For My Fan

It's been a while since my last post and since my fan is clamoring for a blog update, here's what has been happening at the Pittman house:

1. The usual - Life has been busy, especially as Christopher has become super mobile. I cannot turn my back for a minute, with all the things he and Corban get into. Christopher is constantly looking for something to eat. No matter what else he is doing, he stops every few minutes or so to check out the kitchen table. It's hilarious to watch, and if there is something on the table, he begins circling to find a way to get to it. Before long he'll be able to reach the middle of the table so nothing will be safe.

BUT, I much prefer him eating food from the table to the things he was eating. In a given day I would find him chewing on the bulb in his night light (only Jesus could have kept it from shattering), gnawing on the decorative coals in the fireplace, and trying to eat anything else small enough to fit in his mouth, including ping pong balls.

Corban's current obsessions are the following: toothpaste, lotion, hand soap, bath soap, running the sink water, flooding the bathroom, markers, the key to the deadbolt, and mints from church. He spends the better part of each day concerned about where the key is and scouring my bedroom/bathroom for stray mints. He's learned to lock and unlock the door, so he will lock himself in to buy time to search for candy, while I am fiddling with the lock to get the door open. So far, no amount of disciplinary action has helped. What is in those little white mints??

2. Pest control -

The kids and I were outside - they were playing and I was getting some flower pots ready for planting. Christopher and I were under the deck and when I turned over my big urn, lo and behold there was a little snake...a now coiled up little snake. Baby C was only about a foot and a half away from it, and I freaked out. I dropped the urn back over it and snatched Baby up.

There was no way I could let my kids play outside knowing that thing was out there, so I had no choice but to exterminate it. I went inside and put on some jeans and my black and white polka dotted rain boots, now snake boots, and determined to kill it. I got out a shovel and a pick axe thing, and flipped over the urn, hopping up and down all the while. It was hiding inside the lip of the pot so I had to force it out. I so hope the neighbors were not outside...certainly they weren't because if they were, I feel sure someone would have checked on me. I was making so much noise trying to work up the nerve to kill it - squawking and squealing - I'm surprised it didn't have a heart attack.

Anyway, three different shovels later, I had chopped its head off. It was awful! According to Bear Grylls on Man vs Wild, you are supposed to bury their heads, but that wasn't going to cut it. So we flushed it. Move over Proverbs 31 woman...I didn't see snake wrangling on her list ;)

And I wish I could show you the video clip, or the cute pictures of Christopher on table patrol, but they are on my iPad and I can't figure out how to move the files to the computer. Which means I will have to read some instructions...blech...and then after wasting a considerable amount of time on it, I'll probably discover that it's impossible. As a side note, the camera on iPad2 is not fabulous. I guess that leaves them something to upgrade for iPad3. Thank you Steve.

There's more to say, with more depth and importance, but my energy for today is zapped...so nite nite. I hope my fan is appeased by this morsel of an update.

Thinking...about not much of anything

Random things I am thinking about...

1. I wish I didn't let my mood swing on a pendulum. I hate it when I am having a good day and then it all changes because one thing happened that, in the grand scheme of life, doesn't matter.

2. I am loving the new Passion CD. I'm stuck on the fountain song and Spirit Fall. All My Fountains sounds like a fun song to play, if only I knew how to play guitar.

3. I'm loving my new iPad, and am realizing that it's a good thing I don't have the 3G version because I would be a useless human being.

4. Right now I'm realizing how loud my dishwasher is. Ridiculous.

5. The whole business with Rob Bell's new book got me thinking. I find it interesting that Jesus taught "over the heads" of the intellectuals of His day by teaching on the level of the average uneducated man. The simplicity of the gospel is sometimes too complicated for people...they want to over think, or overexplain it, and that just isn't necessary (sometimes I'm the one over thinking it). My opinion.

6. I haven't been feeling well again lately (my stomach). I'm trying leaving milk out of my diet for a while to see if that helps, but I really hope I'm not allergic to it. So far it isn't helping so we'll see.

7. I've decided that The Cock of the Walk has the best fried catfish in town. We tried another restaurant yesterday because COTW is closed
for lunch, and I didn't like it. When I eat catfish at COTW I can't even tell I'm eating fish, and that's a good thing.

8. I wish this thing (my iPad) had an arrow button to move down the page because it's way hard to scroll down to the bottom inside this little box I'm typing in on blogger. I can't figure out how to scroll inside of it.

9. I would really love a road trip right now...not sure where to, but I don't think that part matters. I've just got itchy feet.

10. I love these two new cookbooks I found...Not Your Mothers Slow Cooker cookbook and Not Your Mothers Casseroles. They have tons of recipes that don't include cans of cream of whatever soup and a lot of the other processed ingredients you usually find in recipes. There are some unique recipes in there, too, which I like.

11. The most ingenious thing to me is the recipe for oven pancakes. You just make the batter, pour it in a jelly roll pan and cook it for 15 minutes...no being stuck at the griddle flipping cakes. I can pop that in the oven and focus on scrambled eggs and bacon or whatever else I am making, and everything can be done at the same time. I always manage to burn the eggs when I try to cook them while I'm flipping pancakes.

12. Does anybody care what random things I am thinking about ;)

13. I can't think anymore, it's time to veg.

14. Had to come back and add one more. I know tonight is a supermoon and it's the closest it will ever get, and all that, but...I can't tell any difference whatsoever. Maybe I should have been out there when it first "rose." Obviousy I have missed something.

15. I'm wondering if I stole the title to this post from someone, sub-consciously. I was sitting in church and all of a sudden I thought, I think I've heard that title somewhere before. If I did don't be mad at me...I've checked the usual blogs I read, but haven't found the person I may or may not have plagiarized. Oh well.

Bedtime Routines

So, people with kids - I want to know what your bedtime routines are. I always hear beautiful stories about reading together and singing and bath and prayers, and kids in bed early. What I want to know, in all seriousness, is what does it look like logistically? Like, how do you cook dinner, clean up the kitchen and do all that bonding stuff and get the kids to bed at a decent time? Give me the schedule...please ;) For real.
I'm not kidding...if you have a good routine I want to hear about it and how you pull it off.

If We've Ever Needed You...

Hear our cry, Lord, we pray
Our faces down, our hands are raised
You called us out, we turned away
We've turned away

With shipwrecked faith the idols rise
We do what is right in our own eyes
Our children now will pay the price
We need Your light, Lord, shine Your light

If we've ever needed You
Lord, it's now, Lord, it's now
We are desperate for Your hand
We're reaching out, we're reaching out

These are some of the lyrics to Casting Crown's, "If We've Ever Needed You" (I hope they are accurate, I cut and pasted from the web). I think the chorus points out what the root problem is, and I am in no way knocking the song, but we have a faulty way of thinking. Well, I should probably say a faulty way of living, because we "know" the right answers.

One of our biggest problems, as I see it, is that we are not aware of our constant need of God. It's only when we have trouble that we turn and say, "I need you." The truth is that we are never more, or less, in need of God. We might have times that we are more, or less, aware of it, but the need is always there.

I believe that where we get in trouble is that when things are good, we drift along thinking we're doing a pretty good job managing our lives, not acknowledging the One who gives us the breath of life each day. Who knows how much He intervenes on our behalf (behalves? ;) daily? The hardest thing to do, to me, is to stay connected when life is good...no one has trouble staying near to God when life is hard. What I mean is, we seek Him more readily, even if we don't necessarily have an awareness of His nearness to us. We do our part.

That's why God said in Deuteronomy (to the people about to enter the Promised Land):

When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the LORD your God for the good land he has given you. Be careful that you do not forget the LORD your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery...You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today.

There are other passages of scripture, too, that make it clear that destruction follows when we forget God...and that tends only to happen when life is good. I like it when life is good. I like my Life is Good stickers. And my coffee cups. But God help me to stay grounded, focused and close when things are great so that I don't have to work so hard when things get difficult. There's a lot less ground to cover when you've never left the throne room.

First Boo-boo

Christopher got his first big boo-boo yesterday. He did a faceplant in the driveway, and apparently only cried for about 30 seconds. I think I handled it pretty well. I had gone to pick Riley up from school and when I pulled into the driveway I saw Dave holding Christopher with blood trickling from his nose. It was a bit shocking at first, but I didn't flip out...probably because I wasn't here to see it happen and, therefore, replay it over and over in my mind.

It doesn't seem to bother him at all - not even when I cleaned it and put medicine on it.

Looks like an ad for Band-Aid...totally unplanned. He was digging in a drawer when I took the picture and happened to pull out this box.

I think this next one is completely appropriate for someone who has faceplanted...he looks angry. But he's not, really. This is him preparing for the retina searing flash that he knows his coming.

He's a big boy...guess I had better get used to this.

And Such Were Some of You

"Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God." 1 Corinthians 6:9-11

This passage is set in the context of believers bringing lawsuits against other believers. There were two main issues Paul brought up:

1. They were trying to settle disputes outside the church in front of 'secular' courts of law, and
2. That there were lawsuits in the first place was an indication of a problem.

I can't claim to know exactly what Paul was thinking, but I can tell you what struck me about the part I highlighted in bold, "And that is what some of you were." He told them that it would be better to allow themselves to be wronged than bring a lawsuit...also that some of them were actually the wrongdoers.

I can picture this letter being read aloud to the church at Corinth. Surely there would have been some in the crowd that when it was read that the sexually immoral, idolaters, adulterers, etc., wouldn't inherit the kingdom, that would have said "yeah, uh-huh, preach it pastor, that's right," until he then read, "and such were some of you." "Oh." What more could be said? "Oh. Yeah. That's right. I forgot." Silence.

I know, I know, He removes our sin and casts it as far as the east is from the west. But that doesn't mean we are to forget...we aren't to hold on to shame or guilt, but if we forget what we once were, then we will become short on grace for other people. It is much easier for me to forgive, and look past outward failures or habits, when I remember what I once was. I don't have to think about it very long, and I manage to find some grace for the other person.

This is like fresh news to me today. Mind you, it isn't easy, but we are called to be slow to anger, patient and kind, remembering that it is the kindness of the Lord that leads to repentance. Oh yeah. That's right. I forgot.

Valentines Day

So, yesterday was Valentines Day (or Singles Awareness Day, depending on your current "season"). Dave and I have yet to celebrate together - so far he has been on dates with Riley, on Saturday, and Caeley, on Sunday. I had to get in line, so tonight it's my turn. We are pretty low key - usually not extravagant with our gifts. In fact, I am giving Dave the usual "gift of nothing." That's what he appreciates, so that's what he gets for most occasions. I don't really appreciate the "gift of nothing," though, so who knows what he came up with.

I guess Valentines Day is really just another day, but I think it's fun to celebrate and remind people that they are loved; although, that should happen all the time.

We had V-Day dinner with the kids last night. I put a candle in the middle of the table with the Valentines from their grandparents around it. I made some heart decorations and hung them from the chandelier (a term I use loosely) above the kitchen table.



I also hand-made them Valentines - this is very unusual for me, you must know. But it was fun using scrapbook paper and scalloped scissors and glue - it was like kindergarten revisited. I should do that more often. Here's Corban's, on his plate


I even made one for Dave (I made one for myself, too, because if I hadn't someone would have fussed at Daddy for not making Mommy one...and he was innocent and didn't know I was doing all this, so I just cut that off at the pass). Dave's has a picture that Riley drew of our family a couple of days ago


I think I'm in there somewhere - probably the one off to the side, that kind of looks like she's laying down. Riley must know Mommy is tired.

For dinner we had the perfect special meal for my kids: chocolate chip pancakes with whipped cream!! There were scrambled eggs, too, but who wants those when you've got chocolate and whipped cream for dinner (except Corban who does not like whipped cream - how is that possible)? Dave and I ate the chicken I cooked earlier in the day because I needed real food.

I did, however, eat one pancake for dessert...along with a couple of the free truffles from Earthfare...they are so good and they melt in your mouth. But that's not important right now ;) The kids were fascinated with the candle and they were left unattended briefly. They decided to blow it out, thankfully, because otherwise they may have been tempted to burn stuff. Instead of burning stuff, they decided to drop their leftover eggs in there, and the wax began to harden around said eggs. That's just gross - Dave dug them out, though, so now the candle looks jacked up. But, I'll take that over a fire breaking out.

All in all it was really the perfect way to celebrate the day, with all my loves, big and little. I am a blessed woman, in so many ways.

Now, I'm off to eat a truffle, for blessed is she who eats chocolate. I'm pretty sure that's in the Bible somewhere ;)