5 Ways to Spice Up Your Thanksgiving!

In this day of hectic schedules and electronic distractions, it becomes more and more important to make the extra effort to put a little – or a lot! – zip to marriage.  Whether we’ve been married for twenty eight days or twenty-eight years (as I have!!) these tips can be a help to us as we try to make this Thanksgiving time even more special.

I heard a preacher the other day mention that Thankfulness is really “Thinkfulness,” taking a bit of time to think about the blessings I’ve received, and also to be thankful for who has benefitted my life.  If we really think about it, everything we have and everything we are comes from someone else.  As Lincoln once said, “All that I am, or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother.”

So today, let’s take some time to think about the most important relationship we have in this world: our marriage.  Here’s an acrostic with five thoughts on giving your marriage a lift this holiday season:

Take time to greet each other with a smile every morning!

                This may sound stupid, but I just started to do this recently.  Every morning I get up earlier than everyone else, so my mind is already on step 5 by the time they all open their eyes.  I often have some big theory, plan, idea, or question working around in my head by the time I first see my husband in the morning.  And sometimes, there’s some irritating thing that has happened.  To greet him with a smile takes an effort, especially if there are pressing matters, but it has made our mornings and whole days much more smooth!

Hug every day!

                Perhaps this goes without saying, but a hug every day is a must!  It keeps the embers glowing.

Inquire how the other is doing!

                Again, this is a no-brainer, but those of us who are married beyond recongnition often forget the most simple – and most important – of things.  Communication is the backbone of marriage, and a simple, “So how did you sleep last night?” can help someone get over the morning grumpies.  Perhaps it’s just a question asked sincerely, “How was your day?”  Little things that show we care are often the best things.

Nothing replaces physical intimacy!

                The hugs, the talks, the questions are all good and have their place, but nothing replaces physical intimacy.  God made you one flesh, and it’s important to keep the embers going and let it flare up…often!

Know that God supports our efforts!

                God is behind marriage!  It was His design for couples to be married – happily.  So understand that, with  every effort you put into strengthening your marriage, God puts more.  It is up to us to do the natural, and He does the supernatural.  Many times, however, we are too lazy or selfish to do the natural part, and so nothing gets done.  “We are laborers together with God” 1 Corinthians 3:9

It’s been said that “Divine Grace works on the lines of human effort.”  It’s not enough just to trust God to work, our own human effort must make an investment.

So let’s put some "Thinkfulness" into our Thanksgiving season this year, and enjoy some of the spice!

Orange Dreams

What a cute little place!

The other day, a dear fellow took us out to lunch at this cute little place in the fruit growing region of The Orange Works is a converted orange packing place amidst acres and acres of orange groves.  It's a really beautiful restaurant that is only open from 11am to 4pm - just a lunch place - with a very sparse  but delicious sandwich menu.  Most of us ordered the tri-tip sandwich, a slow-roasted marinated beef on a monster bun!  The specialty garlic sauce brought out the flavor of the meat, and the meal came with a bag of chips, a soda, and their daily special flavor ice cream.  That day just happened to be orange or lemon ice cream, so I chose the orange.  It was just like an orange dreamsicle, with a little bit of pulp!  Yum!

Now I'm hungry again!

May your blessings outweigh your burdens, and your burdens be rolled onto Jesus, dear ones!

When You Are Tired...

This is the way I feel sometimes!

"Never give in--never, never, never, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy."

-Sir Winston Churchill

Rest when you need to, but never lose your vigilance on the home front.  Keep rolling on for Jesus, dear ones!

The Human Icicle

This is nothin' compared to how I felt this morning!!

Just in case you think life on the road is all peaches ‘n cream, allow me to lay that myth to rest.  One way in which living in a converted bus is different than living in a home is plainly obvious in the shower.

To start with, all of our plumbing is under the floor of the bus, and that means it is neither heated nor cooled.  It is merely outdoor temperature.  Our water heater can only heat the shower water so many degrees warmer than the water going into it.  So, that makes the shower frustratingly hot in the summer, and cold in the winter. 

Today, another dynamic was added: having to greatly conserve water because we’re running on the tank.  Now, our onboard tank hold 100 gallons of water, which gets us through a whole day’s worth of showers for 6 people plus one load of laundry.  That’s not bad.  And that usually works fine until we get to our destination where we can hook up to a water source…unless something happens and we don’t make it to our destination, like last night.

Everything was going fine until my husband, Iron Stomach Raub, got sick…terribly sick.  The odd thing is, in all the years I’ve known him (which is about thirty-three!) he’s NEVER gotten sick like that.  He’s gotten sick in other ways, but not stomach sick.  Unfortunately, he’s the only driver of this mess, and so we didn’t make it to our destination.  Instead, we spent the night in a Walmart parking lot.

That means that the water which was slated to last for a day has to last for an undetermined amount of time.

But, back to the shower.

This morning, I had to take a shower that used about 1 to 2 gallons of water. 

But to complicate matters, it was cold last night, about 31 degrees.  And our shower room has no heat.

I estimate my water temperature to be about 50-60 degrees, and the shower room air temperature to be about the same, but the floor of the shower room was about 40 degrees.  Add to that, the fact the condensation builds up inside the rooftop vent (35 degrees) and drips down on my back (no longer 98.6 degrees) because there’s only 2 feet worth of space in the shower room.  Yikes!

I think I was an icicle when I got out.  

But I succeeded in only using my allotted amount of water!

Hopefully, My Beloved will be better soon…(like, in the next few hours??) and we can roll along.

Watch out for those low sinks!

We passed a few very strange creatures in a field!  I think they're baby llamas!!

It was an uneventful Sunday here in Oregon, where we need to extend our time while my husband has  some very important dental work done.  On our way to church this morning, we enjoyed the beautiful changing leaves and crisp fall weather.  There were also some odd sights that made us smile, like baby llamas!

This buddy keeps those baby llamas in line...

Of course, we know who's REALLY in charge!

We were enthusiastically greeted by church folks as soon as we entered the door!  It was quite a blessing and an encouragement to all of us.  There was such a positive air in the church, and excitement about the things of God.  It was apparent by the signs that were plastered all over the walls:

At church, we were greeted by a sign that has the greatest message about the greatest Pewrson!

It's wonderful to know that we serve a God that can do ANYTHING!   Just like the angel Gabriel said to Mary, "For nothing is impossible with God."  Mary's response is mine, "Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy will."

Here's a strange thing we often see on the west coast: unisex bathrooms!

After church, we stopped at a burger joint to feed the hungry masses.  While I was there, I noticed the unisex restroom (yikes!).  I don't know about those low sinks with the really strong smelling soap!

Keep rolling on for Jesus, dear ones!

Created For a Purpose

God never made us to fit in, He made us to STAND OUT!

Keep rolling on for Jesus!

Jonathan & Brooke!

I doubt anyone out there doesn't know by now, but just in case there's someone who's been in a remote corner of the world and hasn't seen a computer in awhile, here are some pictures of my son, Jonathan, and his fiance, Brooke!!

I was going to put up just one picture, but I liked all these so well that I had to put all of them on.

We are thrilled for them, and thankful to the Lord for His working in their lives.

Interestingly enough, I've been praying specifically for (and writing to) Brooke for years, long before they began courting.  I look back now and see God's handiwork and am amazed at His wonderful workings.  

The wedding date is set for December 10!  Lord willing, it will be a tremendous time to have all my family together again for the first time in years!!

Their plan is to settle in Mississippi for awhile, and then Jon will be, Lord Willing, continuing to prepare for ministry as a missionary bush pilot.   Please pray for Jon & Brooke as they prepare for their new life together!

What's an Educated Woman to Do?

What's an educated woman to do?

I've been reading a very interesting book by Charlotte Mason, an educator from the 1800s.  Charlotte was actually the original home education proponent, turning the hearts of the parents to the children, and encouraging parents, especially mothers, to use their talents to educate their children at home.  Her writings are refreshing, insightful, and encouraging.  I've been tremendously challenged and blessed by what I've read so far.


Here's an interesting quote I read earlier:

We are waking up to our duties and in proportion as mothers become more highly educated and efficient, they will doubtless feel the more strongly that the education of their children during the first six years of life is an undertaking hardly to be entrusted to any hands but their own.  And they will take it up as their profession - that is, with the diligence, regularity, and punctuality which men bestow on their professional labours.

Looking back now on all that's transpired in the past one hundred and ten years or so, we see that Mason was perhaps a little idealistic, ready to believe in all that is good in people.  Really, we can't fault her, but it's sad to see that just the opposite has happened - mothers have become more highly educated and efficient and instead of benefiting their families with their talents, they have taken them and given their best energies for the purse, or the pocketbook, or the self-esteem.


What's an educated woman to do?  Give of her best to her Master, and give her very best years, talents, and labors to her family.  What better reward can there be for her labors than that her children would rise up and call her blessed?  

Invest in her children!

Life in a Nutshell

Skies are blue, and road is gray,
God is worthy
Every day!

God's Will - Nothing more.

          God's Will - Nothing less.

                   God's Will - Nothing else!

Keep Rolling on, dear ones!

Ready to Run?

ANNOUNCING....(drumroll, please)

The Family Fun and Fitness 5K!  

This fall, we've scheduled it for October 15, 2011.  Everyone who's anyone is invited to participate, right in your own neighborhood.  Our desire is to get families to start doing some sort of exercise together, with the goal of walking/running a 5K together.

Our family did this last year, in May, and I had purchased exercise shirts for all.  It was a great way to motivate young people to get out and try to get fit.

This year, we're doing it again!  Some will walk, while most will run, and some will do both, but we'll all have some fun.

Why don't you join us?

Googling "how to train for my first 5K" will get you started.  Put your comments here to let us know you will be participating, and we'll all moan, groan, and laugh together!

But God Meant it For Good

One of the girls had just washed the bus before this picture, hence the puddle and cleaner.

We should have known we were in for it right from the beginning.

When we tried to pull out of the pastor’s yard with our 38,000 pound bus, the huge rear tires dug huge pits into the mud, and the bus sank deeper and deeper into the holes.

We were stuck.

No problem, we thought.  We’ll get a tractor to pull us out.  It wasn’t until 5:30 that the tractor showed up, but thankfully the fella had no trouble at all getting us out, and soon we were on the road again. 

We drove for several uneventful hours through Nebraska , finally stopping at a Walmart.  My husband and I got out and instantly heard a piercing sssssssssss coming from the drive axles.  It was a huge air leak in our brakes and suspension system.  A quick glance at the bus told us that the vehicle was listing terribly to the right.

 

My husband decided that he could see the situation better by day, so we boondocked in the parking lot for the night, running our generator for power and relying on the 100 gallon water tank, which was probably only 50 gallons by now.

It’s times like these that I go to bed feeling so spoiled, since even a breakdown in the bus, unless it’s the generator, hardly makes a difference in my life processes.

So this morning, my husband declared that the bus could not be driven to our next destination, that we were going to need to have someone fix it.  Now, normally he does his own mechanic-ing, but the space he needed to get into was too small, and the bus needed to be put up on some sort of lift.  That’s not something we carry around with us.

Amazingly, the Lord directed my husband to call someone from his database that lives in this city to ask for a mechanic, and we were put in touch with the pastor of a church here.  I was doing my usual tasks when, before I knew it, My Beloved told me that the Lord had worked out a solution to our problem, and we were able to limp the bus over to a shop where it would be fixed.  Praise the Lord!

And if that wasn’t enough, the church very kindly put us up in a motel during the repair.  And if THAT wasn’t enough, the pastor asked us to sing, and gave my husband the opportunity to present our ministry and preach!! 

As we entered the church, My Beloved introduced us and told someone, “we’re really not supposed to be here.”

The lady replied, “Oh yes, you are!”  God knows why and how to direct His people. 

I’m just so glad to be in His service, so that then my troubles can be put to good use!

The devil meant it for evil, but God meant it for good.  Praise His Name!

Day 3 At Kathy's!

This was my third day at Kathy's, Monday.  It was a busy day, but I think my most favorite time was the time I "had" to keep an eye on the baby for awhile.  I and my camera had a lot of fun!

I started out this morning with a 2 1/2 mile run past the cemetery, then down a new path to the right, rather than to the left.  I was very disappointed that I didn't hear my favorite bird this time, the one with the piercing call, but I heard another bird caw-ing very loudly.  Can you guess what it was?

I decided that the path I've been running on is probably actually a motocross or 4-wheeler path, based on the way it was made.  This particular leg of the journey was built with medium sized rocks at the bottom, smaller rocks poured in between, a generous layer of dirt, and some drainage pipes.  Any rock which was outstanding (get it??) had a coating of bright orange paint, so no one would kill themselves on it.  And in some places, there were markings similar to a paved road: an orange stripe down the middle and two white stripes on either side.

Anyway, I got a little further back than I intended, so my 23 minute run turned into a 33 minute run.  Not bad, though, since the weather was nicely cool.  

By the time I got to Kathy's after my shower with my wet hair, hot tea, and sausage on a small plate, the kids were eating their breakfast.  Would you believe I actually found people who eat slower than me??  I know it's really hard to believe, but it's true nonetheless.  I showed up after they started, and they were still stirring their soggy cereal around when I was done.  

After breakfast, I hit the dishes again, making a further dent in the pile.  I also put on some laundry, folded, and put away some clothes, too.  If I keep folding and putting away 2 loads for every one load I put on, and if I put on about 4 loads a day, I can catch up by tomorrow afternoon.  *whew*

Today is Kathy's errand day, so we loaded up all the humans and went to McD's, but not before Emmy reached over, got ahold of a tear in Matthew's pants, and widened it way beyond belief.  Needless to say, we had to stop by Goodwill and pick up another pair of pants for him, so he wouldn't be a prince dressed in rags!

Anyway, we went to McD's, ate, and Kathy & I set up Command Central while the kids played in the play place.  We both had our Kindles & computers, and when one program was coming up, we used the Kindle; while the Kindle was downloading stuff, we used the computers.  Busy, busy!  Lots of fun talking about different books, like the one she got, The Man Who Knew Too Much, and the one I got, Holy Bible KJV optimized for Kindle.  I was so thrilled that it actually goes to chapter and verse if I want it to, rather than searching by some obscure location number.

After our electronics session, she dropped me off to get my hair done, while she fed the baby and went to Walmart.  At the Cost Cutters, I had an eyebrow waxing (she did an ok job, but there are strays I'll need to get when I get home) and a cut.  She did a very thorough job...perhaps a bit too thorough.  At least I know it will grow out.  ;)

I walked to Walmart and got some birthday presents for Emmy, came home, did more dishes and laundry, and started preparing dinner.  The kids and I went out to the garden, and I picked beans while they trampled them.  It was quite harrowing for some of the plants.  I didn't stay long, just long enough to get the beans we needed for dinner, then we went back up and I fried chicken breasts, and cooked green beans while Kathy made some noodles disguised as rice.  It was really good, though.

My evening was spent doing more dishes and more laundry, and I took the kids out to the playground and pushed them on swings (they were jets taking off from aircraft carriers, etc.).  I chased them around for awhile, and ended up in the sandbox with them.  Lots of fun!

I was also able to spend some time holding Luke while he was awake.  He has no control over his eyes yet, so when he accidentally finds my face, he looks at me like I came from some other galaxy and then looks away.  Really cute, though.

Then I helped the kids put all the toys away, did more laundry, and kissed them all good night.  All of which brings me to now.  *whew*  I'm about ready for bed!

Kathy keeps saying over and over how much she appreciates all the help, and having me here.  I can see that having three small children is quite a daunting prospect, and I'm sure it's a relief to have an extra hand around for a few days.  It's been my pleasure to help her out.  I can't help but think of all the many times she helped me after I had each of my own babies.

An Unusual Way to Spark Romance

It was the end of a very busy and stressful day…or was it?

I looked around at the mess I called home, and wished to just crawl under the covers and sleep for about two weeks. School has been especially difficult lately, and it seemed like the bus would never get clean, no matter how many times I went through and picked up stuff. Now all the children were in bed, and there was still a pile of dishes in the sink.

And I mean, a pile. I have no idea why there were so many, but there were. And I needed to do them before I could go to bed and take a coma.

I looked around and sighed, knowing I was in for a late night. And knowing I also had a lot of other work to do, as well.

I turned away from the sink to work on the floor, drudgery dogging my steps. Some days are just bone-wearying, and this was one of them.

After a bit, I heard water running in the sink, and turned to see My Beloved washing the dishes in the soapy water and stacking them in the drainer. Within minutes, he reduced the pile to zero! I rubbed his shoulder and looked into his eyes, smiling gratefully. "Thank you so much for your help! You just saved my life!" I quipped.

He smiled down at me and laid his hand on my shoulder. "How would you like me to see if I can get you a dishwasher?" he suggested.

My eyes grew round with wonder, and my mouth dropped open. A dishwasher…in a motorhome?? Whoever heard of such a thing? But my husband is always thinking outside the box, and he just might do it.

"Oh, honey, if you did that, I would jump into your arms!!" I exclaimed. He smiled broadly and replied, "Well, we'll see if we can do it."

That was a few weeks ago. And tonight, with much sweat, pounding, and grunting, he installed a small apartment-sized dishwasher in our motorhome!!!


And do you know what I did?

I jumped right into his arms!!

After some intense kissing, he said he thought he would like to install another one tomorrow…. ;)


 

 

A Good Sunday...

It is now nine days til our departure, and I have a ton of things to do. Most importantly, I need to send my grandson his birthday present! He will be three on the 17th, and I want to make sure he gets something from Nana and Papa.

We had a good day full of meetings. My Beloved taught Sunday School, preached the morning and evening services, and we were able to sing for both. I am always delighted to sing together as a family. It is one of my favorite things to do.

I have lots of work to prepare for the trip. Most importantly, however, there are folks we need to spend some time with before we leave, so this week is full of work during the day, and visiting in the evenings.

Just in Case You Were Wondering...

I’m always thankful for the opportunity to write something. Actually, I have several “somethings” I’m working on writing right now! I am currently involved in about four writing projects, not to mention this blog. I enjoy every bit of it, but lately, I’ve been more needed with the family than anything.

So, I wanted to let you know why I’ve not written much (on the blog!) lately, it’s not that I’m not writing. On the contrary, I have several projects that are getting some attention. But mostly, I feel a great need to concentrate on family situations, since I see I am needed. Please pray that I can be everything God wants me to, and that I can be a blessing to my husband, children, and others.

A New Lesson, Twenty-Five Years Later

We’ve had a great time lately, enjoying visiting with family while having some meetings in the Central PA area. It’s been fairly uneventful (no fires, breakdowns, etc.) so I actually feel a little bored… Kenya imagine?? I’ve been able to read a bit, throw ball with the kids, sit around, etc. What a blessing!

I read something fairly interesting the other day that I will pass along to you. Actually, it’s a compilation of about three different, unrelated things, but they are very related, if you know what I mean.

One thing I found in Grammy’s basement was the textbook Understanding People, for a course I had completely forgotten about. (I know it is mine, because my writing is in the margin of the book! Other than that, it’s all new material to meJ.)

Reading a book about the spiritual, physical, and mental development of children that I had studied before having children takes on a whole new meaning after having raised half my family. I have three and a half children grown (Sharon is fourteen; doesn’t that count as half??), and three more yet very impressionable kiddos.

Everything I read in that book is very true and helpful, but one thing stood out to me as a very important reminder:

Speaking of the early teen years, the authors wrote:

“He needs a special kind of adult with whom he can relate. The adults close to him must be loving, patient, and understanding. Those who work with young teen must use this unique opportunity to disciple them for Christ. Parents or teachers can do this if they:
Keep open the channels of communication
Multiply the teens’ interests
Guide by counsel and give direction
Provide companionship”

It is so easy to get busy in the entanglements of life and miss some of the greatest opportunities in existence. Every electronic gadget has its allure which will easily lull us to lethargy, lest we hear our own childrens’ seemingly incessant bids for our attention. We miss the forest for the trees.

H. Clay Trumbull, in Hints on Child Training, says this:

“There is little danger that any parent will give too much study to the question of his child’s specific needs, or have too many helps to a wise conclusion on that point. There is a great danger that the whole subject will be neglected or undervalued by a parent.” (emphasis mine)

Have we become so “wired” that our focus is on gadgets than on people? Have we become so internet savvy that we value internet relationships more than those in our own home, than those who have come from our own bodies?? We Facebook, we Twitter, and a myriad of other internet-based activities (we blog!), but are we neglecting a primary purpose for our lives, that of raising godly children?

I speak of myself, as well. How easy it is to turn to a screen than to read a book to a child! Or to IM someone than to play a board game! Time is passing through my fingers, days are flashing by, and children are growing up, and I sit mesmerized by the screen. Lord, help us!

If there is any hope in this world of having a Jeremiah, or an Elijah come from our ranks, it must start with me!

I remember reading about committing my life to God and my family. That was twenty-five years ago. It was also today.