that would take good care of them and love the place like we do.<br />
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I'm prepared to be gone for more than two weeks to visit my new grand babies and their families in Michigan and in Colorado Springs. At the same time I was talking to Keith this afternoon on my cell phone about him picking me up at the airport in Detroit on Wednesday, Dennis was talking on his cell phone to Paul about Annie coming to stay with him during the Sandy storm hitting the east coast this day. Tonight we talked with them about the power going off and their location being central and high enough in the city to miss the flooding. Zach and Kaley's new baby is due any day now.<br />
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After work we drove over to Pasco to pick up some rancher steaks Dennis ordered. We discovered gas for sale for the amazingly low price of $3.59, so filled up my car. We ate our steaks on TV trays while watching one of the last episodes of Monk.<br />
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Last night we finished the rest of the tile in the beautiful bathroom remodel and planned to grout it all tonight. Dennis is out getting a tool from Home Depot to clean out the unwanted cement between the tiles, as the waters submerge parts of Manhattan far away. The election is just a week away. Work at Artmil is going well.<br />
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The scope of life here today is anything but small!Families of the Nationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17876367490954881560noreply@blogger.com1