A Room With A View

A Beautiful Morning

2011-09-09T10:25:00.000-04:00

Yesterday morning my friend Blair gave birth to an beautiful baby boy. He was 8 pounds, 10 ounces and She and Taylor named him Aedan Chase.
Blair and I studied midwifery together for years so it was so surreal to be at her birth. It was beautiful and something I was so honored to be a part of.
Congratulations Taylor, Blair and the Brown and Tsantles families on a new blessing!

Psalm 128
A Song of Ascents.
Blessed is every one who fears the LORD, Who walks in His ways.
When you eat the labor of your hands, You shall be happy, and it shall be well with you.
Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine In the very heart of your house, Your children like olive plants All around your table.
Behold, thus shall the man be blessed Who fears the LORD.

Iona

2011-02-27T16:40:00.001-05:00

Photo Credit: Erica

Sunday at Hope Baptist

2011-01-26T19:11:00.006-05:00

Lord willing, in less than two months, our church will plant a new fellowship in nearby Youngsville, NC. It's a bittersweet time for all of us - we will dearly miss working alongside each other, yet there's a real excitement to see how God will use this new work.
A couple weeks ago, realizing that our church is soon to change dramatically, I snapped some pictures before and after the service.

Isaac's friend Seth - these two are waaaaay too alike

To learn more about our church
feel free to look over our church website.

Young Living Essential Oils

2011-01-26T18:48:00.001-05:00

In the past year I've enjoyed learning a bit about essential oils so I was excited to see that Stacy McDonald has just started a blog to share how she uses them in her home. She's conducting a drawing tomorrow for a few oils HERE and if you're interested in learning more I encourage you to check it out!

Dad and Iona

2011-01-25T14:23:00.001-05:00

Thanks everyone for the congratulations! I've passed them on to David and Monica. They came over last night for Thomas' first birthday and are doing very well.
Several people have asked for a picture of my dad with Iona so I thought I'd post one here from the day she was born.

Visiting

2011-01-20T13:25:00.001-05:00

We took the kids over to David and Monica's today to meet Iona.

David and Monica Brown Have a Baby Girl

2011-01-19T17:21:00.002-05:00

At 12:54 this afternoon Iona Wisdom Brown was born.

It was a relatively easy delivery and both Monica and David are resting now with a happy, healthy baby.

My mom with Iona

Psalm 127

A Song of Ascents. Of Solomon.

Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it;

Unless the LORD guards the city,

The watchman stays awake in vain.

It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late,

To eat the bread of sorrows;

For so He gives His beloved sleep.

Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD,

The fruit of the womb is a reward.

Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,

So are the children of one's youth.

Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them;

They shall not be ashamed,

But shall speak with their enemies in the gate.

Steak n' Shake

2010-12-21T21:10:00.001-05:00

We stopped to eat dinner on our way home from Asheville last week.

Much happiness ensued.

Thomas and the 16-foot Christmas Tree

2010-12-20T10:12:00.001-05:00

The Dawn Treader vs. The Prisoner of Azkaban: Are We Concerned?

2010-12-17T18:17:00.002-05:00

Last week I went with a group of my friends to a showing of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. I hadn't intended to see the film - I was disappointed in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and have been boycotting the series since. What can I say? It was evening, dear friends were going, and, throwing caution to the wind, I payed my $9.50 (!) and took my seat.

The film follows the adventures of Lucy and Edmond Pevensie, along with their cousin Eustace, as they sail through Narnian waters searching for the seven swords that, when laid together on Aslan's table, will destroy the evil issuing from Dark Island in the form of "the green mist". The first thing I noticed was the lack of real plot and the weakness of the acting and screenplay. After I got over these preliminary annoyances, I began to be aware of a deeper, underlying danger. The film is chock-full of sorcery. The most obvious and to me most disturbing scene of the movie was one in which Lucy reads from a book of incantations. She flips through it delightedly. What a charming little book! She's searching for a particular spell she's been asked to reverse, but stops along the way to look at various others. She reads one and makes it snow. Her face lights up with joy. She comes upon one that will make her beautiful and rips it out of the book to use later. True, she's later reprimanded by Aslan for wanting to be someone other than who she is. That's a good thing because, after all, it's only witchcraft that's done with malicious or selfish intent that's wrong, right? As long as it doesn't appear to have any awful consequences it's a wonderful expression of power, wouldn't you agree?

Witchcraft is real today. I don't think I fully realized this until the past few years. I truly believed that it was all a giant floor-show and that nothing supernatural could be done outside of Christ (remember the magicians in The Price of Egypt trying to trick people into believing they could work miracles like Aaron? Read Exodus 7:11-12. In the Biblical account they "did in like manner with their enchantments"). Since then I have come face to face with what Scripture says on the subject. There are some excellent references in an article I will link to later and I encourage you to do your own word study and search out God's thoughts on the matter.

Here is my question: Is this movie any less dangerous than any of those in the Harry Potter series? If so, why? What is it that makes this form of sorcery less dangerous than the other?

Other than short clips, I have avoided the Harry Potter films. I do, however, have a basic understanding of what the films are about and of what the Bible says about witchcraft. This post is by no means meant to persuade anyone that the Harry Potter films are unbiblical and dangerous - many people have done a better job at that than I ever could. Rather, I'd like to make an appeal to Christians who already accept this premise. Do you judge every film, no matter what it's label, by the same standard?

No doubt many will argue that this film is actually beneficial because it is a Christian allegory but I would argue that if anything this makes it MORE dangerous, as it falsely represents the true gospel.

I would love this post to be a springboard for real discussion among those who truly desire to honor God in all they say and do. Feel free to leave comments - I'm interested to hear your thoughts.

Christmas.....a bit early

2010-12-03T16:05:00.000-05:00

We're having an early Christmas party tonight with my Grandmas so I went and picked up dinner at Shapiro's, a Jewish deli in downtown Indianapolis. These Christmas cookies weren't in the original order, but they were calling to me from the glass display cases.

Thomas....Again

2010-10-14T11:53:00.000-04:00

I can't help it! He's soooo sweet.

Etsy

2010-10-13T14:38:00.000-04:00

We've been posting lots of new treasures on our Etsy shop lately - check them out! For friends and family who live near us, send us a message so we can take the postage price off and give it to you personally.

Thomas "Plays" Legos

2010-10-12T12:14:00.000-04:00

New Name, New Look - Still Me

2010-10-09T10:56:00.003-04:00

As you can see I've made some changes around here. I took off my border template to make this space a little less visually overwhelming and changed the blog name. I picked my old name - As Time Goes By - because Casablanca is probably my all-time favorite movie and it seemed a fitting title. However, lately it's been irking me - sounding more and more like the name of a soap opera. The new name is from a favorite song by Noel Coward.
Anyway, I thought I'd let you know you're still in the right place, it just looks a little different.

Wedding Pictures! Part 1: Pre-Ceremony

2010-10-03T16:04:00.025-04:00

I'm finally getting around to uploading pictures from Monica's wedding for you all to see. I've put them in 4 parts and there are a lot of pictures so if your connection's slow you might want to click on the title of a section and load them one at a time. Click on any of the pictures to enlarge them.

Bridesmaid bouquets

The Herrins brought a delicious lunch for those who were at the church getting ready. Thanks!

The multi-talented Molly Valenti fixing hair

Our sweet friend Olga Ruiz was "assigned" to help with Thomas throughout the day.

David's Grandmothers waiting behind the scenes

David's nephew, Triumph

David and his groomsmen: Peter Bradrick, Anthony Daming, Nick Ruiz, Taylor Tsantles, Juan Ruiz and Joey Valenti.

My favorite of the guys

The flowers were gorgeous.

Part 2: The Ceremony

2010-09-30T20:05:00.037-04:00

Here we have two of my favorite people in the world - my great-grandmas Frankie and Dese. We were so incredibly grateful that they were both able to be here for the wedding.

David's grandparents

My dad's mother, Phyllis.

My mom's mother, Judi

The bride arrives behind the scenes

David's parents, Scott and Deborah Brown

My parents, Barry and Nadine Daming
I kinda wished I hadn't missed all this standing "backstage". When talking about Monica's wedding, the comment I hear most is how beautiful my mom was walking down the aisle with Thomas. From the pictures I have to agree with them.

Waiting our turn

They sang How Deep the Father's Love for Us.

Isaac, who by the end of the service was sleeping soundly.

David and his best man, Taylor Tsantles

And here she comes

Becka Dohm, every photographer's dream flower girl.

Dad gives a charge to the couple

Mr. and Mrs.

Part 3: Post-Ceremony

2010-09-29T20:53:00.023-04:00

Blair and I walking around the building immediately after the ceremony. Next month, Blair's getting married to David's best man in the same chapel. I love you Blair!

Did I mention she was beautiful?

My immediate family, grandmas and great-grandmas.

David's Family

Monica and her flower girls: Shea Breagy, Claire Breagy, Laura Dohm, Becka Dohm and Danielle.

Monica & David with Noah

This is one of my favorites of them

Part 4: The Reception

2010-09-29T13:53:00.012-04:00

The beautiful cake was made by some friends of ours, the Valentis.
Monica told them what she wanted and they did a fantastic job.

Waiting by the limousine.

We were excited that the facility allowed us to throw real rice when David and Monica left. Monica said later she couldn't see a thing - she just ran in the general direction of the limo!

And so it ended.

Current Update: David and Monica are doing well. They're all settled into their house and expecting a baby in January.

We Will Return to Normal Programing Shortly.....

2010-07-27T20:40:00.004-04:00

Sorry for the unexplained, unannounced break in blogging. I plan to get back to posting soon (including wedding pictures at long last). In the meantime go see Inception.

Thomas Smiles

2010-03-26T12:30:00.001-04:00

Sorry for the poor quality and all the zooming in and out. We're still figuring out this video camera......

It is Finished

2010-03-21T00:48:00.003-04:00

Thanks to everyone who was praying for us today. The wedding was more beautiful than we could have ever imagined and we're so grateful to God for such a wonderful picture of the Gospel. We're also grateful for all the people God used to help pull this wedding off - never in our wildest dreams could we even have considered doing this on our own. Thank you everyone who helped! I'll be sure to share pictures once they come in.

Safe and Sound

2010-03-11T12:09:00.002-05:00

I just thought I'd let everyone know we made it back to NC this mornig and wedding preparations are in full swing. Have a great week!

P.S. In case anyone's interested, I'm on facebook now.

I Can't Believe She's Getting Married This Month

2010-03-03T21:04:00.002-05:00

A Favorite Present

2010-03-03T17:03:00.001-05:00

I fell in love with a set of three glass bottles from Sundance and was delighted to get them for Christmas. They're perfect and so beautiful. I've been saving them for my house (they're not practical for a big family) but this week, as there are only half of us here, I brought them down and am storing milk and tea in them. I wish I had a picnic to go to just so I could take them with me.

I Love my Brothers

2010-03-01T20:05:00.002-05:00

A Slight Delay

2010-03-01T19:11:00.005-05:00

The snow and ice have kept some of us here in Indiana working on the snow removal business while the other half of the family is in North Carolina preparing for the wedding. This unusual arrangement is working out well, although I miss Thomas.

I'm working most days with dad and have been put in charge of collecting and arranging the music for the wedding reception, which is a challenge I'm mostly enjoying.

Casablanca

2010-02-26T11:58:00.003-05:00

"If a face like Ingrid Bergman's looks at you as though you're adorable, everyone does. You don't have to act very much."

~Humphrey Bogart

More Pictures

2010-02-05T17:55:00.005-05:00

The Inevitable

2010-02-05T17:43:00.002-05:00

It happens every time - a new baby comes into the house and the former youngest of the family instantly becomes dangerous. Perhaps they feel they will be cheated of the attention they enjoyed.......whatever it is, we usually forget about this phenomenon in the excitement of the baby and have to learn the hard way.

P.S. No, that's not blood - it is however an entire bottle of red nail polish - this picture was taken after I'd already wiped up whatever was still wet when Monica found him.

Thomas

2010-02-05T16:57:00.005-05:00

Introducing

2010-01-26T13:16:00.005-05:00

Thanks everyone for the comments and congratulations. I've been printing them off for mom and she loves to hear from all of you!

Thomas August Daming

January 24, 2010

6:35 pm

10 lbs., 2 oz.

22" long

His middle name, August, is after my dad's grandfather, who had twelve children. Dad thought it fitting that he name his twelfth child after him, in gratitude for the legacy he left - a love of children that has been passed down through generations.

Psalm 127

A Song of Ascents. Of Solomon.

¹ Unless the LORD builds the house,
They labor in vain who build it;
Unless the LORD guards the city,
The watchman stays awake in vain.
² It is vain for you to rise up early,
To sit up late,
To eat the bread of sorrows;
For so He gives His beloved sleep.

³ Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD,
The fruit of the womb is a reward.
⁴ Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,
So are the children of one’s youth.
⁵ Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them;
They shall not be ashamed,
But shall speak with their enemies in the gate.

Praise the Lord!

2010-01-24T20:21:00.004-05:00

The baby was born at 6:35 pm and weighs 10 lbs, 2 oz. He and mom are in bed, doing well.

We're so grateful to the Lord for such a beautiful, content baby. He has no name as of yet, but I'll keep you posted. Thank you for your prayers!

2010-01-09T21:51:00.005-05:00

Room With A View, Peter Ogilvie

Happy New Year everyone! It's been an crazy month here in the middle of the cornfields of Indiana. Dad and I have been working really, really hard the past few weeks on his snow removal business. We're so grateful to have work to do and offer other people. Still, it is a lot of time and stress for all of us.

Mom's due in less than a week - please pray for her and the baby. We're all looking forward to holding this little boy soon, Lord willing. I'll be sure to post pictures when he's born.

Wedding plans have been taking up much of Monica's time and some of ours lately. We're glad that most of the big decisions, like the church, reception hall, wedding dress, bridesmaid dresses, invitations, cake and food have been taken care of. Time is flying by!

To everyone back in North Carolina: I'm missing all of you terribly, especially this past week. I'm looking forward to getting back and catching up, hopefully at the beginning of February. See you then!

Sufficiency of Scripture Conference

2009-12-11T18:14:00.003-05:00

This weekend I'm in Cincinnati, working a book table at this conference. I'm having a great time and working hard.
Tomorrow (Saturday) night, we're presenting a special screening of The Mysterious Islands - come if you can!
Also, all the talks at this conference are amazing and the conference CD set is well worth the investment. To see info about the conference, buy the CDs or buy tickets to The Mysterious Islands screening, click here.
Have a great weekend!

I'm back!

2009-11-29T12:52:00.008-05:00

My apologies to those who have been checking this blog in the past few weeks. I took an unannounced and unplanned break from blogging as our lives got insanely busy. It's not slowing down really, but I'm ready to get back to blogging - it's somewhat therapeutic.

We had a lovely Thanksgiving. My mom's side of the family came out Thursday afternoon and David surprised us by flying in for a couple days.

Yesterday my dad took his power parachute up around our house. He went up three times, first by himself, then with Monica, and then with Heidi. The rest of us await our turn. They said it was amazing at night - they could clearly see downtown Indianapolis, which is 40+ minutes from our house. The first time he took off it was still light, so I ran out and snapped some pictures.

(Last picture credit: Anthony Daming)

Trip Update

2009-10-29T16:05:00.002-04:00

Well, after many hours on the side of the road, we're up and running again. Praise the Lord! Thanks for your prayers. We got going at about 2pm and are making good time.

Update #2 - We arrived home safely at 9:45 last night and are spending the day unpacking, doing some grocery shopping, and just settling in.

A Slight Delay

2009-10-29T09:41:00.003-04:00

This has been an interesting drive so far.

We left our home in Indiana at about 10:30 last night. It took us sooooo long to get out of our driveway. We have one really sharp turn and, as we were pulling a trailer, we had to do a lot of backing up and maneuvering to get out. We alternated between teetering on the edge of our creek bank and scraping against a tree for about 15 minutes . I got out of the RV, thinking that if they fell into the creek I could at least run for help. :-) Dad finally got us out though.

The ride has been rougher than usual because the smoothest way to North Carolina has been shut down for three months due to a rock slide.

At 5:30 am our RV's engine suddenly shut off for no apparent reason. Dad pulled over onto the narrow shoulder of the busy highway we were driving on and started looking things over. He decided the best thing to do would be to replace the fuel filter and he started calling mechanics. At 8:45 am a mechanic showed up, bringing the filter with him. He replaced the it and the RV started for a minute and then died due to the clogging of the OTHER fuel filter, which is a different kind. So now we're sitting by the side of the highway outside of Charleston, West Virginia waiting for another hour while he drives back to get that filter.

It's not all sad though - we're all well and safe and we should be back on the road soon.

2009-10-28T18:53:00.004-04:00

We leave tonight for North Carolina. What a trip this has been! Two birthday parties, a bridal shower, an engagement......whew! It's been good though - we were able to get a lot done in just one week and now we're looking forward seeing our friends in NC again.

Wedding plans are going well. Churches, dresses, guest lists, invitations.....so much for them to think about.

I'll try to keep you all up-to-date in the coming months.

The Future Mr. and Mrs. David Brown

2009-10-23T18:54:00.012-04:00

I'm thrilled to announce the engagement of my sister Monica Daming to David Brown. He proposed here at our home at about 4:30 yesterday afternoon. Congratulations David and Monica! I'm so excited to see what the Lord will do in your life together.

I took these pictures at an old abandoned mill down the road from our house.

Just click on them to see a larger version.

Sunrise

2009-10-22T08:41:00.002-04:00

One of the things I love here are the sunrises and sunsets. Here are a few pictures of the sunrise this morning taken from our front porch:

Who needs Florida?

(Just kidding, Blair)

A Pleasant Surprise and Random Thoughts

2009-10-22T08:26:00.002-04:00

I'm happy to find that the internet connection here is, for now, much faster than it has been and so I'm able to get on the web this week.

We had a great trip up with very few problems. We left NC at 10am on Tuesday and drove to South Carolina to have dinner with some dear friends of ours whom we don't get to see nearly enough. That was a good way to break up the trip and we left about 9pm and drove the rest of the way through the night.

Since this is such a short stay (we'll be here a week), I didn't really bring projects like I usually do - I'm just planning to take these few days to clean out my things here and help get everything ready for the party Saturday. We have a lot to do!

And now for something completely different -
For months I've been enjoying looking at a site called Vintage Glam Weddings. The woman who runs it has been posting about unique, mostly beautiful weddings for years and they've been so much fun to sift through. She's now started a new site called Ruffled and is slowly moving all the stuff from the old site onto it. If you like looking at wedding pictures and getting good ideas, this is a great place to go. She's also posting free downloads and giveaways from time to time. Enjoy!

2009-10-20T00:31:00.002-04:00

We're leaving for Indiana and, as there's only a very slow internet connection there, that means I'll be taking a week off blogging! My Great-Grandma's 90th birthday party is at our house on Saturday so we're driving back to be there. So long 'till next week!

Isaac's "Ever News" Report

2009-10-19T13:24:00.003-04:00

I realize my blog has been focused around Isaac more and more lately, but I just can't help it!

OK, this is the last video for a while, but if you should happen to want to hear him sing You are My Sunshine, click HERE.

The Barn Project

2009-10-14T22:54:00.003-04:00

Due to circumstances.....ahem........beyond our control, the barn has progressed from a remodeling project to a demolition and building project. While this will take longer, it's good in a way because it means we can build a barn that is setup however we like!

Here's a picture of the...............progress.

A Message for Our Grandmas

2009-10-13T22:20:00.002-04:00

Photo Shoot

2009-10-05T19:14:00.007-04:00

One of the many, many good things about having so many younger sibblings is that no matter what I make for our Etsy shop, there's always someone the right size to model it for me. Noah gets roped into modeling for me a lot, but he's a good sport. This afternoon he was helping me get some pictures of two aprons I wanted to list. (just in case you wonder, the bump on his forehead is from the father-son retreat - he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time).

him: "Are we almost done? You're not taking any of my face are you?"

me: "Well...... yeah, now I am"

him: "No you're not"

"Wait......you are?"

"You're not supposed to get my face! Now delete those!"

me: "Oh, come on. Just a few for Nonnie to see?"

him: "OK....... but just a few!"

Men and Their Flying Machines

2009-10-01T12:34:00.003-04:00

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Thank you Mr. Ruiz for sharing this video with us!

Yarn.....

2009-09-28T16:40:00.003-04:00

I love new projects.

The Sabbath

2009-09-22T12:29:00.003-04:00

Have you ever wondered about the Biblical commands regarding the Sabbath?

Is it Biblical to do any of these or various other activities on Sunday?

- Buy and sell (think lunch after church, coffee and book sales in churches, gas on the way to and from church, etc.)

- Participate in or watch sports

- Help people in need

- Show hospitality

- Travel

Our church is working through the book of Deuteronomy on Sunday mornings, and when we reached the passage on the Sabbath we took four weeks off our regular schedule to really explore this crucial issue. I was encouraged and helped by the series and think anyone who listens to them will be. I have included links to each sermon below (just click on the name) and highly encourage everyone to listen to them and pray about this issue. Leave me a comment if you have questions!

The Sabbath was Made for Man - Matthew 12

Scott Brown

Breaking the Sabbath - Nehemiah 13:15-22

Dan Horn

The Duty of the Sabbath - Exodus 20

Steve Breagy

A Day for Delight - Isaiah 58:13-14

Scott Brown

If you would like to listen to any other sermons from our church, click here. The ones in the book of Deuteronomy are extremely helpful in understanding the relationship that Christians have with the Old Testament law.

Construction

2009-09-18T12:34:00.004-04:00

Dad, with the help of some friends, is remodeling on our barn.

It's looking great so far!

Remember these two?

2009-09-18T12:29:00.003-04:00

April, 2009

September, 2009

Isaac's bigger, but then so is the chicken - he's still concerned.

Because I needed a laugh today (maybe you do too)

2009-09-14T13:53:00.002-04:00

Recently Finished

2009-09-12T17:07:00.005-04:00

Last week I finished a pair of knitted baby shoes. They're made of Debbie Bliss Pure Silk yarn and are incredibly soft. They're in the shop now but I just wanted to share a picture of them because I think they turned out so beautifully!

The Today Show Reports on Large Families

2009-09-12T02:15:00.000-04:00

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Happy 17th Birthday Cori!

2009-09-11T11:52:00.005-04:00

On September 10, 1992, Corissa Ann Daming was born into our family. She was supposed to be born in the hospital, but was in too big of a hurry for that, so she was born at home in Indiana. Yesterday we celebrated that momentous occasion.

Anthony's Baptism

2009-09-11T11:11:00.008-04:00

On Sunday, after the morning worship service and lunch, our church walked out to the Browns' ponds to witness Anthony's baptism.

Congratulations Anthony! May God richly bless you in the days and years to come.

Goulash

2009-08-25T16:46:00.004-04:00

We've put lots of new (and old) stuff in the shop this week - stop by and take a look!

Mr. and Mrs. Matthew Smith

2009-08-23T20:34:00.012-04:00

Yesterday we attended the wedding of some friends of ours in Fayetteville, NC. Here are some pictures I snapped during the reception.

NCFIC Marriage Conference

2009-08-23T20:31:00.003-04:00

The conference that I mentioned I had been working on took place last weekend and it went very smoothly. I wasn't able to get any pictures (I was busy working or resting), but one of the couples brought their daughter Emily, who graciously offered to take some pictures on Saturday. To see her post, click here.

2009-08-23T20:29:00.001-04:00

Thanks to those of you who have left congratulations in the past couple of posts. I just wanted to let you know I read and appreciate them!

It's a Boy!

2009-08-21T08:08:00.002-04:00

Baby boy #6 is expected in January. As of yesterday, it looks as though he is healthy and growing well. We're all so excited to add this precious little boy to our family!

What an incredible miracle....

I'm finished!

2009-08-09T16:50:00.003-04:00

I finished my Introduction to Midwifery course and mailed it in Thursday. I feel like I learned a lot doing it, but I'm awfully glad to have it finished.

So anyway, I'll be back to blogging shortly!

Just for fun....

2009-07-28T11:43:00.003-04:00

Carol Burnett (American Comedian) and

Julie Andrews (British Singer)

An Update

2009-07-23T08:44:00.002-04:00

I just wanted to let whoever reads this blog know that I'm still alive and planning on posting more in the future. I've just been so busy that I decided to put blogging aside for a while.

Since we got back from Boston:

- I've been studying really hard on a midwifery course I started over a year ago and which I hope to finish it in the next two weeks.

- We celebrated Monica and Dad's birthdays. Dad wanted to go to the beach for his, so we went for the day - it's about a three hour drive, so we left after breakfast and came home at dinner time.

- I've been working on the NCFIC Marriage Conference which will take place next month. I'm helping Blair plan it and work out the food. We've done this conference before and, as there's still room, I highly recommend that anyone come who can make it. It's held in the Brown's home and registration is cut off at 25 couples, making it a very intimate, comfortable, not to mention delicious (the food will be amazing!) couple of days.

- Erica and I have been working on getting the Etsy shop up and running again after a long break while we were in Indiana and then Boston.

Have a great week!

Happy 500th Birthday John Calvin

2009-07-10T20:53:00.001-04:00

The rest of our trip

2009-07-09T18:43:00.006-04:00

On Saturday night I got to go hear the Boston Pops Orchestra and watch the fireworks over the Charles river. Both were incredible and it was a night I won't soon forget.

There was a church service on Sunday, after which we packed up our van, hooked it up to our motor home, and drove to Long Island, NY to stay with a very dear family that we met through our church here. The Noah's fed us the most delicious meals ever, were our guides to Sagamore Hill on Monday, and were so hospitable towards us during our stay. We praise the Lord for their servant's hearts!

On Monday morning we visited President Theodore Roosevelt's summer home - Sagamore Hill. It is a fascinating home and our tour guide had some great stories to tell.

T.R.'s Rough Riders Uniform

The Reformation 500 Treasure Hunt

2009-07-09T11:26:00.002-04:00

Congratulations to the Muse family for winning the Reformation 500 treasure hunt!

We were so excited to see a family from our church win!

Enjoying the Ducks and Swans in the Boston Public Gardens

2009-07-09T11:15:00.002-04:00

Boston - Day 5: The Reformation 500 Children's Parade

2009-07-09T08:28:00.004-04:00

We are all back in our North Carolina home safe and sound, but I thought I'd share some of the pictures from the weekend. On Saturday morning there was a huge parade in the Boston Public Gardens comprised of those people attending our conference who were in costume.

Nathaniel

Adam and Noah awaiting their instructions. Danielle was also in the parade, but unfortunately I couldn't get a good picture of her.

There were some amazing costumes, as you can see in these three pictures.

Look! It's a.....

2009-07-04T00:44:00.005-04:00

We are so grateful to have been given a room overlooking a busy street. It's the only thing that can keep Isaac still and entertained for any length of time in our hotel room.

He watches for any buses, bikes, umbrellas, dogs, motorcycles, fire engines or "little boys" and points them all out to us,

telling us to "come see"!

Picture by Erica

Boston - Day 4

2009-07-03T12:51:00.002-04:00

This picture by Cori

Most of today was filled with more sessions and tours. I listened to Paul Jehle's talk on the Salem witch trials, which was extremely helpful to me not only in understanding what happened in Salem, but also deepending my understanding of spiritual warfare itself.

Then, in the evening, everyone gathered for a group session in the main ballroom. A lot of things happened, including a debate between "Charles Darwin" and "John Calvin". I know it seems strange to have two men from completely different erras debating, but there is a reason - ask me later if you want to know.

The music tonight was spectacular. Charlie Zahm performed with the incredible fiddler Tad Marks and, for the last few songs, a suprise musical guest - the incomperable Mr. Doug Phillips on the harmonica. We all yelled, clapped, and stamped our feet to the tune of The Wabash Cannonball and Dixie, among others. I've never heard Charlie Zahm sound as good as he did tonight and it brought back a lot of great memories of a year ago today when we were riding around with him in Scotland.

Boston - Day 3

2009-07-02T18:13:00.003-04:00

Favorite talk of the day:

Joe Morcraft - Calvin's Doctrine of the Church

The hotel is beautiful - especially the main ballroom.

Boston - Day 2

2009-07-01T23:29:00.003-04:00

This morning we had a 9am tour with Dr. Paul Jehle. We walked around to several sites, including the Benjamin Franklin statue, the Old South Meeting House, and the Old State House. It's was very cold and rained off-and-on throughout the morning, but the tour was fascinating.

We ate some delicious (and wonderfuly hot) chowder at Quincy market for lunch and then walked back to the hotel to get ready for the first conference session at 3pm. I spent the time helping with the NCFIC booktable and catching up with some old friends. The rest of the day was spent listening to speaches and eating dinner.

Boston - Day 1

2009-06-30T21:43:00.005-04:00

Yesterday, around 6 pm, we left our Indiana home for an seven-day New England excursion. The main point of this trip is to attend The Reformation 500 Celebration - a conference about the remarkable impact of the reformers and particularly of John Calvin, who's 500th birthday is this year.

We drove all night and arrived at a campground outside of Boston at noon. We left our motor home there and continued on in our van. Before heading to our hotel in Boston however, we decided to meet some friends in Newburyport, MA to visit the Old South Presbyterian Church, where George Whitefield preached and was buried.

We were there a little before everyone else, so the pastor took us way up in the bell tower to see the bell, which was made by Paul Revere. He said they ring it every Sunday.

The current pastor, Robert John, who was so very kind to show us around and share with us the history of Whitefield and the church.

George Whitefield's signature

A view of the church from the pulpit

We left there and drove to Boston, where we are now happily installed in our hotel rooms and ready to tackle tomorrow!

A mailbox we stopped by on our way.

Saturday

2009-06-21T22:25:00.009-04:00

Yesterday was the perfect day to be a twenty-one year old girl from the Midwest with a four-wheeler and an empty road. It was hot (but not humid) with a breeze and the fields were a vibrant mix of greens that, try as I might, I couldn't capture with a camera.

Our house from the end of our driveway

Every year, down the road from us, the Fairland Volunteer Fire Department puts on a fish fry to raise money for the next year. I went down and snapped a few pictures.

On the way back I spotted this turkey roaming around in a front yard

and stopped to eat some black raspberries by our driveway.

Make it your ambition.....

2009-06-17T14:09:00.001-04:00

"Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you,"

~ 1 Thessolonians 4:11

Ironing

2009-06-17T13:57:00.005-04:00

Mom has begun calling me Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle of late because of the mountains of ironing I've been tackling. It's a job I've never relished but I figure I may as well learn to like it and do it well or I'll have a lifetime of dreading it ahead of me. :-) For those of you who iron, I'm just curious - I've heard of people doing all of the below techniques and am trying to figure which is best. Which do you find fastest and most effective?

a. using a spray-bottle of water to dampen the clothes as you iron

b. filling the iron with water and using the steam setting

c. sprinkling water on with your fingers as you iron

d. ironing when the clothes aren't quite dry

e. other (please specify)

I figure I'm spending enough time ironing that this would be worth figuring out.

Pixar's Up: A Recommendation

2009-06-14T23:19:00.005-04:00

Chilling Quotes

2009-06-12T19:52:00.005-04:00

"When an opponent declares, 'I will not come over to your side.' I calmly say, 'Your child belongs to us already…What are you? You will pass on.Your descendants, however, now stand in the new camp. In a short time they will know nothing else but this new community.'"
~ Adolf Hitler

"A pupil is not above his teacher; but everyone, after he has been fully trained, will be like his teacher."

~Luke 6:40

"Education is thus a most powerful ally of humanism, and every American school is a school of humanism. What can a theistic Sunday school's meeting for an hour once a week and teaching only a fraction of the children do to stem the tide of the five-day program of humanistic teaching?"

~Charles F. Potter,

("Humanism: A New Religion," 1930)

"You can't make socialists out of individualists. Children who know how to think for themselves spoil the harmony of the collective society which is coming, where everyone is interdependent."

~John Dewey

("the father of modern education")

En Route

2009-06-09T20:53:00.003-04:00

We are an hour into our trip to Indiana - having a great time singing our favorite folk songs, and laughing as we listen to "Amish Camp".

My cousin's wedding is on Saturday and then we will stay in Indiana for a couple weeks before heading up to Boston for the Reformation 500 Celebration.

I hope to be able to post more in the next few weeks, depending on how good our internet connection is once we get home. Have a great week!

Memorial Day

2009-05-28T11:12:00.011-04:00

Monday was our church's annual Memorial Day picnic. It was a day to honor the men who have fought for our freedom and to listen and learn from their stories.

Psalm 78:2-7 says:

I will open my mouth in a parable;

I will utter dark sayings of old,

Which we have heard and known,

And our fathers have told us.

We will not conceal them from their children,

But tell to the generation to come the praises of the LORD,

And His strength and His wondrous works that He has done.

For He established a testimony in Jacob

And appointed a law in Israel,

Which He commanded our fathers

That they should teach them to their children,

That the generation to come might know,

Even the children yet to be born,

That they may arise and tell them to their children,

That they should put their confidence in God

And not forget the works of God,

But keep His commandments,

Heidi & Claudia

I love to see all the veterans that come every year.

Me with one of my favorite people in the whole world - WWII veteran Bill Brown

Monica and Cori invested in a snow cone machine this year and started a little business.

Col. Bill Henderson, WWII veteran and author of From The Sands of Iwo Jima, addresses the audience.

The lunch is fantastic - homemade southern barbecue, freshly fried hush puppies, coleslaw, and chocolate chip cookies made by the ladies of the church.

The Phillips family was able to join us this year, which is always a treat.

Ezra Hill was one of the Tuskegee Airmen, who enlisted to become America's first black military airmen. He shared his testimony and sang for us. He has an incredible voice.

Issac had a great time!

A Vestal and a couple Breagys.

There was a lot of incredible music this year.

The Smith Family Bluegrass Band was one of my favorites.

Blair and me

Bill & Mary Brown

Mr. Brown, Monica and Cori

A slightly damp cleanup crew.

All pictures by Erica

Keys

2009-05-19T18:50:00.003-04:00

Isaac is obsessed with them. In an effort to stop him from losing ours, Dad gave him a ring with a couple spares on it. Pictures by Cori.

Memorial Day 2009

2009-05-15T23:54:00.000-04:00

Memorial day is just a little over a week away. Yikes!

We are helping out at the annual Memorial Day picnic that our church sponsors. It's always a great day and everyone is invited!

We love our Grandmas!

2009-05-15T23:43:00.003-04:00

This week we've been enjoying some time with our grandma Nonnie and great-grandma Frankie. They flew in from Indiana on Tuesday and returned this evening. It's been so much fun!

Today we finished out their visit with lunch at the tea room in downtown Wake Forest and a trip to a nearby antique mall. The remaining hour was primarily spent franticly trying to finish the 1,000 piece puzzle we started two days ago. We only have approximately 30 pieces left, but they're all the same color and so we didn't quite finish before they had to leave.

We'll miss them until June, when we'll make the trip back to Indiana for our cousin's wedding.

New Creation Apparel

2009-05-14T09:01:00.004-04:00

It's an age old conversation - there are no long skirts. Stores don't sell them any more. If they do, they look frumpy. *sigh*

I've heard this discussed many a time, but have never had problems personally finding long skirts............until this year.

For six months I have been hunting high and low for a long jean skirt (to replace one that I wore out) to no avail. Finally I turned to the internet, but the only skirts I could find were $50+, which is somewhat out of my price range.

Since I know what a common problem this is, I thought I would share with you a recommendation. New Creation Apparel is an online store selling mostly long skirts, although they also sell some nightgowns, jackets and comforters.

This is from their website:

"Our customers around the world are redefining the way women dress. They've told us what they want - rich, natural fabrics and classic lines in skirts and jackets that can be worn with confidence and femininity. Our suppliers, mostly small, family-run businesses, work closely with us and provide exceptional creativity and workmanship. We have formed a partnership with our customers and suppliers to offer clothing that's both beautiful and appropriate for every woman.

Browse the site and find your favorite way to dress in the classic designs and natural textures you've been looking for. We're devoted to providing a genuine alternative to today's extreme fashions and yesterday's dated look."

Once I finally found them, I ordered this skirt and am loving it! It's really, really long and extremely comfortable. Just to give you an idea, I am approx. 5'5" with a very high waist and it touches the floor when I walk. Not all of them are quite that long though - the description includes the individual lengths. Some of the skirts are a bit pricey, but their sales are good.

I hope this is helpful!

Happy Mothers Day!

2009-05-10T21:16:00.005-04:00

I love you, Mom.

Sunday Morning Favorites

2009-05-10T21:04:00.004-04:00

This morning, immediately after the church service ended, I started snapping pictures of some of the smaller children & babies in our church.

Garage Sale Treasures.....

2009-05-09T20:35:00.008-04:00

This morning Monica and I left home before 7 am to shop some yard sales. There were lots in Wake Forest, but we just weren't finding anything good! By mid-morning Monica had found some pretty vintage lace but, other than some mothers day presents we picked up at the farmer's market, that was about it. On the way home we happened to see a sign near our house and though we'd just stop and poke around one last sale. I ended up with three suitcases and a framed photograph. Have a look:

Suitcase #1 - Adorable Amelia Earhart Ladies Carry-on in original box. I love old suitcases, but have never owned any before now. This one is in pristine, unused condition.

Suitcases #2 & #3

A matching set. As you can see in the picture below, the ribbons in the small suitcase are still stapled into bows.

Lastly, an old framed photograph. This picture doesn't represent it very well - it doesn't have that golden tint and is a very crisp image.

I was so pleased! These made the morning of searching well worth while.

So who can guess how much she asked for these four pieces?

This fabric is making me happy....

2009-05-08T13:39:00.007-04:00

Discovered Here

Politics

2009-05-06T18:01:00.008-04:00

"I have come to the conclusion that politics are too serious a matter to be left to the politicians."

~ Charles De Gaulle, French General & Politician (1890-1970

I spent several hours yesterday walking around the Legislative Building in downtown Raleigh, lobbying for a bill that will come to a vote in the House Health Committee next week. I've never done anything like that before and confess to having been a bit intimidated, but it was really a great experience. By all accounts it really does make a huge difference when people either call, write, or especially if they visit their legislators about issues that are important to them - it's easy to do and very educational!

We Have a Winner!

2009-05-02T11:17:00.005-04:00

I put all the names for my apron drawing on little pieces of paper, mixed them up, shut my eyes, and drew one.

The winner is........Ginger Hagen!

Congratulations! I'll bring the apron to church tomorrow for you. Thanks to everyone who entered.

Watch This!

2009-04-24T18:44:00.003-04:00

Some of the comments may not be appropriate for children - please ask your parents to watch it first.

From YouTube:

"Charlotte Iserbyt served as Senior Policy Advisor in the Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI), U.S. Department of Education, during the first Reagan Administration, where she first blew the whistle on a major technology initiative which would control curriculum in America's classrooms."

Giveaway!

2009-04-24T17:00:00.000-04:00

I will draw a name on Saturday, May 2nd for this adorable children's apron/smock. That's just over a week away, so hurry! Even if you don't have children yourself, it would be great as a gift or to tuck into a hope chest......

Here's how to get entered into the drawing. You can do any combination of these for more entries!

For 1 entry: Leave a comment letting me know how you found my blog.

For 2 entries: Post a link to this post on your blog or other website. Leave a comment letting me know where to find it.

For 3 entries: Buy something from our shop! Just let me know in the "notes to seller" that you want to be entered.

Tell your friends!

Ouch....

2009-04-17T14:32:00.005-04:00

“Tell me how a man spends his evenings, and I can generally tell what his character is.”

~ J.C. Ryle

Chickens

2009-04-13T11:00:00.000-04:00

On Friday we received 35 chickens in the mail, which we plan to raise for the eggs.

For my Indiana readers

2009-04-13T10:57:00.006-04:00

*Update* - Thanks for your support. Unfortunately the bill was last on a long list of bills to be presented today and the house voted not to hear it. As far as I know this means the bill is now dead. Please take a moment to pray for all the women who are trying to fulfill a biblical role as midwives. Many of them will now have to continue practicing illegaly and stand in need of your prayers.
_________________________________________________

For those of you who live in Indiana, I would like to ask a favor of you.

As many of you know, I have been a student of Midwifery for several years now. Only Certified Nurse Midwives are legal in the state of Indiana, but for 15 years a group of dedicated supporters have been working to change that. SB86 is a bill that will come to a vote on Wednesday - it proposes the legalization and liscensure of CPMs (Certified Professional Midwives). These midwives are trained to handle normal pregnancies and births in a home setting. They practice legally in about half of the United States with good results.

Every year, in Indiana, about 900 families choose to have their babies at home. There are almost no Nurse Midwives who practice outside of hospitals, so most families have to make a choice. They can give birth unassisted, a choice that more and more people are choosing; or they can hire a midwife that is practicing illegally and may go to jail if anything goes wrong. As a friend of mine likes to say, the postman can deliver their baby legally, just not a midwife who's trained to handle emergencies.

The point is - these people need to be able to make their own choices. Whether or not the medical community thinks it's safe is not the issue. Couples who are well-informed need to have the freedom to have whomever they want at their birth.

Currently there is hesitation on the part of home-birthing families to transport to a hospital if something doesn't seem right during their labor or birth because they are using an illegal health care provider. Legalizing these midwives would make this easier and potentially save lives. Also, it would help families differentiate between women who call themselves midwives but are under qualified, and those who have passed the rigorous testing and and have the experience necessary to gain their CPM certification.

So here's what I need you to do - in the next few days, call your representatives and ask them to vote yes on SB86. These midwives are up against some really big opponents and they need our help. Protect the freedom of parents to choose what is best for their children. Protect it for your children and your grandchildren. Even if you don't agree that this is the best choice - protect the freedom to make a choice!

Click here to find your legislator.

If you have any questions, please leave me a comment and I'd be glad to answer them. Thanks so much.

97 years ago today

2009-04-10T08:29:00.005-04:00

April 10, 1912

The luxury liner Titanic set sail from Southampton, England, on it's ill-fated maiden voyage.

Audrey

2009-04-10T08:24:00.002-04:00

It's really starting to feel like spring here.....

April Fools!

2009-04-01T10:56:00.006-04:00

On April 1, 1957 the BBC ran a segment about the unusually large Swiss spaghetti crop. Huge numbers of viewers wrote or called to find out how they could grow their own spaghetti tree. The BBC told them to "place a sprig of spaghetti in a tin of tomato sauce and hope for the best."