When Perfection Comes, the Imperfect Disappears

Posted on November 1, 2007 by Dani

My heart was stolen by Mr. Self-Help. He was strong, and it seemed he could fix anything. Surely, my heart reasoned, this was the One for me. And my heart loved him, for a time. We read lots of books together. And he seemed to have all of the answers. That is, until my heart realized that he was just a box of bandaids, and he burned up in the fire. When the smoke had cleared away, I stood at the edge, overlooking the glory beyond, out of my reach. Then my heart cried for him, shook off the crusty bandaids, and moved on.

When Mr. Self-Denial showed up on my doorstep, I was intrigued. He was wiry and he moved slowly, but he seemed to have a lot of wisdom. I followed him, for a time. My heart thought, surely this is the path. If I give up food and pleasure, it will strengthen this heart of mine and I will see glory. Surely. But my heart could not do it, for it was surrounded by a weak and fleshly body. One day Mr. Self-Denial left me in the dust. When it had cleared away, I once again stood at the edge, overlooking the glory beyond, out of my reach. I didn’t even cry for him.

I just stumbled over Mr. Penitent. He was kneeling in the tall grass and he looked up, startled as I fell over him. He had the saddest eyes; he seemed to be perpetually on the verge of tears. I liked that – a guy who could cry. I fell hard for him. We were together for ages it seemed. And he saw everything. My heart was an open book. Together, we poured it all out, but it seemed I would never be like him, and eventually I tired of those eyes. I realized that my heart would never be penitent enough. I would never be good enough for him, and when he saw that I despised him, he left me. I was so relieved, that I cried.
But I was still left with a wounded heart, surrounded by a weak and fleshly body. And I wandered, seeking a path to the glory which landed on my face but refused to permeate my heart.

At first I almost missed the knock, it was so soft. And the voice of Glory. Hope flooded my heart, and I threw open the door excitedly. He stood there with his arms wide open, pulsing with passion and life and love emanating from the source. I couldn’t look upon Him, for the guilt which flooded my soul took the starch from my legs and I crumbled to the floor, sobbing. Slowly, I rose to look at Him again. He wanted me, I could tell. It was entirely unfathomable. How could this be? There was nothing that I could offer him; nothing that I could take to Him. How could I put my weak body in contact with His glory? It couldn’t happen. I just couldn’t see how it could happen! My heart throbbed for him, but my body trembled in weakness and fear. I turned away. When I looked up, He was gone.

I sat there in my house for days, feeling that nothing would ever be the same. Had I blown it? Because of my pride? But Lord, no good thing dwelleth in me… Woe is me! I am a woman of unclean lips! I am a woman with weak flesh….

Yet my heart desires You above all.

I made up my mind that if He returned, I would not draw back. And my heart mounted the wings of an eagle, waiting tirelessly for His presence.

This time His knock was unmistakable. It seemed that I had the ears to hear its sweet reverberations. I flew to the door and flung it wide open. Panting still with amazement, I beheld His Glory for only a moment before being enveloped in an embrace of perfection. His Perfect Body covered my weak body, and I melted into His death. I could sense my own death, and there was no longer any barrier. The blood of Christ flowed through my heart, cleansing and renewing. I knew that my weak and sinful flesh was disappearing in the waves of His white robe. I knew that His blood beat in my new heart. I knew that the dividing wall of hostility was …… gone.

O Glory! Glory.

“21And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled 22In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight: 23If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven;…” Col. 1:21-23a

“6For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” 2 Cor. 4:6

Posted in Jesus Christ | 1 Comment

A Ration-al Revelation

Posted on September 24, 2007 by Dani

Our daily rations are simple fare. We are always making changes, but many of our tastes remain constant, so we have created a menu which allows for flexibility. For instance, on Wednesday night we have Mexican food, so instead of getting bored with just tacos eaten a little too frequently, we sometimes have taco soup, burritos or just chips and cheese. But it’s always on Wednesday. My favorite thing in the world to have is tacos, because I feel so healthy when I eat a taco salad with fresh guacamole, black beans (sometimes with rice), onions, cheese and fresh salsa (at least, this week we have fresh :-) ). Mmmmmm. I’m getting hungry just thinking about it.

Here is our current menu:

Mondays

Breakfast: Porridge – this is usually a mix of oats & 7-grain rolled oats mixed with grass-fed butter (if we are so fortunate to have this rarity) and real maple syrup. I will sometimes remember to grind up the golden flax in my freezer to sprinkle on top, but the kids don’t like the flavor as much when I do – and Banana Kefir Smoothie. Today we shared a grapefruit, complements of Becky. Everybody loved it except the baby.

Lunch: This varies on a day-to-day basis. We will sometimes have peanut butter & honey sandwiches, with a carrot or an apple on the side. Sometimes if our bread is all gone we will have chips and cheese or crackers and cheese with a little fruit, nuts, seeds or veggies. And sometimes we scrounge for whatever leftovers we can find in the fridge ;-) .

Supper: Pasta! My girls love to eat pasta, and I am so thankful that hubby likes it too. I am especially thankful that he still likes it when we don’t have time to cook meatballs. Sometimes we have something else Italian, such as lasagna, but mostly we just have spaghetti.

Tuesdays

Breakfast: Toast and eggs is typical. Sometimes a little later, for we often end up making bread on Tuesday mornings. If you check out the link on my sidebar, you’ll see how we have made bread in the past. However, recently I have started using a new bread recipe which is soooo delicious that I hope to share it with you soon. We drizzle raw honey on the bread fresh from the oven and then smear butter over the top to make a divinely delicious breakfast (just as good as doughnuts!).

Lunch: With the bready breakfast, we will often just have fruits and veggies or maybe a little cheese & crackers for lunch.

Supper: Salad is supposed to be our Tuesday supper. If we happen to have lettuce on hand. If we don’t, we just have baked potatoes (presently from our garden :-) ). Right now I have a fall garden of spinach, lettuce and radishes, so if the deer don’t find our greens first, I hope to have some delicious Tuesday salads soon. When we have company over the weekend, we often will feed them wild salmon (Nathan cooks it perfectly on the grill) with pesto (made from crispy pine nuts from Nourishing Traditions & my basil plant on the veranda). Anyway, when there is some leftover Salmon, it makes a to-die-for salad when combined with cherry tomatoes & honey-mustard dressing! We had this recently with some surprize cherry tomatoes from the neighbors, and believe me, it was a Tuesday to remember!

Wednesday

Breakfast: Nathan leads the men’s Bible study at Bob Evans or Cracker Barrel or some such place for breakfast, so to compensate for us “poor” homebodies, I make pancakes. Well, Rebekah and I do. She is on the schedule for meal helping on Wednesday mornings. They are always different, for I am in search of the perfect pancake. But they usually contain freshly ground Prairie Gold wheat with about a quarter buckwheat (my friend Becky swears that buckwheat has almost completely healed her spider veins), some buttermilk powder & occasionally a little leftover kefir or some ground flax. We use whatever oil is the most plentiful – sometimes coconut oil, sometimes butter, sometimes a little olive oil mixed in. We serve them with butter and real maple syrup.

Lunch: If we are out, sometimes it is a McDonald’s hamburger (I know, I have to close my eyes and not think about it). Occasionally I will pack a lunch and we will eat by a pond in town and feed the ducks. A snack of whatever is handy is what we eat if we are at home on Wednesdays, but this is rare because we usually run out to get goat’s milk and run to the library.

Supper: Mexican night. Mmm mmm. Everybody’s favorite. Sometimes we will have Walmart’s beef & bean burritos (no hydrogenated oils). This kids love ‘em. Sometimes we will have tacos with all the fixin’s (black beans, guacamole, onions, tomatoes….etc). And sometimes in the winter I make taco soup. Either way, it’s good.

Thursday

Breakfast: I hope to soon perfect my granola and have this every Thursday for breakfast, but presently we have either oatmeal, or kefir smoothies with apples & peanut butter.

Lunch: Flexible, as usual. Dried fruit, cheese, carrots & sometimes our special crunchy/salty grain mixture. We soak grain berries (wheat, spelt, buckwheat), sunflower seeds and whatever nut is handy in saltwater for several hours, then dry it out in the oven on the lowest setting overnight. It really satisfies salty cravings.

Supper: Chicken in the crockpot is our preferred Thursday dinner. We buy chickens from a local family, so that we can be sure to avoid hormones and antibiotics. They are amazingly delicious with just a little onion, carrot, potato & lots of salt and pepper. The meat just falls right off the bone after simmering on low in the crock pot all day, and we serve this simple dish over rice. The baby loves it :-) . Sometimes we have garden baked potatoes (if it’s 4:30 and the forgotten chicken lies frozen in the freezer). They are really much moister than what you get from the store.

Friday

Breakfast: Eggs and toast. We buy eggs from various nearby chicken-raisers. I will often send Nathan off to work with a raw egg-banana-goat’s milk-kefir smoothie. He is going out with the guys presently, so I’m off the hook for his lunch right now.

Lunch: The baby toddles over to the pantry and fishes some apple chips out of the bin at the bottom. When I step on chewed apple chips or see a trail of them, I know it is time to get out the leftovers :-) . Sometimes I’ll send them outside to swing on the homemade firewood swings in the backyard with apples while I make phone calls or take care of business.

Supper: Generally it’s either hotdogs or hamburgers. Last Friday we had a special taco night with company and watched Lord of the Rings. Occasionally we have make-your-own-pizza night. Usually on Fridays we will make some cookies also.
Saturday

Breakfast: French toast is one of our favorite Saturday breakfasts. Deborah is pretty good at making it now. Recently, since the purchase of some Prairie Gold all-natural white flour we have been making some to-die-for! biscuits with coconut oil. We purchase nitrate-free bacon and enjoy biscuits and bacon-grease gravy. Then we sit around for awhile and think of all the things we could do if we had eaten a lighter breakfast :-) .

Lunch: No thanks, that’s all for me, I’m full [unmentionable noise]! If you’re not, then you may get a handful of raisins or a carrot (or something).

Supper: Stir fry. Or Salmon. Or leftover Friday night fare. We are having stir fry this Saturday and continuing the watching of the Lord of the Rings with friends.
Sunday

Breakfast: Some cheesy scrambled eggs, cooked light and fluffy, complements of Daddy Tippy. This is traditional. However, when we are running late, leftovers or bags of dried fruit, cheese and crackers is not out of the ordinary. We have a family van :-) .

Lunch: Out to eat about every other Sunday. O’Charleys has 2 kids meals free with the purchase of one adult meal, so the kids eat free. It’s hard to pass this up on Sunday. I have it as a personal goal to begin making the big Sunday meals and have people over on Sundays, but right now because we drive 30 minutes to church on Sunday, it is easier this way.
Supper: Chips and cheese. Daddy is gracious to usually take care of this so that I can work on homeschooling preparations.

One of the best things about having a menu is that the kids get into the habit of doing certain things every week. For instance, my second daughter always washes the potatoes and wraps them in foil on Tuesday nights. And my oldest daughter is nearly ready to be responsible for breadmaking on her own. I would be remiss if I did not also mention that my son David learned to make guacamole this last week, and he is now frying and scrambling eggs on Tuesdays (which means mom has less scrambling to do, if you know what I mean ;-) ). And cooking is home economics, which is definitely school time (as oppposed to cleaning). I think Mrs. Pearl had it correct when she had her kids doing all of the interesting things while she took care of the cleanup :-) . Who says work has to be boring?

Posted in Family Journal | 6 Comments

Hand in the Hornet’s Nest

Posted on September 12, 2007 by Dani

I found this analogy from the Borg Blog to be extremely humorous, yet an accurate reflection of history and present positions:

How Recent and Would-Be American Presidents Would Deal With A Hornet’s Nest

  • Jimmy Carter – Pretend it’s not there, and run like hell if they sting.
  • Ronald Reagan – Work to undermine the foundation of the evil nest, support the efforts of good bees, and swat the hell out of the hornets if they do attack.
  • George H.W. Bush – Swat the hell out of the hornets when they cross into another’s yard, and then contain them. Poke at them from time to time for good measure.
  • Bill Clinton – Find a small hornet nest that doesn’t threaten us and try to build a bird’s nest in its place. Take away their aspirin but not their leader if they do attack.
  • George W. Bush – Compromise pursuit of attacking hornet and stick hand into a different hornet nest, and then insert another. Ask for more hands to stick in nest when it grows bigger.
  • Rudy Giuliani/John McCain – “We need ten more hands now! Four for the one we are already in and two each for the other three nests that are looking at us funny.”
  • Hillary Clinton/Mitt Romney – “What will play best with my base now?” When all else fails, give free aspirin to all hornets everywhere.
  • Ron Paul – Calmly pull hand out of hornet nest and keep it out. Cease aiding and abetting potential hornets. Encourage hornets to become constructive honey bees by eliminating restrictions on trade relations. If hornets still attack – and only if they attack – swat the hell out of them.

    • It is such a refreshingly logical position. As opposed to the tripe we hear from many politicians in regard to foreign policy. I see it in a rather golden light. If we treat others how we would like to be treated, they are more likely to treat us right, or at least leave us alone. Simple, right? Safety is more likely in the absence of aggression.

    Yet we seem to be paranoid. I liken it to this situation – my own little analogy from my own little world :-) .

    Johnny lives down the street. Johnny is mean. Some people who remind me of him hurt me. I’m scared. So I’m going to go and take care of him right away. I’ve staked out a tent in his yard. As soon as he looks like he’s doing something suspicious, I’ll sling a rock at him. Some other friends have joined me. So far we’ve wounded him thrice and broken several windows in his house. Naturally he and his family are rather upset, and fighting back. Some more friends are trying to teach them how to change their ways, so they’ll be nice. They also want to fix the windows and help Johnny’s parents to raise better children who get along. Johnny and his family want us to leave, but we feel like we have to stay until they have better relationships, and things are all fixed up. Lots of other people want us to leave too. They say that we are violating his rights. I guess I thought only nice people had rights…

    Surely the situation is more complicated, you say. And my analogy is not perfect. But our problem is that we are crowding out the simple truth by our “complications”. We ourselves have no “right” to invade another country which has not attacked us (Iraq is not responsible for 911), just because they “might”. Indeed, if we take away their reasons for doing so (our presence), we are more likely to live at peace with the Middle East and the world.

    We certainly have more of a chance if we elect Ron Paul. And I haven’t even scratched the surface of the reasons why.

    Posted in Government | 1 Comment

    A Typical Homeschool Day at our House…

    Posted on August 20, 2007 by Dani

    I’m really glad Candy suggested this, because it is soooo good for me to look at how we have been spending our days, and it is certainly time to take stock and make sure we are redeeming our time.

    We change our schedule a few times a year, but this is what it looks like presently. At least, when things fall flawlessly into place, which is rare :-) . Keep in mind, it is currently a flex-schedule, which seems to fit our family well.

    My daughter Deb (7) and son David (9) get up at 6:30 (Deb – always; David – sometimes). Deborah is faithful to get dressed to the shoes, brush her hair, and do her math & writing. David usually takes a shower and works on Scratch, which is an open-source (that means free!) programming language for kids which David is completely in love with. And his Daddy has given him the directive to practice in the morning when his mind is fresh – I love it that he wants to please his daddy so much!

    Usually the baby wakes up at 6-ish and I nurse him back to sleep before stumbling back to bed for another hour or so of sleep (Nathan and I still lack the discipline to go to bed early ;-) ). I am roused to begin the day by one of two scenarios: either Nate gets up to shower and I have pity on his poor hungry soul, arising to fix coffee and a to-go breakfast of raw-egg/vanilla/banana/kefir dream smoothie or crackers, cheese & banana OR Joshua bounds into the bedroom, announcing enthusiastically “I’m hungry Mommy!”

    On Wednesdays Daddy leads the early morning men’s Bible study at Bob Evans and I just see a wisp of steam and hear the faint sound of the garage door. On other days, I kiss Daddy out the door with his breakfast & coffee, then have a half hour or so to quickly shower, make the bed & tidy my area before tending to my enthusiastically hungry 4-year-old. Who, by the way, is always right there with me cooking oatmeal and serving it up. Generally if anyone is still abed at this point I rouse them, and they dress & report to the island for re-fueling. Meanwhile, Deborah dives into Mavis Beacon to get her typing done, and perhaps finishes her piano practice. David will often get his typing & piano done before breakfast also.

    At breakfast, we are currently trying to re-establish our breakfast scripture reading/memorizing habits. They fell by the wayside somehow during the busy summer months :-( . The kids right now are learning Proverbs 27:17 & James 4:17. After breakfast I allow the three youngest (baby Jonathan, Joshua & Rebekah) to help me clean up the kitchen lickety split while Deborah cleans the bathrooms (sinks, toilets, sweeping) & David vacuums the living room, hall & bedrooms. Sometimes the process is more lickety split, sometimes less, usually depending on the amount of enthusiasm & encouragement (or lack thereof) coming from yours truly. Last week I allowed the older kids to do their cleaning chores as part of their to-do list on the white board. However, I think it works out better when we set the timer and just get our work done together, so we will go back to doing it right after breakfast.

    After clean-up, Deborah does a little school time with the baby while I take Joshua (4) and Rebekah (5) under my wing to read, narrate & do flashcards (this doesn’t always happen but I’m determined to make it stick). Then they can all play outside for a half-hour or so while I do any needed administrative work (phone calls, bill-paying…etc). The children are good about pushing Jonathan on the swing and helping him go down the slide. As I can see them right out the window, I will let him be with them for a short while before putting him in the playpen near me.

    After playtime, we all come in for reading time. I am currently reading Nathanial Bowditch as our read-aloud. We are reading through a poetry book. We are reading through some assigned old & new testament passages. All of this is assigned from the Sonlight Curriculum which I borrowed from my dear friend Jenny in Kentucky. The littler ones will often play quietly with Legos or Tinker Toys while I am reading. This way they get the benefit of hearing the stories, but they don’t feel like it is a completely boring time. If we have time before lunch I will also go through Language Lessons with David & Deborah, from Susan Wise-Bauer’s Language Lessons for the Well-Trained Mind. I absolutely love doing the language lessons with the kids! I think they like memorizing the engaging poems & learning chants, but the copy work and dictation exercises are a little tedious for them sometimes. Rebekah is going to find it so easy to do them when we start because I think she has already memorized half of the poems!

    Lunch time is usually pretty concise. A little fruit & cheese, or a peanut butter sandwich. Some raw goat’s milk if there is any left. I will usually do a really fast 5-minute cleanup and let the older children keep working on their lists, then occupy the smaller ones with a game or let them play outside some more. Around 1:00 pm I will put the littlest one in bed for a nap. He will usually sleep until 4:30 – 5:00 pm.

    David & Deborah, as I mentioned, have their to-do list posted on the fridge white board currently. They know to check things off as they accomplish them. Currently their list looks something like this: math, writing, reading, language, typing, piano, chores, room, laundry, baby-time. David has read alone time and read-aloud time. Deborah has read alone time, read-aloud time, read to Joshua time and a reading lesson with me. They know that in the afternoon they will be free to play, program or watch Cyberchase & Fetch if they have their whole list checked off.

    At 2:00 pm we gather in the living room for quiet reading time. Sometimes I’ll do read aloud at this time if we missed it for some reason earlier; or catch up with our scripture reading; or rarely sit down and read my own book (I’m currently reading through the Uncle Eric Series). If Joshua is really tired, he will sometimes fall asleep on the couch. The others just read. David is reading through the readers from Sonlight. They are a bit easy for him so he flies through them. I used to read them aloud so everyone could hear, but it put too much responsibility on me, so I put them in a stack for him to read through in order. David and Deborah will usually narrate from the scripture reading, but this is a weak point with me; I sometimes forget to have them narrate, though I usually ask questions. I know that narration is such an important skill and I always try to make it happen regularly, but we aren’t there yet.

    If the kids have done well, they are allowed to watch a show in the afternoon at 3:30. This is usually my time to either catch-up on my email, work on a project, take a cat-nap or blog. And I touch base with Nathan at this point in order to make supper plans. At 4:30 we start supper. The children all have a night to help. Lately I have been swallowing my desire for easy clean-up and letting them make more messy things like biscuits and cookies. They have so much fun! I intend to loosen up even more; especially when our wheat arrives, which incidentally, did not show up last Friday because they had trouble locating a driver and it never left the warehouse! But I have a clean garage ;-) .

    We eat when Daddy comes home, or without him if he has meetings at work or church. David & Deborah are responsible for cleaning up dinner; though usually I will put away the food and wash the big pans. David is my wiper/sweeper extraordinairre. Deborah will clear and wash the dishes, or unload and load the dishwasher (if it’s working). They are sometimes motivated with outside play, sometimes with dessert ;-) . Tonight was an exception; Daddy forgot to have them do cleanup (I was taking an important call) and so here I sit with a messy kitchen behind me ;-) . Anyway, it will get done :-) .

    The evenings are often spent outside to enjoy the cool shade which happens in our front yard just before sunset. Nathan and I will sometimes sit in the rockers on the front porch and watch them swing, slide or ride bikes up and down the gravel road in front of our house (it connects only to the neighbor’s house, so there is not much traffic). Lately Joshua will push Jonathan in the little red car up and down our front walk.

    Before bed we do different things, depending on the night. On Monday Daddy reads to the children from the Uncle Eric Series. On Tuesday night we watch Nova Science Now. On Wednesday night we go to piano lessons (usually earlier on). On Thursday night we have presentations. On Friday night we watch movies or play games. On Sunday night we watch an excellent video series entitles “Does God Exist” by John Clayton. It is a 17-part series (about 8 hours total), in which he clearly shows that there is no conflict between science and Christianity. He also shares his quite extraordinary testimony and some dynamic sermonettes which are wonderfully insightful. We watched the last one yesterday. I can’t wait to start it again, but we’ll probably wait a year or so.

    Bedtime means a story (if we are there early enough), a prayer, a hug. Teeth brushed (and sometimes flossed), a time of mild-roudiness while the kids sometimes horse around a bit, children sneaking out for “one more drink” – they hug each other and say goodnight; the baby talks for awhile. Then blessed quietness.

    Nate and I usually hang out in his office for awhile, and unwind (sometimes with ice cream :-) ). We will sometimes watch the latest on Ron Paul & the elections. We will often watch a documentary – currently we are on part 3 of “The Power of Nightmares” which is a history of how Neoconservatism and Islamic Fundamentalism came about in the 1940′s & 50′s. It is fascinating stuff! Speaking of which – I’m late! I’d better get down there :-) .

    Posted in Family Journal, Homeschooling | 7 Comments

    The Wedding that Never Happened

    Posted on August 19, 2007 by Dani

    Grandpa Tippy (Nathan’s father) passed away 3 years ago, of cancer. Grandma (Nathan’s mother) took care of him in their home in Washington state until he died. Then she took care of lots of other old people; many of them until they died. We finally persuaded her to move here about a year after Frank died. She lived with us for a few months before she was drawn down to S. Illinois to take care of Great-Grandpa Tippy, her father-in-law. Do I need to mention that my mother-in-law loves old people?

    In the meantime, an old friend of the family, Dale from Michigan, was drawn to Grandma. He came to S. Illinois and helped Grandma remodel Grandpa Tippy’s house so that she could take better care of him. He helped Grandma often. Over the next year or so, Grandma and Dale (we call him Grandpa Dale) fell in love and decided to get married.

    The date was set for July 7th – at our house! Dale’s family was coming, and we were building up to it for the prior two weeks; getting all our duckies in a row, so to speak. We clipped the hedges and cleaned the house; including all of the carpets and some of the furniture. Grandma and Dale were going to “officially” tie the knot on their way up from S. Illinois to our house in Missouri, and then have a ceremony at our house with just close family, with Nathan presiding.

    Well, with a week to spare, Grandma & Dale called the whole thing off. However, I guess the eye-catching title of this post is not entirely accurate. It implies that it never WILL happen. And I believe it’s been rescheduled for Christmas-time. :-)

    We were not at all upset that we had worked hard to get things in order. I am always very thankful that we have some “event” to get ready for, because that means that most of the things that need doing will get done – no slouching! We had friends over for the 4th of July, passed out lots of Ron Paul DVD’s at fireworks, and had a relaxing weekend. I don’t have to start thinking about the wedding (that happened) until after Thanksgiving ;-) .

    Posted in Family Journal | 2 Comments

    Update / Children Slide Down Stairs on Winter Sled

    Posted on August 15, 2007 by Dani

    During the last month, I have often longed to be blogging. Subjects have flitted in and out of my consciousness as I have transitioned between the worlds of homeschooling, campaigning for Ron Paul, beginning a new wheat business. Titles such as “Children Slide Down Stairs on Winter Sled”, “Hermit Crab Nearly Dies in a Loose Shell”, “Mother Succeeds in Creating 5 Ron Paul Revolution Signs w/5 Little Ones in Tow (with their help of course :-) )”, “The Wedding that didn’t Happen”, “The Bleeding Economy”, “The Lawn that didn’t get Mowed – and Why” and “The Paradigm Shift that Rocked My World”. These are just some of the things that come to mind, and they are not in the right order.

    Hmmmm. Which one shall I write about? I’ll start with the first one right now, just so that I can get going on my list.

    I am currently cleaning out the garage, because any day now the Wheat Montana truck is going to arrive carrying 5,000 pounds of wheat and the garage is truly a pit. So today I carried coolers, carseats, boxes, furniture & sleds up to the loft above the garage to make some room to sweep up all of the trash which has somehow remained in the garage for the last month or so. Well, actually I stacked these things in the hallway just inside the garage which leads to the stairs which lead above the garage.

    And little 4-year-old Joshua discovered, you guessed it, the cool winter sled! Not the big clunky one, mind you, but the smooth one with handles designed to move with your body. He climbed to the top of the stairs and I had to investigate when I heard him having way too much fun. Now, my kids normally slide down the stairs in their footed pajamas, and they are so fast! But the sled, well, it was PHENOMENALLY FAST! Like, GET-OUT-OF-THE-WAY IF-YOU-DON’T-WANT-TO-GET-HURT fast. So I let them slide downstairs on the sled while I fixed lunch. And no one was hurt. And I have a new activity I can pull out of my hat to occupy my little ones, which, by the way, is my weak area. Planning and occupying.

    So, what should I write about next time? If anyone still reads my blog, let me know what you want me to write about. Right now I have to take my fifteen minute break while the kids watch Fetch. It’s educational :-) .

    Posted in Family Journal | 3 Comments

    Our Nation’s Tax on the Poor

    Posted on July 9, 2007 by Dani

    My husband calls it “The Great Enabler”, and prays everyday for it’s destruction. Let’s face it folks, our country is broke, and we literally cannot afford to wage war all over the planet, when our borders at home remain unprotected. The American people are taxed, of course, but it is not near enough money to finance the money-hungry monster which is war. So we borrow trillions of dollars from China. However, since we have debts which require huge sums just to pay the interest (does anyone see the snowball?), it is still not enough.

    Hence, the Great Enabler. It is the Federal Reserve, and it allows our government to continue on, unhindered (for now) by the consequences of unsound monetary policies. Here’s how it works: The government issues bonds. The Federal Reserve buys them with the money they have printed. Congress pays interest on the bond back to the Federal Reserve for money they didn’t have in the first place. The banks also lend printed money to the American people who pay huge sums of interest back to the banking industry. This is why almost anyone today can borrow money, even when they have very lousy credit. Banks are willing to take chances because the money was “free”.

    Now, here is where the poor-tax begins to make sense. When the money is first circulated, it’s value is inflated by the market’s current money supply, giving a huge advantage to the government and the banking industry. But by the time that money trickles down to the average American, the market reflects an increased money supply. This makes our dollars worth less (not worthless, mind you, at least not yet), and therefore reduces our purchasing power.

    This may not seem like much to those who have some margin in their budget, but to those who don’t have much to begin with, it really hurts! The poor people of America are the hardest hit by the unsound monetary policies in Washington right now. It’s not big business, though that certainly plays a role. I think it’s time for the American people to wake up, and take an interest in putting people into government who will make changes that will truly help our people.

    Right now, there are very few politicians who have this understanding. Ron Paul teaches about it continually, and I am extremely impressed with his ability to hold his own in any situation. Last night I looked over at Nathan after watching his interview with Stephanopolis, and it just clicked with me.

    Ron Paul has a clear conscience. He will go on any show and speak forth these truths (and a host of others) because he has nothing to hide. He has walked his political career with integrity, he understands the economy, he understands history and wants to restore this great Republic.

    Lord, help him.

    Posted in Family Journal, Government | 1 Comment

    Not Yours To Give

    Posted on June 20, 2007 by Dani

    When I mentioned the account of Ron Paul’s response to the proposed Commemorative Gold Medal for Ronald & Nancy Reagan, all I could think about was this story that floated just out of reach. I have researched the story, called Not Yours To Give which was originally published in “The Life of Colonel David Crockett,” by Edward Sylvester Ellis. I will summarize it for you here.

    In the 1820′s & 30′s Colonel Davy Crockett was, like Ron Paul, a congressman for Texas. He was one day standing on the steps of the capitol when a fire broke out in Georgetown. After he and several other members of congress offered aid and surveyed the damage, Congress easily voted for $20,000 in relief efforts, which sounds quite laudable on the surface.

    Later on, as Davy Crockett was surveying his district and preparing for an election, he happened upon a farmer who told him flat out that he shouldn’t waste his time – he wouldn’t vote for Davy Crockett, due to the $20,000 of relief Congress had awarded. The full story lays out in detail the farmer’s response to Congressman Crockett. The gist of it is this: the Constitution does not give Congress the right to use the people’s money for charity. Here are portions of the farmer’s response,

    “It is not the amount, Colonel, that I complain of; it is the principle. In the first place, the government ought to have in the Treasury no more than enough for its legitimate purposes. But that has nothing with the question. The power of collecting and disbursing money at pleasure is the most dangerous power that can be entrusted to man, particularly under our system of collecting revenue by a tariff, which reaches every man in the country, no matter how poor he may be, and the poorer he is the more he pays in proportion to his means….”

    “…If you had the right to give anything, the amount was simply a matter of discretion with you, and you had as much right to give $20,000,000 as $20,000. If you have the right to give at all; and as the Constitution neither defines charity nor stipulates the amount, you are at liberty to give to any and everything which you may believe, or profess to believe, is a charity and to any amount you may think proper. You will very easily perceive what a wide door this would open for fraud and corruption and favoritism, on the one hand, and for robbing the people on the other. ‘No, Colonel, Congress has no right to give charity….’”

    “‘…So you see, Colonel, you have violated the Constitution in what I consider a vital point. It is a precedent fraught with danger to the country, for when Congress once begins to stretch its power beyond the limits of the Constitution, there is no limit to it, and no security for the people [emphasis mine]. I have no doubt you acted honestly, but that does not make it any better, except as far as you are personally concerned, and you see that I cannot vote for you.’”

    Davy Crockett humbly received this farmer’s correction, and learned that this farmer was none other than Horatio Bunce, a man well-known for his great intelligence, kindness and benevolence. He told Davy that he would vote for him, on the condition that he would acknowledge his error before the people. Horatio organized a barbeque for him, and Davy delivered what he says was his best speech ever, and gives credit to Horatio in his story. Horatio endorsed Davy Crockett to the people, and Davy writes,

    “there went up from that crowd such a shout for Davy Crockett as his name never called forth before. I am not much given to tears, but I was taken with a choking then and felt some big drops rolling down my cheeks. And I tell you now that the remembrance of those few words spoken by such a man, and the honest, hearty shout they produced, is worth more to me than all the honors I have received and all the reputation I have ever made, or ever shall make, as a member of Congress.”

    As Davy tells this story in its entirety, he opens with a situation in Congress, where a bill was taken up appropriating money for the benefit of a widow of a distinguished naval officer. The bill had already been supported heartily in Congress and moving speeches made. Davy Crockett then opposes this bill, and is successful in shooting it down. Here is a quote from his address:

    “We have the right as individuals, to give away as much of our own money as we please in charity; but as members of Congress we have no right to appropriate a dollar of the public money.“

    The story of his encounter with Horatio is in response to an inquiry of a friend as to why he had opposed the bill. The whole story is definitely worth reading. This particular link is found at Love to Learn and is part of a lesson plan for children, replete with vocabulary, geography & comprehension questions for homeschoolers.

    I’m sure it’s obvious why I think of Ron Paul when I read this! Ron Paul seems to be the only one on capitol hill right now who recognizes that the American people are being robbed to finance a myriad of unauthorized things. Consider the following:

    “Foreign aid is a system by which the American taxpayers are forced, in the name of national security or defense of the “free world,” or charity, or whatever the politicians tell us, to subsidize US export companies and prop up client states that are often ruled by dictators.

    Constitutionally, of course, none of this spending is authorized. The US Constitution was written under what is referred to as “positive grant.” In short, what this means is that the federal government is authorized to engage in only those activities specifically authorized by the Constitution. Positive = authorized activities. Grant = specifically listed.

    Just to make sure this principle was legally codified, the Tenth Amendment was included:

    “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.”

    There is no authorization to pay for spying in Mexico. There is no authorization to prop up dictators in places like Pakistan with your money. There is no authorization to spend your money on “military assistance” for other countries. There is no authorization to funnel money through the CIA to support regime changes. The Constitution was written in plain English – there is nothing there which authorizes the federal government to take your money and give it to foreign governments. For any reason.”


    If we desire to reign in the government that we have allowed to run amok, then we have the responsibility as Americans to educate our children about the Constitution, and vote for Ron Paul and others who advocate limited government and walk with integrity in regard to our Constitution. In closing, here is a quote from The Wall Street Journal:

    “Ron Paul has a record of philosophical consistency unmatched in recent congressional history. He seeks to limit government at practically every turn. His refusal to compromise is legendary.“

    Posted in Book Reviews, Family Journal | 1 Comment

    Banana-Kefir Smoothie

    Posted on June 19, 2007 by Dani

    My son David is particularly fond of this recipe; in fact he helped to develop it himself. I am absolutely thrilled that he loves it, for he tends to be one of my more picky eaters, and I feel good knowing that he is partaking of something as wonderful as kefir. Kefir is a cultured beverage, which (like yogurt) is extremely probiotic in nature. Here is an excellent website which gives everything you want to know about kefir (and everything you didn’t want to know :-) ). Dom’s Kefir Site is very fun to read because it is written in such an engaging style.

    We were blessed when the wise and gracious Robyn (Mama of 7), from whom we buy goat’s milk, gave us some kefir grains (and sold us a $6 strainer), and we have been having these smoothies every other day since then. It is so easy! We just pour fresh milk over the strainer, which contains the kefir grains, and then set it in our pantry for a few days until it is of the right consistency (kind of lumpy). When we use it up, we transfer the kefir strainer to a new jar, pour fresh milk over it and then begin the process anew.
    So, without further ado, here is this easy recipe:

    Combine the following in a blender, chill (if you can wait) & enjoy! My son will often add color to the smoothies, so it will sometimes be rather vivacious looking :-) .
    1 quart kefir

    1 quart milk

    1/4 cup raw honey

    2 bananas

    1/4 tsp. vanilla

    5-6 strawberries (optional)

    Posted in Family Journal, Health, Recipes | 1 Comment

    Ron Paul – America’s Hero!

    Posted on June 14, 2007 by Dani

    In the spirit of Davey Crockett, Ron Paul voted against awarding a Congressional Gold Medal to Ronald and Nancy Reagan, though he was one of only 4 congressmen to support Ronald Reagan. Here are his supporting statements:

    Dr. PAUL: Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to H.R. 3591. At the same time, I am very supportive of President Reagan’s publicly stated view of limiting the federal government to it’s proper and constitutional role. In fact, I was one of only four sitting members of the United States House of Representatives who endorsed Ronald Reagan’s candidacy for President in 1976. The United States enjoyed sustained economic prosperity and employment growth during Ronald Reagan’s presidency.

    I must, however, oppose the Gold Medal for Ronald and Nancy Reagan because appropriating $30,000 of taxpayer money is neither constitutional nor, in the spirit of Ronald Reagan’s notion of the proper, limited role for the federal government.

    Because of my continuing and uncompromising opposition to appropriations not authorized within the enumerated powers of the Constitution, I would maintain my resolve and commitment to the Constitution–a Constitution, which only last year, each Member of Congress, swore to uphold. In each of these instances, I offered to do a little more than uphold my constitutional oath.

    In fact, as a means of demonstrating my personal regard and enthusiasm for Ronald Reagan’s advocacy for limited government, I invited each of these colleagues to match my private, personal contribution of $100 which, if accepted by the 435 Members of the House of Representatives, would more than satisfy the $30,000 necessary to mint and award a gold medal to Ronald and Nancy Reagan. To me, it seemed a particularly good opportunity to demonstrate one’s genuine convictions by spending one’s own money rather that of the taxpayers who remain free to contribute, at their own discretion, to commemorate the work of the Reagans. For the record, not a single Representative who solicited my support for spending taxpayer’s money, was willing to contribute their own money to demonstrate their generosity and allegiance to the Reagan’s stated convictions.

    It is, of course, very easy to be generous with the people’s money.

      If you are interested in reading the whole story, here is the link. I will be writing soon to summarize my reference above to Davey Crockett – a fascinating story!

    Posted in Family Journal | Leave a comment