Sentimental

There are some monumental moments with your child that you just don't forget. The first time he crawls, her first word, the first time they say "I love you."

This is a picture of Elijah helping his daddy put up his big-boy bed. He moved into it just a month shy of turning 2. I was pregnant with Alli, and because of my complications, could no longer lift him and so we decided he was ready to sleep in a toddler bed.As you can tell, he liked it instantly and we had no problems with the transition.Well, after putting up a toddler bed in Alli's room about 2 months ago, when we had house guests with a 4-year-old girl, she has wanted to sleep in it. Dan put her to bed in it a couple of times, and she fell asleep with no problems, but I wasn't ready for the transition, so I went back in after she was asleep and moved her into her crib. I guess I was being a bit sentimental and I wasn't willing to move her before she was 23 months, the same age that Elijah was when he moved.

Well, this weekend my resolve to wait wavered a bit, and so we allowed her to sleep in her big-girl bed to see how she did. Of course she did fine, even though she is only 21 1/2 months old, so today I took down her crib (wiping tears as I type) and rearranged her room. Here is the result, with Elijah christening her bed with her.

The complete picture:

Now I just have to decide what to do with this:

Should I put it in the closet? I don't want to lose the storage, but she is getting too big to change up there, and too heavy to lift! Or is it ok to leave it out, even though she is a "big girl" now? Any thoughts?

Big Brother

Elijah is a good big brother. He plays with his sister, shares toys (with a little encouragement), and does an excellent job at keeping me posted if his sister is getting into trouble. He gets visibly upset if we start to walk away and Alli isn't following us and he is always concerned that she will get hurt or left behind.

So when he discovered Alli playing with his safety scissors yesterday, he was rightfully upset that she was holding a dangerous instrument with which she might become injured. But instead of reporting the problem to me, as is protocol, he proceeded to try to take them away from her by himself. Alli responded as most 21 month old's do, and commenced screaming. This further aggravated Elijah and by the time I entered the room he was physically hitting his sister in a desperate endeavor to wrench the scissors from her grip.

All of this in an attempt to keep her from hurting herself. What a good big brother . . .

A Few Updates

I have been itching to update my blog a bit, but I want to add some of my own photographs in the header and such, which I haven't had the time to do! So instead of completing all the changes at once, I added a few new elements that would be fun for you to check out.

1. I've added links to 3 friends - My brother Kevin, my friend and cherished babysitter, Elizabeth, and Sara's Art House. Check them out!

2. I've also added a section for fun sites I like to visit. Although I could probably write a seperate post on each site, I will save you from that now and just direct you to check out the sites.

My world was opened up after I discovered Etsy, so for all of you looking for unique gifts or products for yourself or family, Etsy is all hand made, so meander around a bit and get creative!

Farmgirl Fare has some great recipes and fun pictures of farm life. Read up on her profile to better understand what makes this site so cool.

Splitcoast Stampers isn't new to most of you stampers out there, but if you are looking for inspiration, there is no better site!

And Peas & Carrots - well, let's just say that I should have a post about this fun company soon. I'm waiting for a handbag and quick change to come in the mail, and then I will share!

That's all for now. Let's hope my tulips that Elijah and I planted last fall will come up and they will aid my new blog design.

Respectable Sins

I just finished reading Respectable Sins by Jerry Bridges. We had Jerry at our fall Bible conference last year, and this book was his newest release. I promptly bought it, and then began hearing how convicting it was from my friends who read it right away. I knew that I needed to read it, but kept putting it off in favor of books that wouldn't be so painful to read!

Well, painful it was. It seems that Mr. Bridges doesn't name a single "respectable" sin that I don't struggle with. The term "respectable sins" comes from, of course, those sins which we tend to forget are sinful, or that we tolerate in an air of pride because we don't commit those BIG sins that the rest of the world does. We don't commit adultry, we don't lie (at least not overtly), we aren't guilty of assult with a deadly weapon, but we do act selfishly, we are discontent and we sin with our tongue daily (at least I know I do).

J.I. Packer endorses the book with this quote: "Read this book - we need to - and be ready for a gentle surgeon's sharp knife." And that is exactly how I percieve this book. Bridges literally "cuts to the chase" and names our pets sins, shows how abhorrent they are in the sight of a Holy God, and encourages us to confront them, confess them and turn away from practicing them. But the amazing way he does this is worth pointing out: he doesn't only preach to the reader, he uses his own life to show how he often struggles in the same way. He points us continually to the Cross, the only source of true repentance and forgiveness, and continually reminds us that the faith that saves us is the same faith that will sanctify us. In other words, we DO have the power to say no to sin, we DO have the power, through Christ's sacrifice, to change our behavior and to battle those respectable sins.

It is a book worth owning, and reading more than once, to remind us to constantly be searching our own life for "respectable sins." I'm still recovering from his surgery, but thanking God for an author who speaks the truth, even when it hurts.

Easter Breakfast

One of the traditions our church has on Easter morning is to eat breakfast together before the service. It is a wonderful time to fellowship with one another before we worship together.

I'm always looking for great breakfast dishes that are quick and easy to prepare, and I found this recipe a few weeks ago. You fix it the night before and then only have to pop it in the oven the next morning. I thought you might like to try it for your family on a special holiday, or just a relaxing weekend.

Apple-Stuffed French Toast

1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, cubed
2 Tablespoons light corn syrup
1 cup chopped pecans
12 slices Italian bread (1/2 inch thick)
2 large tart apples, peeled and thinly sliced
6 eggs
1-1/2 cups milk
1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Caramel sauce:
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup butter, cubed
1 Tablespoon light corn syrup

In a small saucepan, combine the brown sugar, butter and corn syrup; cook and stir over medium heat until thickened. Pour into a greased 13x9 baking dish; top with half of the pecans, a single layer of bread and remaining pecans. Arrange apples and remaining bread over the top.
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, cinnamon, vanilla, salt and nutmeg. Pour over bread. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes until lightly browned.
In a small saucepan, combine the sauce ingredients. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened. Serve with French toast.
Yield: 6 servings.

Beyond the delicious breakfast, we had an encouraging sermon about preaching the gospel to ourselves - not only the sacrificial death of Christ, which we usually focus on, but His resurrection, without which, according to I Corinthians 15:14, "our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty." What an excellent reminder.

I hope all of you had a wonderful Easter!

Doggie Blogs

After reading this, Sadie seriously contemplated obeying her herd instinct in starting a blog, but decided it would interfere too greatly with her sleeping, eating and barking.

Inspired by Sara, I tried to create pigtails out of Alli's wispy, fine, baby hair. Yes, I know they are small and I realize they only stayed in for about 5 minutes, but at least she has enough hair now that I can try!Sooner or later, sweetie-pie, there will be enough for me to make a girly-girl out of you!

10 Products That Make My Life a Little Better . . .

(in no particular order)

1. My Mary Kay Timewise 3-In-1 Cleanser. I start and end every day with it, and have never used a better product.

2. My dishwand. You know, the tube with a sponge attached that dispenses dishsoap as you wash. I can't remember the last time I filled a sink with water and used a washcloth. It makes for quick clean up for the dishes that can't go (or won't fit) in the dishwasher.

3. Curl refiner hair product. Either Aveda's Be Curly or Redkin's Curl Refiner. Scrunch it in after the shower and my curls stay soft and frizz-free all day. It makes my hair routine take all of 2 minutes.

4. Huggies baby wipes. How did I live without these for so many years? Not only do they clean up after a diaper explosion, but they wipe dirty faces, clean stamps, and remove makeup. What other all-purpose product does this?

5. Carmex. The original, made in Wisconsin product.

6. Tropical Twist Trident. Tasty gum that freshens my breath when needed. My purse is rarely empty of this product.

7. My Kitchenaid mixer. I use it more than I thought I would!

8. Music by Sovereign Grace Ministries. When I listen to music, one of their CD's is almost always my first choice. I haven't heard many other artists whose lyrics are so rich and theological.

9. Berres Bros. Coffee. What can I say - I like Starbucks, but NOTHING beats a hot cup of Highlander Grogg.

10. Settlers of Catan. I haven't tired of this game and haven't met many people who don't love it as much as Dan and I do. We have stayed up late too many nights playing with friends and never regretted it. Wanna come over for a cup of coffee and a game?

Pride and Prejudice

I know that this may shock some of you, but I just recently saw, for the first time, Pride and Prejudice. I saw the stage production in college (and promptly forgot the story) and I have never read the book. So when I found out that Masterpiece Theatre was running the complete Jane Austen, I decided to DVR them all and catch up to my womanly notions that I should be at least familiar with her writing.

I watched the "classic" version first, the A&E and BBC one with Colin Firth as Darcy. I am glad I did, because if I had seen the newer version first, I probably would not have wanted to sit through the 4 hour version. Boy, am I glad I did! It was wonderful! I disliked Darcy at once, instantly rooted for Jane and Bingley, and felt exactly as Lizzie did in every scene. I couldn't ask for a better movie.

So just for kicks, I decided to rent the 2005 movie starring Kiera Knightly and went into it, I must confess, a bit biased. I knew it would never top the original. And so I wasn't disappointed. Although, it did a good job of condensing the plot to only 2 hours, it missed all the nuances that were so obvious and necessary for a complete story.

Instead of completely dismissing the Kiera Knightly version, let me give you a more detailed response to it:

1. For starters, it did a better job showing the disparity of wealth between the Bennet family and Bingley and Darcy. I didn't get that in the original.

2. Kiera Knightly does well in a strong female role, but couldn't convey the gentleness of Lizzie, or, quite frankly, the beauty. She kinda looked like Cinderella before her transformation for the majority of the movie - dirty and unkempt. Her sisters looked more formal than she did.

3. The only time I believed Kiera as Lizzie was when she was telling off Mr. Collins when he proposed and Darcy after his first offer.

4. Colin Firth as Darcy was much more believable. He was mean and snotty and softened just enough for the viewer to change their mind about him. The actor who portrayed Darcy in the latter of the films (sorry, I couldn't find his name) was too soft from the beginning and came across as almost pitiable. I never once disliked him and kinda felt sorry for him. Although I will concede that his softening at the end of the film was a bit more endearing.

5. Jane was definitely more beautiful in the 2nd film, although I thought Bingley looked like Conan O'Brian.

6. The 2nd film cut so much of Mr. Wickham's storyline that I neither embraced him nor hated him. He was an ancillary character that didn't matter, which is a shame, because I whole-heartedly fell for his lies in the longer version.

7. I did enjoy both actresses who portrayed Mrs. Bennet, although they portrayed her quite differently. Both versions were believable.

8. I was intent on liking the 2nd Mr. Bennet, but he wasn't around enough to enjoy and he garbled most of his memorable lines.

All in all, if you weren't familiar with the first movie, the second wouldn't be bad. In fact, it received really good reviews. But I will side with most P&P fans and take the first version any day!

*By the way, I am aware that the BBC version is not truly the original. But come on, has anyone actually seen the Lawrence Olivier version? These 2 movies are the most well-known productions of the story. And yes, I will also read the entire book now. I know I did this backwards!

This article really hit me. I've been hearing this message a lot lately, and it has me thinking. What radical thing am I doing for Christ? The author states:

The American Dream has permeated this nation, but it has also spilled across the oceans to all nations of the world. Everyone understands the American Dream, and he pursues it with all his might. While we are familiar with seeing images of desperate Cubans endeavoring to land makeshift rafts on the beaches of Florida in their pursuit of this dream, many Americans are no different. They just look better in the pursuit. But under the cover of well-clothed, well-educated, well-cared-for Americans is a relentless pursuit of the same idea—a better, richer, fuller life than what I am currently experiencing. The pursuit leaves every player exasperated for one simple reason—it’s not the way God intended us to live.
God gives us strong admonitions to live for another world, another country. Our mode of operation is to be that of a pilgrim, not a consumer. When pagans compare our lives to theirs, we should look like idiots in their eyes. But I’m afraid most of the time we look pretty normal. We should have different economic strategies (kingdom giving), different time schedules (acts of mercy; times of personal, family, and corporate worship), different family priorities (parenting God’s way, time together), and different pursuits (kingdom of God, glory of God, people of God). However, I’m afraid that when the lives of most Christians are examined, they make complete sense to the average pagan. Materially, we have houses, cars, retirement plans, and five kinds of insurance so that we can have “risk-free” living. When it comes to our time, we spend more time having fun than serving the poor. We spend more time playing with our toys than meeting as believers, provoking one another to love and good works. I’m afraid that our diversions have become our delight in America. When it comes to what we live for, I’m afraid we display Babylonian desires for the latest and greatest . . . just like the pagans.

I know that my mind is more often occupied with how to make life more comfortable for my family, and specifically, me. I know that I spend a lot of time dreaming about what we want to do someday, and it usually involves a house on a lake more than a shack in Africa.

I'm not sure what to do with all these thoughts, though. I realize there are going to be earthly pursuits that don't, on the surface, look like kingdom pursuits. But I also realize that my heart is what matters, and sometimes those earthly pursuits give a window of opportunity to bring about kingdom goals. That time we hired someone to drywall our basement? It led to some great conversations about church and living for Christ, and has established a relationship with a guy that still exists today.

Not everyone will give up their job like the author did, but we all must be willing. So my question becomes, how do you live a radical life for Christ, while still working a 9 to5, having a family and having responsibilities elsewhere?

What do you think?

Our Alli

I feel like I've posted a lot of pictures of Elijah lately, and hardly any of Alli. Granted, his birthday was a few weeks ago, but I thought I should post about my little baby girl, who is definately not a baby anymore! She is almost 20 months old, and a joy to our family. She wakes up every morning wanting to give big hugs to her brother, wanting a bow in her hair, and wanting to eat! She giggles and smiles like she realizes how cute we think she is, and has a will stronger than iron. She wants to do everything Elijah does, which includes coloring, helping me cook, and running from her daddy when he plays monster.

Her 2nd birthday is just a few months away and she already wants to sleep in a big bed. She LOVES other kids and is quite social, except when they try to play with one of her favorite toys! She follows the "big kids" around and tries to mimic all they do. I can't wait to see what things she will try outdoors when it (finally) gets warm!

We adore you, Alli. And we are enjoying every moment that God is giving us with you!

The Complete Look

Here it is . . .The framed skeleton keys in the shadow boxes look small in the picture, but I think they fit perfectly in the space. I am very happy with the result!

And because Elijah couldn't stand to have me snapping a picture without him in it . . .
Nothing like the friendship between a boy and his dog (although Sadie is really just tolerating him here!)

Tagged

My friend Karen tagged me to write 3 sentences from page 123 from the book nearest to me. Right now I sit next to Dan's Bible and C.S. Lewis' Mere Christianity, and I think I'll do the book, since pg. 123 in the Bible falls in Numbers, in a very wordy passage!

So from Lewis:
1. "Nearly all those evils in the world which people put down to greed or selfishness are really far more the result of Pride."
2. "Pride is competitive by its very nature: that is why it goes on and on."
3. "If I am a proud man, then, as long as there is one man in the whole world more powerful, or richer, or cleverer than I, he is my rival and enemy."

Now I tag Crazy Mom, Rachel and Tina to do the same. Have fun!

Abridged 14 Days of Valentine's

Last year, my friend Rachel described how she lavished gifts on her husband for the first 14 days of February to show her love for him, and to focus on giving, rather than receiving on this Hallmark holiday.

I decided then and there that I would do the same this year. However, lack of planning found me midway into February with no gifts given. The old adage says late is better than never, right? and so I focused on an abridged, 7 days of Valentine's instead.

I have tried to surprise Dan with a little gift every day, including his favorite candy, a fun conversation game, a musical card (I can't fight this feeling anymore . . .), and other various gifts. Today I left chocolate-cherry kisses in his car, as well as taping homemade Valentine's that the kids made on his steering wheel. And to remind him all day long that I love him, I am cluttering his email inbox with love song lyrics and Scripture verses about love. And when he gets home tonight, he will see the heart-shaped cookies that the kids and I will make and decorate today.

An abridged version, but fun nonetheless.

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

2007 Children's Book Picks

This past year found me reading more, and subsequently, visiting the library more often. I hadn't made it a habit to go to the library, partly because Elijah was stilled enthralled with the Zempel family library and also because Alli was small and napped most of the day. But as she got older, we started making a trip to the library a "must do" every couple of weeks, and Elijah's world opened to new books and the wall of videos, of which he was allowed one choice each visit.

At a loss as to what books I should be reading to my then-3-year-old, I found a list that the library suggested for picture books and we started checking out the past Caldecott winners. Without a doubt, we really loved the list the librarians recommended, and were a bit disappointed in the Caldecott books, mostly because the stories didn't captivate Elijah like some others did.

So without further ado, here is our list of favorite children's picture books from 2007 (that is, the year we read them, not the year they were published):

10. The Hello, Goodbye Window by Norton Juster (the 2006 Caldecott Medal Winner)

9. Any of the Froggy books by Jonathan London

8. How Are You Peeling? by Saxton Freymann

7. I Stink! by Kate McMullan (definately a boy's book. On the downside, now Elijah loves to talk about eating garbage.)

6. Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin (I will admit that I don't get this book, but both Alli and Elijah loved it - I guess it is the rhymes.)

5. Giraffes Can't Dance by Giles Andreae

4. Click, Clack, Moo: Cows that Type by Doreen Cronin

3. Strega Nona: An old Tale by Tomie De Paola

2. Bed Hogs by Kelly DiPucchio

And the number 1 book that we loved from 2007 . . . which I bought to give Alli on her 2nd birthday . . . whose author lives in Wisconsin . . . and also happens to be the 2005 Caldecott Medal Winner is . . .

Kitten's First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes

It is the story of a little kitten who mistakes the full moon for a bowl of milk and spends all night chasing after it. So adorable and fun. A must-add to our family library.

What are your favorite picture books?

Shameless Plug

I don't think I've ever mentioned it here before, but I sell Mary Kay Cosmetics. I've been a consultant for a little over 2 years, mostly because I LOVE their products! Well, they have a new product on the market that I absolutely adore. I just bought their Mineral Powder Foundation and I am amazed how well it works. I have always been a liquid foundation girl, prefering light to medium coverage (depending on my complexion on any given day) and have always been pleased with MK's medium-coverage foundation. But I ordered the new mineral powder to try it out and I will rave about it here.

It goes on ultra-light, so you can barely feel it. It blends beautifully, giving my skin (which is, by no means perfect) a silky-smooth look and feel. And the great thing about the mineral powder is that it is actually good for your skin! It offers buildable coverage, so you can wear it as light or as heavy as you like, and all in one jar. No need to buy different foundations for different coverage!

Okay, so I think I have made my point. I am very happy with this product. So here is my offer to you, my loyal readers. If you are interested in ordering, contact me via this post, and I can work with you to determine the color choice you would need. Then I will ship it to you FREE OF CHARGE, which is always my offer to out of town or state customers.

If you are looking for a great foundation, you must try this! The foundation is 18 dollars, and for 28 you can get the foundation and specialized brush for application in an attractive black bag. You must order by contacting me, since I do not have a Mary Kay website.

Have a BEAUTIFUL day!

Project

I'm not a crafty person by nature. Most of what little I create is an exact reproduction of something I've seen elsewhere. So a few years ago I saw in a catalog a set of framed skeleton keys and decided that they would look great in our bedroom and promptly ordered them. A few days later I received an email saying they were backordered and it would take an additional month or so before they shipped. Over the following weeks, I kept getting emails that pushed the date back further and further. Finally, impatient with waiting, I cancelled the order and went on with my life, never really forgetting the piece.

So fast forward probably 4 or more years, I was in Micheal's the other day and found skeleton keys in the scrapbooking aisle and instantly the memory of those beautiful framed keys sprang to my mind. I bought 2 packages (about 3 bucks a piece) and started formulating my design. A trip to IKEA last week helped me find the exact shadow boxes that would work . . . and I already had some Stampin' Up scrapbooking paper that I thought would complement our decor . . . and Voila! . . . I finally have those framed skeleton keys that I ordered so long ago.

I'm pleased with the result and anxious to hang them on the wall. I made 4 of them, 2 for either side of our bed, I'll try to post pictures when they are up. All in all, I feel rather surprised with my do-it-yourself attempt at craftiness, but don't expect it again anytime soon.

A Spiderman Birthday

After a 5 day battle with something flu-like, I finally felt better in time to celebrate Elijah's Spiderman birthday on Saturday. My mom was here, as well as my in-laws, and Elijah received the full birthday experience: cake, ice cream, presents, and even a birthday spanking! (this was the first year we could do that and explain it wasn't because he had disobeyed!)
This was the birthday cake he requested - I chose chocolate because we both love it!
I can't resist his smile! Alli enjoyed the cake as well. She was pretty blue by the time the cake was gone!

He got some fun presents, like a combine to play with, a Hot Wheels race track, a Leap Frog alphabet toy, Hungry Hippos (I have great memories of that game as a child), a UPS truck and a scooter for outside play come warmer weather.
Enjoying a game of Hungry Hippos with his Daddy and his Grandpa.

It was a full weekend, but we had a blast. He is already talking about turning 5 and naming all the things he would like to get for that birthday. I'm hoping the birthday buzz wears off soon, though, since he has been pretty hyper since all the company, cake and presents.

Happy Birthday, Buddy

My little bud turned 4 years old today. I can't believe how fast the time has flown by. You are such a wonderful son, loving big brother and all-around fun guy to be around. I can't imagine life without you! We love you tons, Elijah. Happy Birthday!

I Could Live at IKEA

I found this article today, which led me to this website where I watched the videos. Funny, because we are planning another trip to IKEA in a few weeks and it may just be the way to figure out what you really want from the store. Sometimes I think it takes a week to fully see everything they sell.

By the way, I did see some stuff in the videos that are going on my list for our next trek.

When Snooping Fails . . .

I've exhausted the list of people who were in my house over the holidays and have only discovered the deliver-er of the anonomous gift. And since I am too self-conscious to ask everyone I've ever met if they are the mystery giver, I decided to say it like this:





Thank you to whomever gave me the gift I hinted at in another post. I was ecstatic to get it and am still in awe of how quickly you got it to me. The post had been up less than 12 hours! Your generosity was a blessing to me and my hubby is glad that he doesn't have to hear me complain about it anymore! Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!!!!

The Indwelling Rule of Law

Lately I have found myself contemplating why, in movies and TV shows, the characters usually do the right thing. I mean, they may not, and often do make wrong choices, but usually the moral of the story is a good one. The husband is wrong to choose his career over his family, the woman is wrong in lying to and cheating on her husband (unless it is for true love, of course). While rarely in real life do we apply the same standard to ourselves. The man who is involved in an adulterous affair while his wife is at home caring for their 4 kids usually justifies his sins. The mother who constantly screams at her children feels she must to get them to behave.

Which leads me to another contemplation I have had: why does the news media constantly call for those they cover to be above reproach? Two recent stories come to mind: a presidential candidate is publicly reprimanded for not reprimanding a supporter for using a not-so-nice word to describe an opponent; and when an over-the-road truck driver fails to realize that his blown tire has killed a man in an oncoming vehicle and continues to his next destination without stopping, he is branded as an unsafe driver. Two instances when I could clearly see the other side of the issue, but the media portrayed the stories as having one right way to handle each situation, and the ones involved in the story did not measure up to their ideal.

The answer isn't complex, but I found this paragraph in the first chapter of C.S. Lewis' Mere Christianity to be the most concise way to explain it:

I am . . . trying to call attention to a fact; the fact that this year, or this month, or, more likely, this very day, we have failed to practise ourselves the kind of behaviour we expect from other people. There may be all sorts of excuses for us. That time you were so unfair to the children was when you were very tired. That slightly shady business about the money - the one you have almost forgotten - came when you were very hard-up. And what you promised to do for old So-and-so and have never done - well, you never would have promised if you had known how frightfully busy you were going to be. And as for your behaviour to your wife (or husband) or sister (or brother) if I knew how irritating they could be, I would not wonder at it - and who the dickens am I, anyway? I am just the same. That is to say, I do not succeed in keeping the Law of Nature very well, and the moment anyone tells me I am not keeping it, there starts up in my mind a string of excuses as long as your arm. The question at the moment is not whether they are good excuses. The point is that they are one more proof of how deeply, whether we like it or not, we believe in the Law of Nature. If we do not believe in decent behaviour, why should we be so anxious to make excuses for not having behaved decently? The truth is, we believe in decency so much - we feel the Rule of Law pressing on us so - that we cannot bear to face that fact that we are breaking it, and consequently we try to shift the responsibility. For you notice that it is only for our bad behaviour that we find all these explanations. It is only our bad temper that we put down to being tired or worried or hungry; we put our good temper down to ourselves. (emphasis mine)

I guess Romans 1 is more concise (and inspired) but I appreciated Lewis' take on it. The fact of the matter is, without the gospel in one's life, no amount of "Rule of Law" or "Law of Nature" is enough to cause us to consistently do what is right. And only the cross gives us the ability to rightly perceive our sin and to not only make the right decisions, but to desire to make those decisions for the Glory of God. Another reason to rejoice and weep over the amazing grace we have received.

A New Year's Resolution I Actually Kept!

Last New Year I decided that I would make only one resolution and I was determined to make it sufficiently vague enough that I wouldn't become obsessive-compulsive about completing it. (I tend to be a bit OCD) My resolution was to read more. I realized that I kept buying books and then putting them on a shelf and never touching them again. So I decided that I would be more purposeful in my reading in 2007, which included doing just that (reading) instead of this (blogging) and also to read a chapter of a book before bed every night. I kept a list of the books I read and even posted a review or two. So here is my master list of reading materials for the last year:


1. Humility – True Greatness by C.J. Mahaney
2. The Eaglet by Jim Ellif
3. Knowing God by J.I. Packer
4. The Cross Centered Life by C.J. Mahaney
5. Sex is not the Problem (Lust is) by Joshua Harris
6. The Life and Labors of George Muller by Mrs. Muller
7. Questioning Evangelism by Randy Newman
8. Lies my Teacher Told Me by James Loewen
9. Mary by Janis Cooke Newman
10 & 11. The Humanist Manifesto I & II
12. Body Piercing Saved My Life: Inside the Phenomenon of Christian Rock by Andrew Beaujon
13. The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare
14. New Covenant Theology: Questions Answered by Steve Lehrer
15. Feminine Appeal by Carolyn Mahaney
16. The Big Picture Story Bible by David Helm
17. The Nine Day Queen of England – Lady Jane Grey by Faith Cook
18. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
19. It Aint’ All About the Cooking by Paula Deen
20. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
21. Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe
22. Saving Erasmus by Steven Cleaver
23. Learning to See Creatively by Bryan Peterson
24. The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones
25. The Art of Wedding Photography by Bambi Cantrell and Skip Cohen

I am already on par to complete at least another 4-6 books just by finishing up books that I am reading for a Bible Study or with a friend, so 2008 is off to a good start! I have really enjoyed taking the time to read for pleasure again, and I hope to do more of it this year. And for all of you who gave me suggestions -thanks and keep 'em coming!

Random Updates

Hey everyone! I'm still here! It's been a crazy week, and I had hoped to post some pictures of our Christmas celebration, but I don't think it's going to happen any time soon. Just wanted to update you all on our Christmas week:

We had a lovely, restful Christmas Eve day. We played games with the kids, and then attended a nearly local church for their Christmas Eve service, since our pastor was gone and our church didn't have a service. It was nice and I was happy to be at home this year. We returned home from the service, with plans to put the kids to bed and watch my FAVORITE Christmas movie, Irving Berlin's White Christmas. I had DVR'd it from the weekend and we settled in to enjoy the music and the storyline. However, the cable station, in an attempt to squeeze it into a 2 hour time slot and still allow for ample commercials, cut an embarrassingly large amount of the storyline and the musical numbers! I was so disappointed! I guess you know what I will be asking for next year . . . my own DVD copy of the original movie.

Christmas day was nice also, but I felt like I was in the kitchen most of the time. We had a lovely family meal, though, and enjoyed some quiet time that evening also. The kids loved their presents, with Elijah's favorite being his new wooden train set and Alli really enjoying the food for her kitchen and the shopping cart to carry it all in.

The next 2 days were a crazy mix of laundry, packing for another trip, and a sick 3 year old. It made for a stressful stretch for me, and so I relished some quiet time that Dan and I got together in MN on Friday, when we went to IKEA by the Mall of America. I love the store, and it was Dan's first visit, but he was inspired also. Sooner or later we will finish our basement and we have a thousand ideas of how to decorate now!

The rest of Dan's family joined us all at his parent's house that evening and we enjoyed our tradition of soup for supper, opening presents and then appetizers and cookies afterwards.

One highlight was being able to finally meet face-to-face, my fellow blogging friend, Karen. Her husband grew up in the same church as my husband and we both were at the church on Sunday morning. Although our plan to get coffee together didn't work out, it was great to talk to her in person and we have plans to meet again. I didn't have my camera (we were in church, after all) so I don't have any great pics of our smiling faces together. We'll plan for that next time!

We left Sunday night to return home. About an hour and a half into our trip we witnessed a car from the northbound lane flip end over end and land in our lane about a half a mile in front of us. We were the first on the scene and I called 911 while Dan jumped out to help. The car landed on the hood and slid across traffic, but amazingly, no other cars were involved. By my estimation, since the hood of the driver's side was crushed to the steering wheel, he should have been seriously hurt, but both passengers emerged from the car and seemed alright, only a few cuts and the look of utter shock on their faces. After the police arrived, Dan hopped back into the car and we went on our way. Snow started falling an hour or so later, and we saw many more vehicles in the ditch, so it was another reminder to take our time and to drive slowly. It was also another reminder that life is short, and it can be over in an instant.

We made it home safely, obviously, and are working today to get ready for a little New Year's Eve get-together that we are hosting tonight. Hopefully I will be on top of things and be able to post pictures sooner than later!

Hope you all have a great New Year and I'll be back here regularly soon!

Savoring Christ's Death at Christmas

Elijah and I have been leisurely reading through The Jesus Storybook Bible since we received it in the mail. Sometimes we read faithfully every day, at other times weeks go by between the stories. These past few weeks I have been trying to read more consistently, hoping to finish before the New Year, when we can start our other book, The Big Picture Story Bible.

So as I sat down to read a few days ago, I realized that we had come to the stories surrounding Christ's death - the last supper, the prayer in the garden, etc . . . I debated stopping there and backtracking to the advent story, it being the Christmas season and all, but decided that Elijah was getting enough nativity stories from other sources that we would continue on in the correct order of the book.

This afternoon, as I laid on his bed, reading "just one more story" before naptime, I was struck by the simple retelling of the story about Christ's prayer in the garden:

"Papa! Father!" Jesus cried. And he fell to the ground. "is there any other way to get your chldren back? To heal their hearts? To get rid of the poison?"
But Jesus knew - there was no other way. All the poison of sin was going to have to go into his own heart.
God was going to pour into Jesus' heart all the sadness and brokenness in people's hearts. He was going to pour into Jesus' body all the sickness in people's bodies. God was going to have to blame his son for everything that had gone wrong. It would crush Jesus.
But there was something else, something even more horrible. When people ran away from God, they lost God - it was what happened when they ran away. Not being close to God was like a punishment. Jesus was going to take that punishment.
Jesus knew what that meant. He was going to lose his Father - and that, Jesus knew, would break his heart in two.
Violent sobs shook Jesus' whole body.
Then Jesus was quiet. Like a lamb. "I trust you, Papa," he said. "Whatever you say, I will do."

As I read, tears fell down my cheeks. I don't think Elijah noticed. But the power of the story impacted me in a way that my emotions haven't been impacted in a while. What a powerful event to read about that perfectly coincides with the celebration of Christ's birth. Our excitement and awe at the wonder of the incarnation shouldn't end there. He came for a reason, and I thank you, God, for using my children's Bible to remind me of that reason today.

Merry Christmas!

The Christmas pictures and letters are all out in the mail, so now I can share it with you without a family member reading it here first!

Merry Christmas from the Zempel’s!

Another year has flown by, probably the quietest in recent history for our family! That’s not a bad thing, though, and we have had a wonderful year.

We’ll start the updates with the youngest of our bunch, Allison. What a delight she is to our family! By the beginning of the year she had really started to reveal her personality. She is quite social and loves being around other kids. She is a little more “rough and tumble” than her brother was at this age, partly due to his influence, I am sure. They both wrestle with Dan and giggle constantly. She is more independent, also, and will venture upstairs to her room to play without any encouragement. She began walking about a month after her first birthday in June and made up for lost time by taking to it immediately. She babbles constantly (not unlike her mother!) and never fails to make us all smile. We can’t imagine life without her and are universally smitten with her.

Elijah gets bigger and bigger every day. I can’t believe he is almost 4! We started “homeschool” this year, which basically means we make structured time for reading. We occasionally add some worksheets to the mix, which Elijah loves and repeatedly asks to do more. Elijah is getting braver as the year progresses, culminating in his achievement of “surfing” with an instructor at an indoor water park this fall. Dan will have him behind the boat before you know it! He is energetic and talkative, and enjoyed spending a week with each set of his grandparents this summer. He is doing great in Awana Cubbies and looks forward to spring when he can attempt to learn to ride a “tippy” bike. We’ll see how that goes! He is at such a fun age; I think I would keep him here if I could.

Dan immensely enjoyed having another team member at his State Farm office this year, allowing us to enjoy some family time without worrying about the office imploding without him around. Business has been active enough for him to add another employee this past fall and that has been working out well. Dan took over the leadership of a small group at our church this spring and we have immensely enjoyed getting to know some of the newer couples at our church. Believe it or not, we are the oldest in the group! This is a new experience since we have been comfortable being the youngest for sometime now! Even so, we are so grateful for this group and the growth we have seen and experienced ourselves.

As for me, Donette, life isn’t much different since our last letter. I reached a milestone birthday this year, but don’t question me when I say I am 29! Dan graciously watched the kids over Memorial Day weekend so that my friend Laura and I could go to a conference in Louisville, KY. We spent the weekend being blessed by the ministry of Josh Harris, Mark Dever, Al Mohler, CJ Mahaney and John Piper. It was a much-needed retreat and Dan and I hope to go together this coming year.

As quiet as this year has been, there are still ample opportunities to trust in God’s sovereignty and rely on His grace. Sometimes the quiet makes it easier to forget to do this. I pray that will never be your temptation. As I heard in a Christmas carol:

May the warmth of Heaven reach the coldest heart
with the gospel of His grace
For His heel will bruise the serpent’s head,
Rejoice, all the world, Rejoice!

I pray that you have the reason to do just that!

Dan and Donette, Elijah and Alli

Waterpark Retreat

After a grueling 5-day weekend over Thanksgiving, it was decided that we needed another vacation. OK, that's not true. Actually Dan had some meetings in the Dells, the company paid for the room, so we couldn't pass it up. Here are just a few pics of the fun: Elijah had a blast. We told him that we were going the night before we left, and he couldn't stop asking about it. See, there is a reason you wait to inform a 3 year old of your plans . . .

Yep. It happened again.

Even my parents enjoyed the water slides! I was quite impressed with my dad's willingness to try almost every slide. My mom stuck with the easy ones.

I hate to tell you this, sweetheart, but that's not a drinking fountain.

I found out last night that the youngest victim of the Omaha mall shooting, Maggie Webb, was a sister to an acquaintance of mine from my hometown and home church. So when you think to pray for the families of the victims, please remember Trish Abaca and her husband, Mike, by name.

Amazing how knowing someone who knows someone in a tragedy makes it feel so much closer to home . . .

Christmas Edition of "Get to Know your Friends!"

I received this email from my missionary friend, Kim, and decided it would be fun to post here.

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper. It's the only time of year that I don't use gift bags.
2 . Real tree or Artificial? To my husband's chagrin, we have an artificial tree. I was tired of waiting to decorate until we had time to shop for a tree! And I worried about the kiddos eating pine needles. Maybe in the future we will go back to a real one. But I'm not promising it!
3 . When do you put up the tree? As soon as possible after our annual Thanksgiving traveling schedule.
4. When do you take the tree down? Usually after we returen home from our annual New Year traveling schedule!
5. Do you like egg nog? I never have, until I tasted my friend Amy's homemade recipe. Now that was yummy!
6. Favorite gift received as a child? Wow, that's a hard one. My parent's probably remember better than I do!
7. Do you have a nativity scene? Just one. I hope to get more to make a collection someday.
8. Hardest person to buy for? By far, my father-in-law.
9. Easiest person to buy for? My mom or my daughter. Girl stuff is easy!
10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Old fashioned snail mail.
11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? I remember desperately wanting a "My Little Pony" and then being bored with it like 5 minutes after it was unwrapped. That's totally my fault, though. No blame to the parents who bought it!
12. Favorite Christmas Movie? Without a doubt - White Christmas.
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Sometime around September. My goal has been to be completely done BEFORE Thanksgiving, but it hasn't happened yet.
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? I don't think I have ever recycled a Christmas present, but for the 19 weddings the year after we got married . . . yeah, most of those were re-gifts!
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Probably cookies
16. Clear lights or colored on the tree? Clear lights on the tree inside the house, colored outside
17. Favorite Christmas song? Oh Holy Night; Joy, Joy by David Phelps; Here With Us by Joy Williams; Sleep, Jesus, Sleep by Sovereign Grace Music
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Usually we travel to my parent's house, but this year we are visiting them early and we are staying home for Christmas! Yeah!
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? I kinda doubt it.
20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Angel
21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Ongoing Christmas argument. I grew up opening on Christmas morning, Dan on Christmas eve. I'm still holding out for the AM . . .
22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? the crowded stores. Even Walmart on a Monday night during football is crazy!
23. Favorite ornament theme or color? Most of my ornaments have special memories attached, but I am particularly fond of the car ornament that the cast of my senior recital gave me - in honor of the play we performed, "Driving Miss Daisy."
24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? I love the pizza treats that we eat on Christmas Eve.
25 . What do you want for Christmas this year? Well, I already got my camera, so I guess it's the list of home projects that I have! (I think a finished basement is at the top of the list right now)

Ok, now I tag all my readers who have a blog to answer the same questions . . .

Merry Christmas!

Wow. I am still recovering from a week of traveling, so blogging has been last on my "to-do" list. I have about a dozen things I would like to write about, but my brain is fuzzy from a head cold, so I will just give you a pictorial journey of our week away. Enjoy! Dan takes a pause from the annual Thanksgiving football game to pose with Alli. We travel to Dan's parent's house every Thanksgiving and enjoy a 4 day weekend with his brothers and their wives, and the one little cousin that we have so far.

Back into action.

Elijah is enjoying the play structure that his daddy grew up playing on.
Alli equally appreciates it, but shortly after this picture she fell and didn't appreciate it anymore. This was the only time the kids played outside, as the temperatures became much colder in the following days.Farkle was the game of choice this holiday, and we enjoyed many rounds. This is our sister-in-law blowing good luck (if you believe in such nonsense!) onto the dice as they fall.Alli is finally at the age to really enjoy her grandparents and didn't take any time in warming up to them. I love seeing her enjoy her grandpa! And she made their weekend by saying both "grandma" and "grandpa." At least that is what they claim she said . . .

And for my two favorite pictures of the weekend:

Dan took this one, creatively using the blocks the kids were playing with at the time.

I shot this one, of Dan's brother and his little boy, who needed some comforting from his daddy. Too cute!

Well, it was a fun weekend, as it usually is. We came home on Sunday and promptly left again Monday morning for a waterpark adventure with my parents while Dan attended some meetings. I'll post pics from that trip soon.