Silence!

This is a great - and convicting - blog post!

Please, what?

Poor Matthew! He's been known recently to plead "Please", yet not saying what he is asking please for. So, I respond commonly with "Please, what? What are you asking 'please' for? You have not comminicated effectively."

After a few more passionate pleas, he finally tells me what he is wanting.

Well, the past few days, when asking for what he wants, he finishes with, "please, what?"

It took me a few times to figure out that that is what he was actually saying. Too funny!! This little boy cracks us up every day with something!

Lent continues

I've completed my first week of Lent. My sacrifice to our Lord is no sweets - no cookies, no ice cream, no doughnuts, etc......... Only once did I eat a doughnut. That - truthfully - was out of desire to not offend our dear friends who own the town's doughnut shop(Dahni and Kaohng). It is a mixed blessing to be friends with doughnut shop owners ;o). They are a sweet couple from Cambodia to whom we've been trying to befriend. And, as with the Asian culture - they are very giving! Matthew and I stopped in there Tuesday morning and I ordered a little pig in blanket - thinking that if I had gotten something, she wouldn't give me or Matthew a ton of doughnut holes with his doughnut. I was wrong - Dahni plopped a big ole fruit fritter in my basket.
So, I've decided that if Dahni gives me a doughnut, I will graciously accept it, otherwise everything else is the same. I do realize that it is the heart motivation that matters the most, not the scorecard at the end of the day. I'm normally there only one day a week at the most, anyway.
I do count it as a victory in the sense that, I tend to be all or nothing. So, I was tempted to just eat sweets later in the day with the "I've-already-blown-it-so-let's-just-chalk-up-the-whole-day-as-a-loss" thinking. Praise God that I did not succomb to that thinking!!

Nutrasweet, no more

If anyone cares about the concerns over Nutrasweet/Aspartame, I found this interesting. Decide for yourself.........sounds like the name will be chaging to AminoSweet.

Zoo day

We took advantage of warmer temps - and our family membership - yesterday and went to the Little Rock Zoo. Matthew was really looking forward to it this time.


I, of course, as I do on every zoo trip, make a comment on how sorry I feel for the animals. Then I have to remind myself that membership funds help out animals in other countries and these animals probably have a longer life in the zoo than out in their natural habitat(but is it a better life?). Anyway, I always have to do these mental gymnastics.

Matthew's favorite part, as you can see, was picking up the dead leaves and sticks and putting them on the bench.

Who needs a dog.....

..........when you've got a Mackey?

Lent

Tomorrow begins the season of Lent. Never before have I observed this practice, but this year I've decided that it would be a good thing to do. I don't mention this lightly, to show off, or throwing out a challenge. I share this - more than anything - because I believe that getting it "out there" will probably help keep me more accountable to persevere. It should be more than enough to know that I am making this committment before God, but I am not that strong. I can so easily rationalize anything that I desire.
With that said, I am committing to not eating sweets(cookies, doughnuts, cakes, chocolate, etc...)through the season of Lent. My prayer, as with any fast, is that it will draw me closer to our Lord - Who sacrificed more than I will ever comprehend, in order to give us sinful creatures, the opportunity to enjoy a relationship with our Creator. I know that it will not be out of my own strength to accomplish this!

little King Cakes

Mardi Gras is Tuesday. It seems to be a popular thing down here. You can find King Cakes in about every store. I decided to put a little twist on the idea. Not that I could have made a King Cake - I have quite a fear of making anything involving yeast - these are just sugar cookies with appropriately colored frosting. If you scroll down the link page, you can find the history of the cake.

Bathtime art

One of the things Matthew likes to do these days is "paint" in the bathtub. I buy that cheap shaving lotion(Barbasol) and spray some on the wall. He has a sponge paintbrush and he "paints" with the brush or does finger painting. It took him a few tries before he started enjoying it - but he asks for his "paint" now.