The Daily Castle

We have moved!

2006-12-05T12:29:00.000-05:00

The Daily Castle has moved over to Wordpress thanks to a nudge from our friend Brian. It is way cooler than Blogger. And easier to use for those of us that don't know codes and stuff like that. (And obviosly good grammar either.)

Go to www.dailycastle.com and you're there.

Don't forget to change your links.

A little Foggy

2006-11-29T21:09:00.000-05:00

I think some of the teens have been over our house a litlle too much lately. Tonight I couldn't remember if I had a discussion about fog with Larry or Dave (one of the teen boys).

Scary. Both that I was discussing fog and couldn't remember who it was with.

Shopping

2006-11-28T08:33:00.000-05:00

As the Holidays are gearing up things are settling down around the Daily Castle. The Christmas decorations are up and the presents are mostly bought.

Larry and I went shopping the day after Thanksgiving. My parents kept the girls so we could get up early and hit the stores. Of course we are not morning people so early for us was 7:00. Next year I'm going to try to talk him into that Midnight shopping at Birch Run. That is more my style. Or we could go to Meijer at 3:00 am and just shop until 5 am then check out.

I never said I wasn't crazy.

We scored some great deals and parking places, I might add. Larry wanted to go because a lot of techno geeky stuff was really cheap. A Blue tooth headset for $10! I think he thought that would be a great gift for me. Hah! I guess nerds get up early because all that stuff was gone.

We walked into Target and walked out. The line wrapped around the entire store and weaved in between aisles. Crazy!

Meijer was the best. They price match exact items. They had great sales and we walked right through to the self check out and didn't have to wait in a line.

We got presents for all the cousins and a couple for our kids and we were home by 10. Yeah!

Let the Wrapping begin!

Zune

2006-11-26T17:51:00.000-05:00

Joke of the Day

2006-11-21T09:09:00.000-05:00

Claire and I were watching Jeopardy! together the other night and an answer came up about Lincoln dying in a theater.

Claire: Abraham Lincoln died in a theater?

Me: Yes. He was shot.

Claire: Oh. I thought maybe he choked on popcorn....or Raisinets.

Beauty

2006-11-10T10:29:00.000-05:00

But seriously. check out those eyebrows. Maybe Christina can help her out with those when she is a little older.

(the make-up is from halloween)

And We're Back

2006-11-10T10:08:00.000-05:00

The Apple people came through in the end . The computer was fixed in only 3 days instead of the 7-10. I picked it up last night and they even offered to carry it to the car for me right then . No waiting. But I wasn't takng any chances and lugged the thing out to the van myself.

My faith has been restored. All is well.

Apple Update

2006-11-06T16:26:00.000-05:00

An update on the computer situation. I checked online Saturday night and my computer was ready to be picked up. Of course, the Apple people did not call me and tell me to pick it up. I had to figure that out on my own. It was 7:30. I had time for a quick 40 minute trip to the mall. I was desperate. I wanted my computer back.

I got to the store around 8:15. The Mac "Genius" got my computer for me and I was all set. They will even carry it out to the curb for you because that 20 inch screen is heavy. Cool. The guy said he would be there in 5 minutes.

Now maybe if I was blond and beautiful it would have been 5 minutes. 15 minutes later I am still sitting at the curb. Finally, at 8:55 I think to myself. This guy is not coming. So I go back into the store and it is completely empty except for the black-shirted hip looking workers. They all look at me like why are you coming in here at 8:58.

I look at the Mac Genius, who isn't that smart after all. I told him I still haven't got my computer yet. Oh. Oops. We were really swamped.

Whatever.

So I get home with the newly fixed Apple with the new motherboard and power supply and plug it in. It works great.

For 30 minutes.

Then the screen goes black and the fan kicks on high gear.

So today I took The Geek with me to get some real service. He is blonde and thin. And he speaks their language.

Bottom line. 7-10 days. No computer.

Halloween Pics

2006-11-02T17:27:00.000-05:00

We had a great time Trick or Treating with a few friends. I say this sarcastically because I hate to leave anyone out. So when we have a party it can get a little out of hand. So 30 of our closest friends came over for a trick or treating party. Otherwise know as "mob looting". Imagine 16 kids running up to your house yelling trick or treat (or in some cases I want candy!). Scary.

The adults were the scariest. We dressed as people from the 80's. Peg legged jeans, polo shirts with collars up and lots of gel and Aquanet. For you youngsters that were not around then or too little to remember, rent The Breakfast Club. That should pretty much cover all the fashion basics of the 80's.

Gag me with a spoon.

Claire as a Astronaut or Escaped convict. It was hard to tell in the dark.

The three little goblins.

Emma as a 50's girl.

Pirate of the suburbs.

More scary pictures at the link LarryandJulie.com.

The Only Susy

2006-11-02T17:18:00.000-05:00

Susannah is definitely one of a kind.

HowManyOfMe.com

There is:
1
person with my name
in the U.S.A.

How many have your name?

The Agony

2006-10-31T15:38:00.000-05:00

Bad news. The iMac bit the dust. I know you non-mac users are laughing at us mac geeks now! Larry and I are just in total shock. We can't believe this is happening.

He immediately rushed home from working in Dearborn and took the baby to the Apple store. The diagnosis: Bad Motherboard and some other nonsense. This can't be right.

To make matters worse when I called tech support (and if you know me, that is huge for me to do) and the guy in India I talked to was no help at all. It must have been his first day on the job because I knew more about macs than he did. He kept saying hold on I'll go ask somebody that knows and would come back a few mintues later.

My faith in the Apple people has been shaken a little.

Three days without my computer. I had to steal Larry's to write this and check my email.

What will I do? Maybe I can get to the laundry or something.

How long can she ramble on?

2006-10-29T23:19:00.000-05:00

Busy. Busy. Busy.
Friday night we had a teen activity. It was mall Madness. We get people from the church to dress up in disguises and then walk around the mall and the teens break up in groups and try to find them. We do this activity every couple of years and this year's costumes were especially excellent. One man had longish hair and a full beard. He cut his hair short and shaved all but a "Brandon Inge" strip of hair on his chin. No one recognized him. The only bummer was that only three teens showed up. I guess the Tigers beat someone after all. After the mall, they all came over our house for delicious "bloody eyeball stew" and "baked bones" and "graveyard cake". (I can only image who I will get with google searches with those descriptions.) We usually have a trip to the graveyard for a little Ghost in the Graveyard or "scare the teens so they pee their pants", but it was raining so hard we skipped it. We watched Monster House instead, which is a hilarious movie, although demented. I don't recommend it for children under 13.
Saturday, Larry and some guys from church went to the U of M game in Ann Arbor. It rained just about the entire time and then the sun came out when the game was over. Larry, being a geek (a cool geek though) and not a jock, left the game and went and sat in the van after halftime. It wasn't a close game and it was freezing. He really went just to spend some time with the guys. Emma had her first birthday party invitation from her new school. It was a bowling Party. She seemed to have a good time. After I dropped her off, I took the other two girls shoe shopping. Payless had a BOGO sale so it worked out great. Because, as we all know, girls need a lot of shoes. After I picked Emma up from the bowling party, where she said she was the lowest scorer. So a two year old beat her. Whatever. We went home, had dinner and since it was raining the girls took about 35 pictures with my camera. Good thing it is digital. I always forget to check to see what is on the camera before I import the pictures. This time it was posing with books and still shots of their toys. I tried to post a few, but Blogger did not like me today. Maybe in the morning.
Sunday. Ahh. Daylight savings time. We get an extra hour of sleep. Not in my house. My children have little built in clocks that wake them up every morning. And if one of their clocks isn't working her sister will take care of that for her. I'm lucky that they stayed in bed until 6:59. I was surprised they were up because usually the only day those clocks don't work is Sunday when I have to drag their little keisters out of bed. After church, where I left early because some little kid dumped a cup of hot coffee on my lap, we had a baptism dinner. I helped in the back with the food and I think I sat down for about 10 minutes. We came home and of course the girls wanted to do something because we can't just relax and do nothing! So we carved our pumpkins. This was the first year Emma was allowed to carve hers by herself. She did a great job. I highly recommend those pumpkin carving kits with the plastic scooper and little knives. Get one after Halloween cheap and save it for the next year. The best part of the day was eating pizza all together and looking at the clock and seeing it 8:30 (wow! where did the time go?) So I sent the kids to bed. We couldn't figure out why Channel 7 wasn't playing Extreme Makeover home edition. It was supposed to be on 8. Until later, when I realized we hadn't changed the clock in the living room and I had sent the kids to bed at 7:30! I am SO doing that every night!
Like I said Busy! Busy! Busy!

I'm not a morning person

2006-10-25T11:57:00.000-04:00

Overheard this morning:

Larry singing How Great is our God at the top of his lungs.

Claire: Dad! Stop that awful racket!

Birthday Memories

2006-10-24T14:00:00.000-04:00

It was my oldest daughter's birthday the other day. She turned nine. Nine? I thought to myself. I remember my ninth birthday. It was a sleep over with my cousin, a friend from my new Christian school and old friend from down the street. I remember it being an awkward night of me trying to play with these three girls that had never met.

I remember my tenth birthday. I had a party after school with some of my friends. I got a Strawberry Shortcake comb and brush set. My mom still has it to this day.

I remember when I turned 12 and we went to Chuck E. Cheese's. I was terrified of the person dressed up in that costume and I hid under the tablefrom him. I made my friend, also named Julie, go to the front to get the birthday spanking from Chuck.

When I was 13, Mrs. Greene made a cake shaped like a telephone for me. It was so cool. It was pink just like the pink phone my parents gave me. We had a concert that night at school and we had to hurry.

I remember my sixteenth birthday party. It was a double party with my boyfriend at the time. Our birthdays were just 2 days apart. His mom gave me a necklace from Avon. I just recently sold it at a garage sale.

Some birthdays I just don't remember at all. What happened on my fourteenth birthday? I know my mom did something to make it special, but I can't remember what.

Maybe Emma will remember her ninth birthday . I wonder if she will remember the good parts or the bad. Will she remember the presents? The Cake? Or the fact that some family members didn't show up for the party? Will she remember shopping with Grandma and Papa? Or the fit she had in the morning and got in trouble for. Maybe she will remember Claire lost her tooth.

In 25 years she will be my age. I hope she can look back on her birthdays and remember not just the cake and the presents. But that she will remember, like I do, all the fun times and love that her family has for her.

Happy birthday, Emma.

The Frost is on the Apples

2006-10-20T16:45:00.000-04:00

Pictures from last week's apple orchard trip.

Susy and her teacher. She is very nice.
Notice the hats, coats, mittens and scarves.

Susy in the warm refrigerator. 45 degrees.

Susy and her little friend eating apples on the way home.

Fun

2006-10-16T19:47:00.000-04:00

Light

2006-10-15T22:54:00.000-04:00

No, we have not fallen off the edge of the world. We are still here. Busy as usual. You would think that once we put the kids in school we would have more time, but it seems as if life has sped up. Those 35 free hours a week go fast.

It seems that when I am quiet on the blog front I am usually thinking about a lot of things. Too many to write about. And I am not talented enough to put into words those thoughts. Who knew I was thinking at all?

So, some thoughts for the day.

We had an excellent lesson from God's Word today at Church. Pastor is preaching through the New Testament. He gives a word for the day and today's word was light. Christ is the Light and we are to be reflecting His light to others.

Perfect timing for me to hear this. I had just been on a field trip with Susy's class on Friday. And I was trying to be that light. The difference between Christian schools and homeschool and public schools is great. At a Christian school you have that common bond of Christ that brings you together. Homeschoolers basically get to pick who their kids hang out with. But public school is a whole 'nother game. Every kind of kid is there. Rich, poor, goofy, cute, clean, dirty, tired and hyper. There were 40 of these kids on the 40 minute bus ride to the apple orchard. (That's right. We were outside in the 30 degree weather picking apples. The refrigerator that holds all the apples felt warm.)

There were also about 10 parents and 2 teachers on the bus. Two of the parents just didn't show up that day. Wimps.

As I sat there on the bus inhaling fumes and taking in all the chaos, a sadness came over me. I thought about the parents across the aisle who were talking at each other about their kids. Neither of them was really listening to each other. I thought about the kids who were just wearing sweatshirts and were freezing cold. What were their moms and dads thinking? I thought about the little boy that fell asleep on the way home. He was tired to start the day. I wondered what time he went to bed.

And most importantly I thought about how many of them didn't know about the Hope that I have in Jesus. And how God can use me, who can barely put two words together when I first meet people, to be a light in their dark world.

Go light Your World By Chris Rice

There is a candle in every soul
Some brightly burning, some dark and cold
There is a spirit who brings a fire
Egnites a candle, and makes his home

Carry your candle
Run to the darkness
Seek out the helpless, confused and torn
And hold out your candle
For all to see it
Take your candle and go light your world
Take your candle and go light your world

Frustrated brother, see how he's tried to
Light his own candle some other way
See now your sister she's been robbed and lied to
Still holds a candle, without a flame

Carry your candle
Run to the darkness
Seek out the lonely, the tired and worn
And hold out your candle
For all to see it
Take your candle and go light your world
Take your candle and go light your world

Cuz we are a family
Whose hearts are blazing
So lets raise our candles and light up the sky
Prayin to our Father in the name of Jesus
Make us a beacon in darkest times

Carry your candle
Run to the darkness
Seek out the hopeless, deceived and
Hold out your candle
For all to see it
Take your candle and go light your world
Take your candle and go light your world

Hold our your candle
For all to see it
Take out your candle and go light your world
Take your candle and go light your world
Take your candle and go light your world

Get Your Own Blog

2006-10-04T23:29:00.000-04:00

All right. It is time for the Jewels to take the blog back over. We all know I married a geek and if you didn't believe me before now there is documented proof. What is with those videos, people? You know you were all thinking it. I'm just stating it out loud. You think he would have put a cute one of the girls up? Nooo. Sheep and crazy advertising talk and FLUFFY.

I love that man.

Fluffy: The Lost Footage

2006-10-04T10:35:00.000-04:00

I found this video on my PDA when I synced it today. I forgot that I even recorded it. I took it when we took Fluffy to the field and let her go. WARNING: this is not for the faint of heart - Roll'em!

FRDEEEEDOME!!!

2006-09-30T15:34:00.000-04:00

I Learned Something Cool Today!

2006-09-26T15:46:00.000-04:00

I figured out how to post a video to our blog. Very cool. This is a video I found that can help us sell Coffee News ads.

Sandwiches again?

2006-09-18T17:09:00.000-04:00

Calling all moms out there in Blogland with lunch bag experience. I may be creative, but it seems I'm not with lunches for the kiddies. After two weeks of sandwiches, usually PB and J, the girls are bored. They want something different. Any ideas out there?

school news

2006-09-13T17:03:00.000-04:00

We have made it through a complete week of school and I know many of my faithful readers (all 7 of you) are wondering "How did the Castle girls like school?"

Well, they loved it. Their favorite part is the bus ride. If only homeschoolers could all invest in yellow buses. Their children would be so happy. They also enjoy lunch and recess. Iguess they are normal kids after all.

Some observations on my part from the week.

1. I should invest in the Ziploc bag company. Three kids. Three bags a day. Five days a week. You do the math.
2. I made a cake and licked the beaters by myself. I forgot what cake batter tasted like. Mmm.
3. School makes children very hungry. Must. Have. Snack. NOW!
4. 35 hours a week is a lot of time for myself.
5. I miss my kids. Several times a day.

Here's a picture of the cake I made for Susannah's birthday.
And not one kid stuck their finger in the frosting while I was making it.

I kinda missed it.

Proof

2006-09-13T09:47:00.000-04:00

Thanks for your comments yesterday. Susy liked hearing them. She had a great birthday.

Happy Birthday Baby

2006-09-12T09:44:00.000-04:00

It's my Baby's birthday today. She turns six.

Every mom always thinks where did the time go? And I am no different. It seems just like yesterday I was wiping my lipstick off her face because she was always getting into it. I don't know how many tubes of lip gloss she destroyed by pushing it all the way up then cramming the lid on it. She is destined to work at Maybeline or Covergirl. She already has more pair of shoes than me. She has a knack for putting outfits together. She changes her clothes three times a day. She can paint her fingernails and toenails like a pro. She has had six years of practice.

She is either hot or she is cold. She is happy or sad. There is no in between with her.

She is my sunshine and my storm.
And I love her. She's my baby.

Happy Birthday Susannah.

I Saw Love Today

2006-09-03T21:13:00.000-04:00

I saw love today.

I saw love when a son guided his elderly mother with Alzheimer's to the dinner table. She did not want to sit down, but he patiently waited until she was ready.

I saw love today when a daughter-in-law took her mother-in-law to the bathroom and reminded her what to do. And that she had to wash her hands and dry them.

I saw love today when the son told his 70-ish mom she was a pretty girl and squeezed her hand. And smiled at her.

I saw love.

Not the kind of love that we dream about when we are teens or newlyweds, but love that is from God.

Love that says I will take care of my mom even though this wasn't in my plans. Even if mom mutters ornery things under her breath and wanders around the house and opens things that are not hers. Even though she doesn't remember me or my children.

True love. Biblical love.

Love is patient, love is kind.
It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
It is not rude, it is not self-seeking,
it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

I saw love today.

More Vacation Pics

2006-08-30T17:36:00.000-04:00

I feel like that person that traps you in their living room making you watch all of their old vacation slides.

Here are a few more pictures from our trip. The Mackinaw area has so many tourist traps..er, I mean, attractions. We could have done some really wonderful educational activities like visit historical forts and buildings. But, we are the Castles and we like to have fun. So, it was the House of Mirrors and The Mystery Spot for us. The girls loved both of them.

The Awesome cabins.
Getting ready to Bike the Island. My mom is being a good example.
We walked up these steep stairs to Arch Rock.
Emma in the House of Mirrors.
My Dad's favorite part of vacation. That was a single scoop.
Oh, and the fudge. You gotta have the fudge.

Up North

2006-08-29T21:36:00.000-04:00

We spent last week Up North at Mackinaw City. We found this great campground that has nice cabins you can rent. If you don't have your own cabin in the north I highy recommend Mill Creek Campground. It was awesome (to use a term from my high school days)!

The girls had fun riding bikes around Mackinac Island. They rode eight miles. If you ever need to tire your children out this works. Even our energizer bunny, Susy, was whining the last half mile.

It was a great week to spend some time as a famiy just before school begins. One Week to Go!
The beautiful rocky shore of Lake Huron.

A tired Susy on the way home.

Claire at Cheboygan State Park.

Emma and Grandma waiting for the sunset.

Driving across the bridge to the U.P.

Here are the Links

2006-08-19T13:26:00.000-04:00

Here are the articles I mentioned in my earlier post:
The Hidden Message (Part 1)
The Hidden Message (Part 2)
The Hidden Message (Part 3)

Thanks to Larry for linking these for me. What a guy!

clarification

2006-08-19T09:47:00.000-04:00

I think I need to clarify my ranting the other day. I have not in any way received any hate mail, bomb threats or vandalism because of our decision to send the girls to school. In fact, if anything the response has been mostly concern. And sometimes my mind starts to do that thing. The thing that puts thoughts in other peoples heads when you really can't read their thoughts. So wrong. So very wrong. I read some great articles about this recently and when Larry wakes up (Video games take a lot out of you:) I'll have him teach me to link stuff!

Learning

2006-08-19T09:20:00.000-04:00

We have a great youth group. It's not huge, but it some ways that makes it easier to get to know all of the teens a little better. The more I get to know them the more amazed I am by them. God has greatly used them in my life to teach me so many things.

Take yesterday for instance. I took two of the girls to a Huge mall for some Back-to-School shopping. I know this was a sacrifice on my part, but somebody had to do it. :) We found a lot of great deals. One of the girls bought 3 pairs of pants, 8 shirts and 8 pairs of undermentionables. The other one bought some jeans (the new skinny legs jeans..very eighties!) and a jacket. All three of our tastes in clothes could not be further apart. But we still had a great time. We laughed, we talked, we drank coffee, we bought too much to carry.

Larry, on the other hand, had a Back-to-School Video game extravaganza. He brought home the two projectors from church and the boys brought their game systems. These days you can hook up two game systems and play each from different room. I'm not sure what all went down because I took the girls and ran. All I know when I came home all of the furniture was rearranged and everything was off the walls. When I got up today it was back to normal. Larry said it was a great time also. Total male bonding shooting things and such.

One of the boys in the group has this saying. If someone is complaining he'll tell them not to be such a "Negative Ned." It always breaks the tension and is a kind way to say " Quit being so negative!" The kids have never said it to me although I'm sure they have thought it many times.

I have been a Negative Ned this summer.

I am so thankful that God has put these kids in my life.

Mall Rat

2006-08-18T21:27:00.000-04:00

I spent seven hours at the mall today.

Not all at once. I'm not that crazy!

I may never go to the mall again.

School update

2006-08-17T16:59:00.000-04:00

Well, the registration is over.

We met the principal and the secretary. They were both very nice and neither of them had horns coming out of their heads. In fact, the principal talked more to the girls than to Larry and me. I don't even think she asked us our names. She asked the girls which school they used to go to and Claire pipes in with " I have never been to school." Then she rattles on for a few minutes about her sisters' school histories. The principal said she has homeschooled her children in the past so thankfully she wasn't opposed to the concept.

The building itself is old and run down. It is being re-modeled this year. They already have the construction lines up. Emma said "Great. With all that construction noise we'll never learn anything this year." Like it is so quiet at our house.

The girls left excited and a little less fearful. They are still wondering about the bus. Susy is afraid she'll get on the wrong one and never make it back home. Crazy kid.

Please continue to pray for our family as we tackle all these changes.

Never say Never

2006-08-16T08:27:00.000-04:00

Today I am going to do something I thought I would never do. No, I am not going bungie jumping. I can for sure say I will never do that.

I am enrolling my children in school. You know, the one down the street that they will ride the bus to. I think it's called Public School.

Many people at church and family have heard that we are doing this. We have had a gamut of different reactions from concern to shock to oooohh. Seriously, my sister-in-law was speechless.

They always ask me why. We have our reasons. And we obviously have put a lot of thought into this. It wasn't a split second let's-try-this-won't-it-be-fun kind of decision. In fact, I don't think it will be fun or easy. Change is hard.

Why is it that we tend to judge people because they are not like us? We think they can't be doing it right if they aren't doing whatever it is just like we would whether it is schooling choice or work decisions or how I feed my baby or nutrition. Women especially need to show grace and love to each other. Life is not a competition to see who is the best mother.

Someone said to me last week that my girls always look perfect. I cringed when I heard that. That was the old me. The one that did competitive mothering. The one that had to have the matching socks and hat for every outfit. It took me a long time to figure out that children will not be perfect no matter what you do. I'm definitely not perfect. Why would I expect them to be? Sounds silly now, but I focused too much on the outward appearance instead of the Heart. Old habits are hard to break.

So in two weeks I will be putting the girls on the bus. I will probably cry. They will be scared. But they will know that we love themand are praying for them and God loves them and He is always with them. He will never leave us and that I can say for sure.

Anyone want an old lamp?

2006-08-02T16:14:00.000-04:00

We're having a garage sale this Saturday. We, and I use that term loosely, have cleaned out the basement and the kids are ready to get rid of a lot of the pre-school toys. I decided to sell the Fisher Price Little People on ebay. We have about seven different sets for sale right now. If they don't sell, I'll sell them Saturday at the garage sale.

Garage sales are funny things. People will buy anything if it is cheap enough. Hopefully we will have a lot of that going on Saturday.

Again, that is Saturday for anyone looking for junk that the Castles want to get rid of. (Some of it is actually good.)

Fluffy Update

2006-07-25T16:56:00.000-04:00

The sad news about Fluffy was broken to the girls on Sunday. One of their friends wanted to see the hamster and they were surprised to find the cage was gone.

They know Fluffy was let go in a field. That's it.

After we let Fluffy go in the field we walked home (about 5 minutes) and then drove back to the field to check on her. It was then that we saw the hawk (or some other huge bird of prey) swoop in and fly off with a brown, fluffy clump of fur.

We're pretty sure it was her.

Run, Fluffy, Run

2006-07-20T23:27:00.000-04:00

Did I ever tell you we had a hamster named Fluffy Angel Monkey? Three girls, three names.

One of the girls in our youth group (who I will call Shelby because that is her real name) received a hamster for a present two Christmas ago. The day after Christmas her hamster had 6 babies. There is no guarantee at a pet store that your hamster will not be pregnant. It's a chance you take. So Shelby, being the loving girl she is, took excellent care of the babies. After they were weaned she would hand feed them and bathe them and let them out of the cage and crawl all over her. They were the best hamsters.

About one month later one the babies had babies. So now she has 20 hamsters. She decides maybe it's a good idea to get two cages and separate the girls and boys.

Meanwhile, her mother can't believe all the rodents in her house! Especially when they gang up together and escape from the cage. So she starts giving the babies away at church. At one point about every kid in the church had a Shelby hamster. They were the tamest hamsters you've ever met (for the most part).

So we get snickered into two girl hamsters. My kids are so excited. They take great care of them. For the first week. And the hamsters got along great for about a month. Then hamster puberty must have set in and they start to get a little snippy with each other. Literally. One of the hamsters (Munchy) starts to get bigger because she is hogging all the food. And she chases the other one (Monkey) around if she tries to eat her food. I start to think about separate cages.

I'm a little concerned about the violence but have already forked out $30 bucks for these "free" pets. Until I hear what happened to my friend Carol's Shelby hamsters. She also had two girls that had a passive/aggressive relationship. One morning she wakes up and finds the passive one had eaten the HEAD off of the aggressive one! How's that for battered wife syndrome?!

I don't deal well with carcasses so I head to the pet store before my hamster loses hers. Head that is.

They live happily together in their side by side cages running side by side on their matching wheels for about 6 months. Then it comes to our attention that another little girl needs a hamster. We practically throw a cage in her direction because by now the girls don't even remember that we have a hamster and the back bathroom (now nicknamed the hamster bathroom) we keep them in stinks!

One down. One to go!

We kept Fluffy Angel Monkey until yesterday. The poor thing had a hurt leg and could barely walk. So we did the only humane thing we could think of. While the girls were spending night at my parents house we let her go in a field down the street. She scurried (limped) around for a while excited to be out of her cage.

Then a hawk flew down and snatched her up for dinner.

Rest in peace Fluffy Angel Monkey.

(I'll let you know when the kids finally notice that she is even gone.)

Let your kids do the walking

2006-07-12T22:34:00.000-04:00

So I got this crazy idea to make a little extra cash. No, I'm not going to sell make-up or candles or home-made soap, I'm going to deliver phone books. Or at least it sounded like a good idea. I had these visions of my three children giddy with excitement about running from house to house with a book in a bag to put on the hinge side of the door.

Then I packed 320 phone books into my van and about killed the shocks.

I'll be returning the booksto the warehouse tomorrow and will encourage people to use the internet like us geeky people.

Who uses a phone book anymore anyway?

Who are you?

2006-07-12T00:34:00.000-04:00

Alright. A few of you posted some comments and I appreciate that. I can feel the love out there. Maybe the rest of you are just shy or busy or don't have a blogger account. I'm just guessin'.

Larry and I are just curious as to who really reads the blog and is this really worth it? OKAY. It's just me that really wants to know who at Ford checks the blog every morning at 8:00.

Fess up.

And the rest of you out there. Whooooo are you? Who Who. Who Who. (you're supposed to sing it like the CSI intro.)

Camp Pictures Are Up

2006-07-11T00:18:00.000-04:00

FYI for any of you blogstalkers who have been waiting for camp pictures. They are finally up and you can check them out here. I would have had them up much sooner, but I had a printing problem last week that kept me pretty busy since I am a publisher. I'll write about that sometime. I learned a few expensive lessons this week!

Anyway, enjoy the photos. You better leave a comment after you see them or Julie might "hate" you. :-)

12 people were here today

2006-07-10T23:51:00.000-04:00

You know what I hate?
When you write a serious post and nobody comments.

I do have sitemeter people. I know you are out there!

Fear

2006-07-09T22:38:00.000-04:00

When I was little I was afraid of the dark. At night after my parents would go to bed I would lay awake in my bed and listen to the creaks of our 1950's house. My heart would beat hard and I would imagine there was someone there. I memorized every squeak of every floor board and could walk out to the living room without making a sound (that came in handy later when I was a teen). Even to this day I will have a bad dream that will wake me up with my heart beating hard and I will think I hear someone in the house. I lay as still as I can and listen. I'm paralyzed with fear.

Fear that paralyzes so I can't breathe.

When I was a young mother with a new born I had new fears. How will I keep this child alive? Why is she crying so much? Is she eating enough? And then more children came. And more fears. Will they ever play together nicely? How can I take care of all of these kids? How will we teach them eveything they need to know?

Fear in and of itself is not wrong. God gave us that emotion for a reason. But when my fears give way to anxiety and anxiety to depression I have sinned. All of my fears came together in the past month and crashed in on me. Fear of failure to my husband and my children. Fear that paralyzed me.

Thankfully I have a best friend that set me straight. Instead of telling me what I wanted to hear, that I was a good wife and mother, he told me to make the right choice. Choose right now to be a good mother. Choose to be a good wife. Choose to react to fear in the right way. Not with worry, but trusting God to drive the fear away.

Perfect love casts out fear.

So I can move again.

Camp Update

2006-07-05T13:11:00.000-04:00

We're back. Camp was fun, but exhausting as I imagined. Just before we left for the week I came down with a terrible sinus infection. I went to a walk -in clinic and begged for drugs. Drugs helped, but I am reeeeally tired. Pictures of the week are on Larry's laptop so you'll have to wait for the exciting update. This is the "I'm so stinking tired I can hardly type this" update.

Thanks for all your prayers. We all came back in one piece and we had great weather. Many of the teens made decisions about witnessing and Bible reading. It was a great week.

Camp Time!

2006-06-26T07:40:00.000-04:00

We leave this morning packed and excited about teen camp. We will return Friday dirty and exhausted.

Of course, the camp we are going to does have wireless internet so we will try to keep you posted on our exciting activities!

Pray for safety and good weather! Pray for the teens to listen to the Word spoken and make some good decisions.

Thursday Thoughts

2006-06-22T22:34:00.000-04:00

Why is it that one time you love your haircut from your hairstylist and the next time she gives you a mullet?

Why is it that a man can play a video game that requires him to use six different buttons to jump, shoot, duck and switch weapons, but he can't watch TV and fold laundry at the same time?

I'm so stunned I can't think of a title

2006-06-12T18:30:00.000-04:00

I like Tar-jay as much as the next girl, but this is a little ridiculous.

The Happy Graduate

2006-06-09T09:18:00.000-04:00

Congratulations to our daughter Susannah on a job well done.

And congratulations to me for not having to drive her to school every morning! Here's to sleeping till 8!

First Song That I Sing

2006-06-07T23:17:00.000-04:00

Here's a shout out to my friend Kim. We talked today about how we need to focus on the Lord before we even get out of bed and it made me think of this song by Sara Groves. Maybe my computer savvy husband will add a link later.

First Song That I Sing

In the morning when I rise
Help me to prioritize
All the thoughts that fill my day
Before my schedule
Tells me that my day is full
Before I'm off and on my way

I want to praise you
I need to praise you
Let the first song that I sing Be praises to my God and king

Before the curtains part
Before my day is starting
Before I make up the bed
Before the snooze alarm
Reminds me that it's morning
Before the dreams have left my head

I want to praise you
I need to praise you
Let the first song that I sing Be praises to my God and king

Before my feet hit the floor
I'll praise you Lord, I'll praise you Lord
Before I fill my cup I'll lift you up, I'll lift you up
Before I start my day I'll sing your praise, I'll sing your praise

Before I start my car
Before I get too far
I want to praise you
I need to praise you Lord
Let the first song that I sing Be praise to my God and king

The Little Red-Headed Girl

2006-06-05T22:44:00.000-04:00

I met a little girl back in 1996. She was going into third grade and she had red hair. That little girl was in my class that year. Her name was Jessica. She was one of those students that you don't forget. One, because she was so cute and two, she was the perfect student. She wasn't the smartest or the fastest or the most athletic. That's not what made her special. It was that little spark in her eye. It was the way she always tried to do her best. She raised her hand for every question even if she didn't know the answer. She colored and cut and worked hard all year. That was the last year I taught third grade. The next year I had my own little pupil at home to teach.

The Lord in His goodness saw fit to cross our paths again when we joined Community Baptist Church. For five years Larry and I have watched this little girl grow into a beautiful woman. She is stunning. Not only because of her outward gorgeousness, but because of her love for Christ and others. When we began our church the youth group was just the three of us sitting around a table. There are not many 8th grade girls that are able to forget themselves and welcome a visiting teen to her church, even if that new teen is a boy. But Jessica did that week after week until some of those teens stayed. And one of the big reasons they stayed is because of her.

And now she is the one leaving. And we are sad and happy at the same time. Sad, because we will miss her, but happy to see her continue to grow and follow her Lord.

She still has that something special that makes her stand out. That little extra spark.

Or maybe it's just be the red hair.

It's Not A Cult . . . much.

2006-05-31T23:56:00.000-04:00

My Little Surfer Girl

2006-05-30T00:09:00.000-04:00

We took the kids to the beach for memorial day and Claire really took to the waves. It was like she has been surfing for years! I guess it's in her blood.

iCryptex

2006-05-27T00:25:00.000-04:00

Check out www.icryptex.com for really funny spoof. If you're not familiar with the premise of The DaVinci Code or if you're not aware of the cult-like following held by Apple, then the spoof may be lost on you. I found it to be quite rich and pretty hilarious for just one page. I wonder if Steve Jobs has an albino monk running around doing his bidding!

Would you like a shake with that?

2006-05-26T13:27:00.000-04:00

Wow. A fry holder. Who would have thought?

Honk Honk Beep Beep

2006-05-25T14:32:00.000-04:00

Why is it when the doctors had to cut my first child out of me because her heart beat was dropping I calmly agreed? Why is it when my child turned blue with a fever of 105 degrees I calmly took her to the hospital? When the baby fell and smashed her nose flat and it immediately turned blue I calmly got a bag of ice and called the doctor. I was calm when my van was burguralized.

But ... When I come out the grocery store and my key fob doesn't unlock the car and I use my key to open the door which sets off the alarm when I start the van I freak out. The horn keeps beeping and I start to panic because the key thing isn't working and that is the only way I know to turn off the alarm. And my ice cream is melting. The kids think it is funny that the horn continues to beep. I'm more upset that my ice cream is melting.

I finally pull it together, shut the car off and go back into the store to buy a battery for the alarm button thingy praying that it works or we are going to have to drive home with the horn beeping all the way.

I thought to myself as I was changing that battery why is it so hard to trust God with the little insignificant things that interrupt our day. If I can trust Him with the "big things" why can't I remember that He is in control of everything?

Even batteries and car alarms.

Re: PLEEEEEEASE REEEEEAD! IT WAS ON GOOD MORNING AMERICA

2006-05-23T10:02:00.000-04:00

I got a forwarded email from a family member this morning with the above subject line. I had seen the email before. It promises that internet users can receive a cash reward for forwarding messages to test a Microsoft/AOL e-mail tracking system. You know something is up when the thing says 73 times in three paragraphs that "really, this is true, trust me. I know about these things." I pointed them to Snopes.com for the history of that old email hoax.

It made me think about the old adage, "It if sounds too good to be true, then it probably is." It is a very good rule of thumb on the internet and in email. In fact, I've only found a few exceptions to that rule in my lifetime. :-) Here are a few of them:

1. Salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone
2. My wife loves me and actually chose to marry me!
3. My three daughters
4. Community Baptist Church
5. www.freeipods.com (I actually got one!)
6. Coffee News

There are a few more but a sweet deal from Bill Gates for forwarding an email is not one of them. :-)

Happy Birthday Larry!

2006-05-18T17:32:00.000-04:00

34 things I like about Larry in honor of his 34th birthday.

1. His faithfulness to God
2. His faithfulness to his family
3. His dimples
4. His skateboarding abilities
5. How everyone loves him
6. How he acts like he is everyone's friend
7. That he likes everyone
8. He likes to play games
9. His taste in clothes
10. His positive attitude
11. His ability to make me laugh even when I am upset
12. He's funny
13. His patience with our children
14. That he teaches his daughters how to mow the lawn
15. His sweet computer skills
16. That he is willing to help me with my computer skills
17. He loves Apple computers
18. He never says a bad word about anyone. EVER.
19. The way he organizes his closet
20. The way he sleeps perfectly flat with the covers over his head
21. He does the laundry
22. He does the dishes
23. He always leaves the pots for me to wash
24. He has never yelled at me
25. His buddah belly
26. He is always ready to have fun
27. He can never remember anyone's name
28. He buys me chocolate just because
29. He still sends me flowers
30. He makes a conscience effort to spend time alone with each of our daughters
31. He likes strawberry rhubarb pie
32. He lets me put food I don't like on his plate
33. He thinks I'm funny
34. He knows when to talk and when to shut up

Must See TV

2006-05-03T14:21:00.000-04:00

The New Apple Ads had me cracking up. PC users, proceed with caution.

Stop Thief!

2006-04-27T23:26:00.000-04:00

Maybe I am a little naive. Maybe I believe in the goodness of man kind a little too much. Oh, wait. That's right. We are all filthy rotten sinners. This was hit home to me on Wednesday night. Literally. Except it wasn't me that was hit, it was my van.

I came out of youth group Wednesday night to find my van driver's side window smashed to pieces. At first it didn't register in my brain what all that green shiny stuff on my seat was. Then I looked up and saw the hole in the window and my heart sank. My purse was my first thought. I left my purse in here. We were late getting to church and I was carrying in snacks for the teens and trying to herd three kids into the building and I forgot my purse.

It was gone.

I never carry cash on me. That night I had the girls allowance in my wallet. A whole twelve dollars. We cancelled all three credit card immediately and contacted the bank.

The punk that stole my purse was probably ticked when all he found was some crayons, a Tide spot remover pen, some lip gloss and hand cream. He broke into a mini-van with little fingerprints all over the windows. What did he expect?

Claire was the most upset that her allowance was stolen. She asked me why did God let this happen? It was a good chance to teach her that God is in control. I also expained to her that we are all sinners. We all disobey God, but sometimes our disobedience hurts other people.

It worked out for the best because we already had a crack in the front window shield for about a year and we kept putting off getting it fixed. We had both windows fixed this afternoon and all is well.

I just want my favorite purse back!

Spring cleaning part one

2006-04-24T18:39:00.000-04:00

The school closet at the end of the year. Yikes!

The clean closet. I categorized, containerized and condensed. Always clean it before school ends or it'll be waiting for you in the fall.

This is what the kids did while I was cleaning the closet. We found the t-shirts buried somewhere in there.

The Stars Wars shirt is Claire's and Emma made one with flowers. Susannah was already off wearing hers.

It's amazing all the cool stuff you can find hidden under that pile of junk!

Tomorrow's goal... the school room book shelf.

Before the Throne

2006-04-17T14:46:00.000-04:00

We sang this song at Church yesterday. I love the words to it and I especially like it when our church sings it. Everyone seems to sing the last verse as loud as they can. It is really beautiful.

Before the throne of God above
I have a strong and perfect plea.
A great high Priest whose Name is Love
Who ever lives and pleads for me.
My name is graven on His hands,
My name is written on His heart.
I know that while in Heaven He stands
No tongue can bid me thence depart.

When Satan tempts me to despair
And tells me of the guilt within,
Upward I look and see Him there
Who made an end of all my sin.
Because the sinless Savior died
My sinful soul is counted free.
For God the just is satisfied
To look on Him and pardon me.

Behold Him there the risen Lamb,
My perfect spotless righteousness,
The great unchangeable I AM,
King of glory and of grace,
One in Himself I cannot die.
My soul is purchased by His blood,
My life is hid with Christ on high,
With Christ my Savior and my God!

Charitie Bancroft

I'm Smellin' Coffee

2006-04-13T23:25:00.000-04:00

My husband brought home a free bag of this today. I know some of you think Starbucks Coffee tastes like an ashtray and your addicted to coffee that comes packaged in pretty colors like orange and pink, but you know what they say, "If it's free, it's for me."

Go get your free bag today. Or at least pick one up for me.

A Shirt a Day, Keeps Abortion Away

2006-04-12T15:05:00.000-04:00

I became aware of a very well done pro-life website today. It's called Abort73.com. It is as tasteful as imaginably possible considering the topic and I thought it would be a great educational resource for teens and their families. It also has the presentation of the gospel as it's ultimate objective. It is a great example of what I am trying to instill in our teens. I regularly challenge them to find ways to connect with the culture around them for the mission God has given us. Finding ways to demonstrate that the Good News of Jesus Christ is the answer to all the social issues we face is great way for young people to carryout the mission (The Great Commission) God has given us.

They have this really great program called A Shirt A Day that high schoolers can participate in to raise awareness among their peers and possibly provide opportunities for them to share the Good News. We have done a few similar T-Shirts already (CBC Logo shirts and the High Impact Color Blind shirt). It seemed to me that it could be a good opportunity for teens to shine as a light in the place where God has put them.

Clean up in Aisle Three

2006-04-11T22:49:00.000-04:00

Why is it that as soon as I walk into a grocery store my mind goes completely blank. I can't even remember why I came to the store in the first place. It is like I have sensory overload. I.. can't.... process... this.. much. I try writing a list. I forget it in the van half of the time. And if I don't forget the grocery list I forget the empty pop bottles to return.

I like taking Larry to the grocery store with me. He is so nice. He smiles at the other shoppers and talks to the cashier. He makes small talk with the little old men. He takes his time and isn't ever in a hurry. He reminds me that there are other people in this world. People I should be kind to.

I have more of the commando technique. Maybe my mind isn't going blank. It is in battle mode. Must..get..pork..on...sale..in ..aisle..three.

It's hard to keep it all straight in my mind and not run over that lady with my shopping cart.

Where Have I Been?

2006-04-05T23:32:00.000-04:00

What could be keeping me away from the blogging you ask? Real Life! My Mom and dad have been here in Chilly Michigan visiting for three weeks. We have had lots of good times and accomplished a lot of work. Here is a quick review of our crazy times.

The girls and I went on a tour of the Morely Candy Factory. It was nothing like Willy Wonka's so it was a little disappointing. They did get candy so all was not lost.

It was a week of hair cuts starting with Emma and Larry.

He may edit this after he sees this picture.

We also went to a Servant's Retreat with our Church. We had a great time. The Pastor gave details about when we may start construction on a building. It was very exciting!

Here is Larry with a couple of Leprechauns on St. Patrick's Day. It was his lucky day.

More Updates

2006-04-05T23:30:00.000-04:00

The haircuts continued with Claire chopping off about 8 inches.

We had to have a little fun so we spent one day at Great Lakes Crossing. We shopped and played at Jeepers.

Now for a little work. We cleared out the girls room and Dad painted it.

The finished project.

Finally

2006-04-05T23:16:00.000-04:00

We got a little crazy with the paint and decided to paint the kitchen (which was a sunny yellow) to a dark red. Let's play how many coats does it take to cover yellow with red. The winner gets to come paint one more coat! Ugh! My poor Dad! He said it was the hardest paint job he has ever done. He still did a great job. And no, he doesn't hire out. At least not yet.

It was a jam packed three weeks. I left out a wedding, a sickness, buying another area for coffee news and a yard work day among other things. Hopefully my parents will come back. Good thing they just bought a house here!

Choosing Home

2006-03-20T00:16:00.000-05:00

You'll notice to the right that I have added a new link for my wife. It's my geeky contribution to the Daily Castle. Choosing home is one of those blogs where ladies write about all the stuff they do with their kids and things they cook. Don't get me wrong; I like that my wife spends time with the kids and cooks and stuff. But how much can you really say about all that.

Julie, stop hitting me in the head!!!

O.K., well there are some helpful things there along with some other interesting links. But remember, just because we found some helpful stuff there doesn't mean you won't come across the occasional kook who's gonna say that youth group is bad for your kids; or you should start a homechurch; or quit your job, buy a farm, grow organic veggies, grind your own wheat, make homemade soap, and seal yourself off from the outside world. So don't say we didn't warn you.

PART JULIE MADE ME WRITE: Seriously, there are some very helpful and inspiring items at choosinghome.com. As with anything else, we can't endorse everything you'll find there but you can benefit from the good and leave the rest. We hope you'll find it helpful.

Happy Shamrock Shake Day!

2006-03-17T12:23:00.000-05:00

It's St. Patty's Day.

Forget the beer. You can get that any day.

Run to Micky D's and get yourself a Shamrock shake! Mmmm. Green.

Great Times at the Lodge.

2006-03-08T15:11:00.000-05:00

We took a couple days off this week and went to the Great Wolf Lodge. If you have never been there, it is basically a hotel with an attached waterpark. The girls have a great time. They love the rooms because they have their own little "cabin" in our room. They have their own TV with the Disney channel and Nickelodeon. Larry has a good time and I have an okay time. My enjoyment comes from watching the girls have a great time. Being more than a little on the chunky side I don't find enjoyment in walking around in a swimsuit all day. I read an article that said you should write down 100 memories from your trips. I'll not bore you with 100. Here's ten.

1. The kids first time to eat an Arby's sandwich on the way there.

2. Great Wolf Lodge should get Macs. Their network was down.

3. Because the network was down we were sent to three different rooms before we got the right one. NO discount.

4. Rushing water is really loud after awhile.

5. The whole park is like one big pumice stone. My feet are so soft.

6. The bottom of the lazy river is a good wart remover.

7. Claire loves waterslides.

8. She also likes to go off by herself and not tell you what slide she is on!

9. There are a lot of chunky moms that love their kids.

10. My children love hot tubs. Why don't they like baths?

More pictures can be seen at our homepage.

Attention Apple Geeks

2006-03-03T00:39:00.000-05:00

You have to check out this post about the Microsoft iPod over at Scott's blog. Enjoy!

Just One of Those Days

2006-03-02T22:31:00.000-05:00

Do you ever just have one of those days? One where nothing seems to go right and your running in circles and yet nothing is getting done. Yep, it has been one of those days!

Thursday is the only day I officially have to drive Susy to Allen Park for school. Larry is at a meeting so I have to get all three girls up and out the door by 8. It helps if they are all dressed too. I know this doesn't sound all that hard, but we are NOT morning people.

This morning we were in the van at 8:03. The road looks a little icy, but I assume there is school because Susy's school NEVER calls off for weather. As I hit the highway it starts to rain ICE! Traffic is crawling at 30-35 mph. I think to myself I should just go home. This is ridiculous. There shouldn't be school today. What is that principal thinking?! We continue on and I cheer as we pull into the school parking lot at 8:25. Not bad for inclement weather!

But something is wrong. There are no other cars pulling into the lot late like me because of the weather. In fact, there are no tire tracks in the ice in the parking lot. I groan.

There is no school. It's cancelled. The girls groan. We could be sleeping. We could be sitting at home in our jammies watching Arthur. UGH!

So we go out to breakfast. Nice save Mom.

After breakfast it is to Sam's club which is always fun with two or three kids. At least they got a free lunch of fish, polish sausage and spicy chicken wings.

We come home and the house is a disaster. I ask the girls to clean up. Two hours and several reminders later they are finally finished. But not until after someone stopped up the toilet and then flushed. Let's just say a lot of bleach was involved in the clean up.

After that kind of day (okay, it wasn't so bad) a mom has to have a "I can't stand to even think of cooking" meal. Here is mine.

Don't laugh. They are actually both very good. And ready in 8 minutes. Throw a veggie on the side and your good to go.

The house is clean, the laundry is put away and everyone's belly is full.

It's just another day.

Ace!

2006-03-01T08:41:00.000-05:00

We went and watched one of our teens play in her last volleyball game last night. She did great and her team killed the other team!

My theory: The other team was from Hamtrammick and it is hard to jump with Paczki in your belly.

Scams R Us

2006-02-27T16:04:00.000-05:00

I was reminded today of why I don't go to Toys R Us. I can't remember the last time we were there. Susy got a $1 gift card in the mail for her birthday in September and we never used it because we haven't been to Toys R Us. It is so overwhelming the amount of toys there. And there is always some crying kid. Oh, wait that was my kid. Sorry.

Claire got a gift card for her birthday so we were forced to go to Toys R Us. So after we browsed about 20 rows of toys we finally decided on some Star Wars action figures (Daddy would be proud) and a stuffed dog. Susy brought her allowance along so she was getting a stuffed tiger and Emma was adding to her cavity and Pez collection. So far so good. We pay for the goods and go to the car. I kept thinking to myself there is something wrong with the bill. It shouldn't have been that much. And I was right. They charged us $5.99 for the stuffed animals instead of $4.99. Sweet! I got them on the scanning law!

What is the scanner law you ask? Most people know about the law, but sometimes stores try to rip you off (like today). Larry and I learned about the scanner law about 10 years ago when we were in a Rite Aid and they overcharged us 20 cents for a bag of Oreos. We were shocked when they handed us $2.20. No, the manager who was not happy about giving us the money, said the law says if something is clearly marked and we scan it for another price and charge you more we must pay you 10 times the amount plus the difference. Cool! Of course I am such a freak that I look for things that are mismarked so I can make a little money. That would be the scammer law!

But today I wasn't trying to scam. I just happen to catch their mistake. So I say to the girls "Let's go get some money!"

There was one person being helped at the customer service desk so we had to wait. After about 5 minutes I started to wonder if this was really worth it. As soon as I opened my package and laid those little animals on the counter one of the three ladies at the counter starts to get upset. They aren't talking to me and I am trying to explain my problem with the over charge. They aren't listening to me. They go on about who is restocking these and why are they mismarked and then two of them (the managers) take off to hide in the glass mirrored office. The nice lady who has no authority is left looking at me like now what do I do. She starts to refund me the $2 for just the overcharge. So trying to be as sweet as possible after being ignored and waiting 10 minutes I ask "What about the scanner law?" Oh, she has to ask one on the managers who just ran away about that. So off she goes to the mirrored room to ask the managers who I know are watching me out the window and mad that I know what the scanner law is.

She comes back saying something about 10 percent of the price and is going to give me $2.20. What?! So I repeat the scanner law to her and she says yes I think that is right, but thist is what the manager said. I ask to talk to the manager. When I am finally helped the only thing the manager says to me is "You get 10 percent." That's it. No explanation. No apology for the overcharge. I tell her I believe the law is 10 times the amount overcharged up to $5. She knows she is busted now but she is going to argue with me. Thankfully her Co-manager is there and says yes it is 10 times the amount not 10 percent. Again no apology. I think Manager #1 has worked in retail a little too long. Or maybe she has been overstimulated by the hundreds of toys at Toys R US. I think it is time for some service training!

So after 20 minutes we ended up with $12.12. But not until I filled some forms out in duplicate and promise to not tell any one else about the scanner law so they can continue to rip off innocent people.

Thanks Toys R Us for the free toys. I don't think I will be back.

Claire?

2006-02-22T00:05:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday to our little Claire Bear!

She looks just like her mother doesn't she? She hears this all the time. Her mother's daughter. The day she was born I was so thrilled to have a child that looked like me. Emma is a "little Larry." And I got tired of hearing that. So Claire was a Martin. She has my temperament and mood swings. I can't imagine what she will be like at thirteen. Larry picked her name out. He just liked it. It is a perfect fit for her. It means "brilliant or clear." She has clear blue eyes. When she was a baby I would call them brilliant. Not only are her eyes brilliant but her mind is also. Of course I am a little biased. Sometimes the things she says are so deep for a little one. And sometimes they are really funny. She loves to read and draw and is a tenacious worker. She will practice until she gets it right. And most important of all she loves to learn about God.

Happy Birthday Claire!

Olympic Fever

2006-02-16T15:07:00.000-05:00

We have all been sick. We have the stuffy nose, fever, achy body, coughing maybe a sore throat thrown in for good measure cold. That means all lot of laying around and watching TV. More than usual at least. Thankfully the Olympics are onand I don't have to resort to watching Days of our Lives and we live close enough to Canada to get the CBC. They have what seems like 24 hour coverage of the games.

A few things we have observed about the Olympics this year.

1. The luge is very dangerous sport. And this track should be nick named Yes, I want a concussion.

2. All hockey arenas play the same organ music between plays. I thought I was watching a game at the Joe.

3. Apollo Ohno needs to shave off that little piece of hair on his chin. Give it up already!

4. Snow boarding Rocks!

5. The Winter Olympics are more dangerous than the Summer.

6. Detroit 2018!!! Of course we would have to build mountains and make snow but I know we could pull it off!

Ten in The Corner Pocket

2006-02-09T13:38:00.000-05:00

Today Emma, Claire and I met Larry up at the Little Cafe for our weekly business meeting. We ate breakfast and had our spelling test. While we were reviewing our math facts the Mayor of Dearborn came in to get a bite to eat. We then had a short lesson on Civics and networking as Daddy wanted to talk to the Mayor about Coffee News. After we finished eating and testing we played a game of pool in the back room. I think every school curriculum should have a semester of pool. Billiards teaches a lot about math and science.

Next year I'm thinking darts.

Happy Birthday Laynie!

2006-02-07T08:55:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday to our good friend Laynie. Today she turns the big one one. Or eleven. Have a great day and thanks for reading our blog!

Super Bowl Thoughts

2006-02-06T11:08:00.000-05:00

So , the girls and I ended up watching the last half of the Super Bowl last night. Larry ran off to a party with a bunch a Steeler fans. He said everyone including the dog had a Steelers jersey on. These people are fanatics! Claire especially enjoyed the game even though she didn't get to watch the end. Bed time is at 8:30. We watched part of the halftime show. They were totally grossed out by the Rolling Stones. Why is that old man running around a stage and skipping? Why is the stage shaped like a mouth? (It WAS?) Wow. That guys arms really jiggle a lot when he claps his hands in the air like that. Where did the football field go? Why are all those people jumping around like that? I kid you not. This is what they said. We couldn't hear the songs over all the questions being peppered at me. Which was fine with me.

Claire woke up this morning and said to her Dad that the Steelers won 14 - 3. That was the last score she saw so she assumed they won. She said Football is fun to watch when you know who you are cheering for. I could go on and wax eloquent about how that applies to life and how crazy it is to worship football but I'll let you do that for yourself.

The best part of the game is of course the commercials. My favorite one was done by the NFL. The sappy one with Jerome Bettis and his parents in front of school buses at the end. It literally brought me to tears and I don't even like football.

The media milked that story for all it was worth, but it really did make the game more enjoyable to see him win.

And did anyone catch Carmen Harlem's commentary about Detroit after the game? I had to turn the channel. Ugh!

Signs of the times

2006-02-03T08:29:00.000-05:00

Why do Churches feel the need to put pithy saying on their signs? It just makes them look desperate.

Guitar Lessons

2006-01-26T15:46:00.000-05:00

Susy is really good at strumming. She's got pretty good rhythm.

They have a great teacher! He even gives quizzes which they love. Weird kids!

Throw Another Log on the Fire

2006-01-25T23:15:00.000-05:00

Guitar update:

Claire now knows two chords and can go back and forth between them slowly. Pretty good progress for two days.

By the end of the week she should be playing Kum-ba-yah.

And the Beat Goes On

2006-01-24T19:10:00.000-05:00

Larry is teaching the Emma and Claire how to play the guitar. Strum. Strum. Strum. One of the many benefits of homeschooling is you can play the guitar ALL day long! I think Claire has that ONE chord down now! Strum. Strum. Strum. Strum. After about 100 times we all banished her to the back room to practice. Strum. Strum. Strum.

Arghhh!!!! More chords please!

I Want to Go to Detroit! [Say it like Will Ferrel in Elf.]

2006-01-23T22:27:00.000-05:00

Wow. After watching this, I want to go to Detroit!

Feel the Force

2006-01-17T14:47:00.000-05:00

As I sit here thinking about doing the laundry since my New Year's revolution was to do laundry on Tuesdays and Friday I have to smile as I listen to Larry playing video games with the girls.

Larry: "No, Susy. You're Anakin. Emma's Princess Padmé."

Susy: : "Is Padmé's last name Armadillo?"

Larry: "No, That's an animal."

I would stop the children to help me do the laundry but they are all playing so nice together.

Minty Fresh

2006-01-14T18:40:00.000-05:00

The girls love to hear stories about when they were little. I know they are still little, but they like to hear about stuff they can't remember.

One of my favorite crazy kid memories is of Claire. When she was just 18 months old she loved to chew gum. I, of course, did not give her the gum. It was the grandparents. My dad kept a stash of gum in a drawer in their kitchen. Being a smart kiddy Claire figured this out. One day she took a large pack of spearmint Trident and snuck downstairs with it and proceeded to eat almost the whole pack. That's about 20 pieces of gum. (This was when she used to swallow food whole. I kid you not she wolfed her food down. The things I would find in her diapers!) So she didn't actually chew the gum. I wasn't too worried about it. I figured it would all come out in the end.

About two hours later Claire needed her diaper changed. It was the best smelling diaper I have ever changed. It was minty fresh! I guess all that gum made her gassy because the rest of the day she kept cutting the cheese except it was more like fresh mint cheese.

Let There Be Light!

2006-01-06T14:51:00.000-05:00

And all of Michigan rejoiced as the sun finally broke through the clouds after three weeks of hiding!

meCHURCH

2005-12-31T11:26:00.000-05:00

I think I found the perfect theme for our next Servants' Retreat (NOT). Watch this video called meCHURCH.

PLEASE BE ADVISED: you should finish what you're drinking before watching this. I wouldn't want you to get pop on your computer screen.

The Christmas Cookie or "That's where those 4 lbs. came from"

2005-12-29T13:24:00.000-05:00

A tradition we have in our family every Christmas is decorating Christmas cookies. The girls have a great time and we generally trash the entire kitchen. I was voted messiest cook by my family. This year was especially fun because Daddy was home to help us. He is usually stuck at the Mall at Christmas time. What a blessing to have him home!

The Lion, the Witch, and the Turkish Delight

2005-12-26T14:08:00.000-05:00

My wife and I wrestled with whether or not to take our kids to see Disney's latest release, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. We were worried that they might have nightmares after seeing some of the scary images. After checking it out at screenit.com, we decided to go ahead and take them. We thought that with the right preparation and discussion afterward, they would benefit from the overall experience. That did turn out to be the case with our kids. No nightmares and a good reference point for helping them understand the gospel.

I took a look around the web to see what Christians were saying about the whole thing. The majority of reviews were good. There was one site, however, that claimed that C.S. Lewis wrote the popular series to teach children how to worship pagan deities and eventually turn them to Satanism. Oookaaay!?

There was a really good review called The Success of C. S. Lewis in The Chronicles of Narnia by Amber Cowart on a C.S. Lewis fan site that included a letter from Lewis to a young reader:

In The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, the fifth book of the series, Aslan tells the children that although they must return to their own world, they can find him there also (Hooper 123). Aslan says, "There I have another name. You must learn to know me by that name. This was the very reason why you were brought to Narnia, that by knowing me here for a little, you may know me better there" (Hooper 123). Some of Lewis' readers wonder what the significance of this statement is and begin to search for Aslan here on earth. Hila, an eleven year old girl from the United States asked Lewis what Aslan's name is in this world (Dorsett 31-32). His response was this:

As to Aslan's other name, well I want you to guess. Has there never been anyone in this world who (1.) Arrived at the same time as Father Christmas. (2.) Said he was the son of the great Emperor. (3.) gave himself up for someone else's fault to be jeered at and killed by wicked people. (4.) Came to life again. (5.) Is sometimes spoken of as a Lamb.... Don't you really know His name in this world. Think it over and let me know your answer! (Dorsett 32)

When Lewis' readers find Aslan in the real world, they will find out that his true name is Jesus Christ.

In the story, one of the brothers, Edmund, turns on the others in exchange for some "sweeties" as they call them. Specifically, he turns traitor for a sweet called Turkish delight. Oddly enough, the next day, one of my advertisers gave me a box of these same unusual candies for me and my family. I liked them, but Julie and the girls had an experience similar to this account I found while looking up the recipe for this exotic treat:

In The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Edmund Pevensie gobbled up several pounds of this treat in one sitting and clamored for more. The evil White Witch, Jadis, had magicked it up to win his fealty. As a child in Indiana, I hadn't realized that the confection actually existed. (Nor did I think that "wardrobes" existed anymore—surely, I reasoned, British people had closets by now.) I thought C.S. Lewis had invented it, knowing how much more vivid an imagined pleasure can be than a real one. But I loved to think about what it must taste like. I thought it would be crumbly and buttery and warm, like shortbread with walnuts, just out of the oven, with a rich, molten filling inside. "Each piece was sweet and light to the very center and Edmund had never tasted anything more delicious," Lewis wrote.
And so, with anticipation, I took a bite of the Turkish Delight. And a second later, spat it into my hand. It tasted like soap rolled in plaster dust, or like a lump of Renuzit air freshener: The texture was both waxy and filling-looseningly chewy. This … this? ... was the sweetmeat that led Edmund to betray his siblings and doomed Aslan to death on a stone slab? Watching the movie last week, I cringed watching Edmund push piece after squidgy red piece into his drooling mouth, shuddering to think that children in theaters everywhere were bound to start yammering for the candy and that on Christmas morning or Hanukkah nights, their faces would crumple with disappointment as their teeth sank into the vile jelly they had thought they wanted.

Funny, isn't it? The girls have decided they would like to work the Narnia series into our bedtime reading schedule. I hope they like it more than they did the Turkish Delights.

A Different Christmas

2005-12-26T13:01:00.000-05:00

This was an unusual Christmas for our family. It was my first
Christmas of not working in a retail environment for over 11 years.
My kids, the oldest being only eight, think it's cool that I don't
have to work extra hours around Christmas this year. In fact, things
are a little slower than normal this week. I had forgotten how nice
it is to have a Christmas Eve not worried about an emergency at the
store or working to get in that last sale before the returns start
coming in.

This Christmas also fell on a Sunday. It was different; taking a
break in our usual traditions to go to church. My wife and I were a
little thrown off by it, but the kids seemed to adapt quite well...
except for Emma right before church. I don't think I'll ever care to
blog about that! :-) The bottom line is, what better way to teach our
children that Christmas is not supposed to be the commercialized
materialism-fest that it has become than by stopping in the middle of
our usual Christmas morning traditions to go to Worship the Savior
whose birth we claim we are celebrating? It was a good change.

The Author of Salvation took on flesh …

2005-12-24T10:33:00.000-05:00

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. And God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. But, through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned.

It was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings.

Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.

We rejoice that in our Creator and Savior, we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace.

– Genesis 1:1, 31; Romans 5:12; Hebrews 2:10, 14, 15; Ephesians 1:7

Pushy Sales People

2005-12-08T10:29:00.000-05:00

Today is Thursday. Every Thursday I begin my day with a 7:00 a.m. Networking Group meeting in Dearborn. Woooo Hoooo! I love networking at dawn! Not really. But it's good for business, so I do it. Well, today I was invited to attend a competing networking group's meeting right after my normal meeting. I stopped in out of curiosity. They also have their meeting at the local coffee shop where I usually go to do email right after my meeting. I was going to be there anyway.

There were only five people there; they are trying to begin a new chapter here in Dearborn. Right away, and several times during the meeting, this group talked disparagingly about the group to which I already belong. My groups has 32 members. I received enough referrals in my first two visits to pay for five years of membership dues. They picked a bad strategy for trying to win me to their group.

I explained that I already belong to this other group and as a part of my membership agreement, I cannot belong to another group like it (the group works if you belong to because you all loyally refer business to one another). They just kept pushing. I'm a really easy going guy, but it kinda made me angry. I felt like I was getting Amway'ed. Some of you know what I mean by that. During my nine years at FranklinCovey , I frequently had Amway distributors try to recruit me, especially when they learned that I attended a large church. Bottom Line: I was reminded that graciously taking no for an answer is the way to go when I'm selling my business. I may not win the sale, but I maintain my reputation. In the long run, that has to be good for business.

Taco Town!!!

2005-12-04T21:32:00.000-05:00

You'll be rolling on the floor when you see this one.

AiG

2005-12-03T12:06:00.000-05:00

If you know me, you know that one of my favorite topics is creationism. I'm facinated with God's power and wisdom displayed in His creation. If you haven't been to the new Answers in Gensis website lately, you're missing out on a great resource. I don't care what your question about the Bible and science is, you'll find the answer there (fast and easy). Check it out for yourself and mark it in your browser. It's such a good tool to help you be ready to give an answer for the hope you have in Christ.

This is Hysterical!

2005-12-02T14:03:00.000-05:00

I have been wasting time finding funny videos. Here's a great one.

Ah, The 80's

2005-12-02T12:57:00.000-05:00

This like totally made me crack up!

You grew up in the 80's if

1. You’ve ever ended a sentence with the word “SIKE”
2. You watched the Pound Puppies.
3. You can sing the rap to the “Fresh Prince of Belair” and can do the
“Carlton”.
4. Girls wore biker shorts under their skirts and felt stylishly sexy.
5 You yearned to be a member of the Baby-sitters club and tried to start
a club of your own.
6. You owned those lil’ Strawberry Shortcake pals scented dolls.
7. You know that “WOAH ” comes from Joey on Blossom
8. Two words: Hammer Pants
9. If you ever watched “Fraggle Rock”
10. You had plastic streamers on your handle bars… and “spokey-dokes” or
playing cards on your spokes for that incredible sound effect
11. You can sing the entire theme song to “DuckTales ” (Woo ooh!)
12. It was actually worth getting up early on a Saturday to watch
cartoons.
13. You wore a ponytail on the side of your head.
14. You saw the original “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ” on the big
screen…and still know the turtles names.
15. You got super-excited when it was Oregon Trail day in computer class
at school.
16. You made your mom buy one of those clips that would hold your !
shirt in a knot on the side.
17. You played the game “MASH ” (Mansion, Apartment, Shelter, House)
18. You wore stonewashed Jordache jean jackets and were proud of it.
19. L.A. Gear….need I say more?
20. You wanted to change your name to “JEM ” in Kindergarten.(She’s
truly outrageous.)
21. You remember reading “Tales of a fourth grade nothing” and all the
Ramona books.
22. You know the profound meaning of “WAX ON, WAX OFF”
23. You wanted to be a Goonie.
24. You ever wore fluorescent clothing. (some of us…head-to-toe)
25. You can remember what Michael Jackson looked like before his nose
fell off and his cheeks shifted.
26. You have ever pondered why Smurfette was the only female smurf.
27. You took lunch boxes to school… and traded Garbage Pail kids in
the schoolyard.
28. You remember the CRAZE, then the BANNING of slap bracelets.
29. You still get the urge to say “NOT ” after every sentence.
30. You remember Hypercolor t-shirts.
31. Barbie and the Rockers was your favorite band.
32. You thought She-ra (Princess of Power!) and He-Man should hook up.
33. You thought your childhood friends would never leave because y! o u
exchanged handmade friendship bracelets.
34. You ever owned a pair of Jelly-Shoes. (and like 24 .. probably in
neon colors, too)
35. After you saw Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure you kept saying “I know you
are, but what am I?”
36. You remember “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up”
37. You remember going to the skating rink before there were inline
skates.
38. You ever got seriously injured on a Slip and Slide.
39. You have ever played with a Skip-It
40. You had or attended a birthday party at McDonalds.
41. You’ve gone through this nodding your head in agreement or shaking
your head in embarassed memories.
42. You remember Popples.
43. “Don’t worry, be happy”
44. You wore like, EIGHT pairs of socks over tights with high top
Reeboks.
45. You wore socks scrunched down (and sometimes still do… getting
yelled at by “younger hip” members of the family)
46. You remember boom boxes. . and walking around with one on your
shoulder like you were all that.
47. You remember watching both “Gremlins ” movies.
48. You know what it meant to say “Care Bear Stare!!”
49. You remember watching “Rainbow Bright” and “My Little Pony Tales”
50. You thought Doogie Howser/Samantha Micelli was hot.
51. You remember Alf, the lil furry brown alien from Melmac.
52. You remember New Kids on the Block when they were cool.. and don’t
even flinch when people refer to them as “NKOTB”.
53. You knew all the characters names and their life stories on “Saved
By The Bell,” The ORIGINAL class.
54. You know all the words to Bon Jovi - SHOT THROUGH THE HEART.
55. You just sang those words to yourself.
56. You remember watching Magic vs. Bird.
57. Homemade Levi shorts.. (the shorter the better)
58. You remember when mullets were cool!
59. You had a mullet!
60. You still sing “We are the World”
61. You tight rolled your jeans.
62. You owned a bannana clip.
63. You remember “Where’s the Beef?”
64. You used to (and probably still do) say “What you talkin’ bout Willis?”
65. You had big hair and you knew how to use it.
66. You’re still singing shot through the heart in your head, aren’t you!!!

Bye-Bye Big Mac

2005-12-02T00:14:00.000-05:00

My wife just finished watching Super Size Me. I don't think we're going to McDonald's ever again. I guess I'll live. I just hope she doesn't try to get me to go vegan! :-)

@!$%^#

2005-11-28T12:28:00.000-05:00

I just finished reading "A Million Little Pieces" by James Frey. Yes, it was an Oprah book of the month. I don't usually read her recommended books because of the language and content. But this one was an autobiography so I thought I would give it go. The book made me think and Larry and I did have some interesting discussions. (Another post for another day) One thing it made me think about was language and how it is used. The book is full of crass words. You name it and it is in there. After a while my mind would just skip over the f-word like it was a place holder. It was used as a noun, adjective, verb, exclamation. You get the idea.

So what makes a bad word a bad word? Is it how we use the word in our culture? Is it the value we place on a word? When I taught Third grade one of my students asked if Indians (Native Americans) had swear words. I told him I didn't know, but most cultures do have what we would call swear words. One of the other kids piped up with his version of an Indian swear word. Something like shokypocky. It made me laugh at the time.

Our Pastor's kid had her own version of a bad word when she was a rebel toddler. She made up her own anger bad word. Whenever she was mad at her mom she would use it. Sounds funny and we might be tempted to laugh at our kid if they did that, but Pastor's wife was wise to see the motivation behind the language and didn't allow her to use her word.

Take the word suck. Many of us would consider "That sucks" to be crass and we wouldn't say it. But many high school kids today don't even know the connotation of that phrase. So is it still a bad word? Will it be crass in 20 years? Or will it be the same as "that stinks"?

My kids don't really know what bad words are. We have never pointed them out. (I am not talking about using God's name in vain here.) Yesterday afternoon while we were watching a movie on a cable channel one of the movie commentators slipped in the a-word. The girls didn't even notice. Larry and I were a bit surprised. It was 4 o clock in the afternoon. We didn't say anything about it. We just ignored it. Sometimes Claire, who listens carefully and picks up vocabulary easily, will ask what a bad word means. We tell her it is a crass way to say what you really mean.

I know what the Bible tells me about my language. It mirrors what is in my heart. And maybe I am not using socially unacceptable words, but when I get angry what comes out of my mouth? Is it acceptable to God?

Old Friends, New Memories

2005-11-27T00:06:00.000-05:00

We had a great time visiting with Scott and Cheryl Donnelly this past Friday. It's been a long time since we've had a chance to sit and talk with them. We talked about old times, what's going on now and exchanged ministry stories and tips. Our kids loved having additional audience members for their nightly shows!

It was good to see you guys. I hope we can do it again sometime in the near future.

Decomposition

2005-11-23T14:46:00.000-05:00

I read an interesting article that I thought was worth discussing. I apologize for the long post, but check this out and let us know what you think.

Let Us Decompose
by Mike Duran

G.K. Chesterton said, “Art is the signature of man.” Some believe men rose from monkeys. But let the record show, monkeys have no interest in sketching men. It is precisely our urge to sketch monkeys, which separates us from them. As the apologist wrote, if man was “an ordinary product of biological growth, like any other beast or bird, then it is all the more extraordinary that he was not in the least like any other beast or bird.” When ancient man first dipped his thumb into the blood of berries and scraped that red swath across cool granite, he distanced himself from elks and orangutans.

Human history is one of composition. Of course, we’ve come a long way from dancing reindeer and stick men on blackened cave walls. Today, the cave walls are digital and the stick men dance in cyberspace. But whether it’s Mozart or 50 Cent, Rembrandt or Warhol, Aesop or Spielberg, the urge to compose—to create new beings and worlds, new stories and songs—is unique to us. We write, paint, carve and mold; we sit hunched over parchments and tape recorders, laptops and canvas, searching for the right word, the right sound, the right image, yearning to rise above our earthly origins and distance ourselves from elks and orangutans.

Yet the creative spark reveals more about us than just our dissimilarity to animals. In a way, all composition is really decomposition. The word “decompose” simply means “to separate into components or basic elements.” It is to categorize, quantify, sort and stack; it is to break something down to its lowest common denominator.

In reality, we never really create anything: we reassemble existing parts, cut and paste objects and ideas from the known world, reshuffle the deck. Even abstracts are just extracts of the ordinary. I mean, when was the last time a new primary color was invented or a missing musical note discovered? Genuine originality, it’s been said, is rare. I’d venture to say, it’s extinct, dead with the first chisel strike or quill stroke. “There’s nothing new under the sun,” King Solomon said, without crediting his source. Maybe this is why plotlines follow the same basic patterns. Prime time TV is a constant karmic retread of new faces trapped in the same tired tales. Even Hollywood, the summit of artistic inclination, cannot rise above the remake. Musicians are judged by who they sound like (part Bob, Beck and Bruce), actors by who they look like (she’s got Jessica’s hair, Nicole’s eyes and Angelina’s lips) and books by how they read (think Harry Potter with a dash of Steele). Even fantasy worlds look like ours and superheroes like us—with a little tweaking. All our creations are re-creations, omelettes whipped up from yesterday’s leftovers.

For all our ingenuity and technical advances, no matter how many edits and remakes, we cannot rise above the Story Board. We are as fixed to its laws as Frodo is to Middle Earth. We stitch and sketch, dream up and hammer out, but we cannot transcend.

“In the beginning, God created ...” He composed. He assembled parts ex nihilo, “out of nothing.” He spread out the canvas and drew His thumb across the celestial swath. We live in that Composition, on that Canvas; we are the parts He assembled. Herein lies our glory and our deficiency.

We create because we are like Him, but we cannot create like Him.

Unlike God, we cannot make something from nothing. Everything we shape, form, order and arrange requires something else. Like a celluloid hero, the laws of the medium bind us. Poets need language and its laws, for without it their craft is made moot. Some musical forms may push the boundaries, but sour notes are not tolerable—even by the most sophisticated. Architecture can be innovative, as long as the foundation is solid. Characters can be fresh, as long as they are believable. Art must correspond to Reality—in fact, it cannot do anything but that.

If art is the signature of man, as Chesterton suggested, then man is the signature of God. And every film, song, poem or novel, no matter how tired or twisted, is an echo of His original act. So let us borrow, bleed and recast the old, tell the Tale a thousand times over. Let us crush the berries, raise the chisel and strike up the band, for tonight we decompose.

This Article is from RelevantMagazine.com.