What I'm doing today

Today my plan is to attempt to recreate this "look" from Pottery Barn using a $12.21 cabinet/small hutch purchased from Goodwill and a few shelves from Target. Wish me luck!

Note - my cabinet/small hutch has doors. Open, floor-level china cabinets and toddlers do not mix well.

I also spent the morning wandering around our neighborhood as today is the annual community-wide yard sale. I scored some Tonka trucks for Charlie for $1 each! Good deals put me in such a good mood...it's going to be a good day!

Happyp Saturday !!

Fight for those who can't fight for themselves

Today I checked my email and found this article from desiringgod.org, John Piper's organization. It's been a long week and as I read this email, I heard these words in my head, repeated many times by my parents over the years, "I'll give you something to cry about!" Talk about a quick change in perspective...

[Note - Normally I'm not a fan of trying to combat the pro-choice movement with graphic descriptions or pictures of the "procedures" involved in abortion but in this case, the words are directly from the Supreme Court's opinion. So disturbing it is, but very worth the read.]

"Let the Python Eat Its Tail. Amen.

April 25, 2007 By John Piper

Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote the opinion of the Supreme Court in upholding the ban on partial birth abortions on April 18, 2007. It is astonishing to read the opinion. The detail with which abortion is discussed exceeded my expectation. Kennedy’s own descriptions of the various forms of abortion are explicit and extensive. Descriptions of the procedure of partial birth abortion (“intact dilation and extraction”) are given from both doctors’ and nurses’ perspectives.

For example, one nurse described the procedure on a twenty-six-week-old “fetus” as follows—and remember this is a quote from Justice Kennedy’s official Supreme Court decision:

Dr. Haskell went in with forceps and grabbed the baby’s legs and pulled them down into the birth canal. Then he delivered the baby’s body and the arms—everything but the head. The doctor kept the head right inside the uterus. . . . The baby’s little fingers were clasping and unclasping, and his little feet were kicking. Then the doctor stuck the scissors in the back of his head, and the baby’s arms jerked out, like a startle reaction, like a flinch, like a baby does when he thinks he is going to fall. The doctor opened up the scissors, stuck a high-powered suction tube into the opening, and sucked the baby’s brains out. Now the baby went completely limp. . . . He cut the umbilical cord and delivered the placenta. He threw the baby in a pan, along with the placenta and the instruments he had just used. (p. 8)

There is a certain irony to the argument for the Supreme Court’s ruling. One argument against the necessity of a health exception for the mother was that alternative methods of abortion are legally available, if necessary, even at this late stage in the pregnancy. For example, the ordinary D&E (dilation and extraction). The irony is that the Court concedes that the “the standard D&E is in some respects as brutal, if not more, than intact D&E” (p. 6). In other words, in normal, legal abortions, the baby is torn apart limb from limb while still in the womb, but in a partial birth abortion, the baby is mercifully spared the dismemberment and his brains are quickly sucked out of his head.

Such are the contorted conditions in which we find ourselves: The proposal of a manifestly barbaric law (permitting the dismemberment of a partially born child) is defeated by the legal standing of a more barbaric law (permitting the dismemberment of a child in the womb). But the history of Providence has many such stories to tell—great evils finally being self-destroyed, like a python swallowing its own tail.

Pro-abortion politicians tremble as they see it coming. Barack Obama worries that “this ruling will embolden state legislatures to enact further measures to restrict a woman’s right to choose.” The Supreme Court erred, he said, because partial birth abortion is “a matter of equal rights for women.”

This use of catch phrases is surely tired. “Right to choose.” “Equal rights for women.” The grandchildren of the sixties are waking up to the vagueness and danger of those phrases. Right to choose what? Anything? All laws that protect children limit the rights of moms (and dads) to choose. You can’t choose to starve them. You can’t choose to lock them in closets for three weeks. You can’t choose to abandon them. You can’t choose to strangle them five minutes after they are born.

And “equal rights for women”—equal with whom? Equal with the irresponsible dad. Dad has sex and bears no responsibility for the baby. Mom should be equally able to have sex and bear no responsibility for the baby. Young people are looking at this and saying: Something is wrong with this picture. Maybe our lives are as broken as they are because our parents have twisted their hearts and minds so deeply to justify equality in irresponsibility.
Hilary Clinton opposes the Supreme Court decision because “the rights and lives of women must be taken into account.” Yes. That is mainly what this forty-page opinion of the court does. Read it. And it will be interesting whether Senator Clinton will have any opinion about moms and dads who want to abort their little girls, but not their little boys. I think the younger generation may ask the senator: Should the life of little women be taken into account, or only big women?

I pray that ahead and behind of the delegalization of abortion will flow waves of inner repentance as we awaken to the outrage of assaulting God’s image-bearers in the very moment of his knitting them together in their mothers’ wombs (Psalm 139:13). "

...a small victory this week. It's times like this that I'm reminded: we are winning.

Sermon Notes

On Sunday our pastor preached on 1 Jn 1:5-10, the well-know passage about walking in the light. During the course of the sermon I realized that I had not ever really understood exactly what was meant by "the light." He solved that for me by defining what is meant by "walking in the light": we need to expose and be exposed in our sin and brokenness. He further emphasised this point by saying that living a transparent life before the world is the only way to have true relationships - with God, our spouses, children, others and ultimately even ourselves. To paraphrase George Robertson: "If we are not confessing our sins to others and admitting the gap between what I am and what I say, it will be difficult to have real, authentic relationships with God or others." It was a very convicting and enlightening sermon for me, and it particularly hit home when he applied this point to last week's events at VA Tech by saying that we are all broken, flawed, imperfect and abnormal - every single human being is in need of the same thing: relationship with Christ who is in the business of restoring brokenness, flawed humanity and real community. He expressed his sorrow and sadness for the gunman in last week's events, who was so rejected, despised and broken that he did what he did. A creature in the image of God reduced to such sadness and evil. He is culpable for sure, and my pastor emphasized that fact over and over but he said "Could his story have been different?" He pointed out that the common theme in these horrific school shootings we've all witnessed over the years is not only the weapons used to commit the offenses, rejection, bullying and pain are all there as well. He finished up his aside on VA Tech by challenging us, seemingly looking everyone in the congregation right in the eyes and saying, "Let none of you think you are the standard for normalcy...live honestly and openly about your brokenness and need of a Savior." This challenged me personally in ways I don't yet understand and it challenged me as a mother to really pray for Charlie, pray that he has a soft heart for others, that he will be the one to reach out in love for the unlovely or the "un-cool." Jesus did that, after all - tax collectors, women, prostitutes? Surely we comfortable Americans-American Christians in particular-can pray for softer hearts and true compassion for the people in our society who are in need of real community and real healing.

On a lighter note, :) CHARLIE IS WALKING!! Talk about an answer to many, many prayers - 4 months ago he couldn't sit up or crawl. He's met 90% of his major milestones in such a short period of time and we could not be happier! Here are some pictures from the week-end...

Tired

I am tired. Very tired. Ryan and I have both been working a ton for the past few weeks and I just can't seem to get the rest I need. Ryan has been on call every other night, making very difficult for either of us to catch up on sleep. And I'm definitely starting to feel my age. :) I think I just need some down time as I've been out of town for the past 3 week-ends. I am really too tired to think right now, it's hitting me all of the sudden. So I'll stick to lists. I am a list person. I could make lists in my sleep.

Things I'm loving right now:
1. My new "Meals for a Month" strategy. I've saved lots of time and money. I hope to perfect this habit in May.

2. The bagged salads that come with all the fixins, including dressing. This week we've had 2 different varieties and I loved both - Asian Supreme and Restaurant-style Poppyseed something-or-other. Both were fantastic.

3. Our new small group. We are studying marriage and it's excellent so far! Believe it not, it's the first marriage study we've ever done in our nearly 5 years of marriage.

4. The brand-new portable DVD player we bought for our many road trips. I scored it off ebay for $80, instead of the $125+ we thought we were going to have to pay!

5. Date night. We have a babysitter tomorrow night and are going out with some friends.

6. The office. Hands-down best TV show ever (next to Desperate Housewives).


Things I'm neutral about:
1 - The cupcakes I made for a party tonight. I had grand visions of chocolate cupcakes, lemon-yellow icing and black polka dots but now it just looks like globs of cake got stuck to the icing...or bugs landed on the cupcakes and I didn't bother to shoo them away. Oh well.


Things I'm not loving right now:
1. Mean kids

2. Not having time to do any of the fun projects on my list. I really want to embroider these cute little fruit and veggie designs in last month's Martha Stewart magazine.

3. How tired I am! What happened to the Emily of endless energy??

4. Ryan's job hunt. This is the real deal, the place where we'll likely end up living for quite some time. It's our 3rd time to choose a city together but this time it's much more stressful. The finality of this choice is what makes it so hard. I hope we know something soon!

5. The chaos and fickleness of corporate America. Just make personnel decisions and stick to 'em, already!

6. Rotator cuff tendonitis - when is my shoulder going to feel better?


Happy Friday!

A Void

I'm really missing my camera. I can't believe it left us so suddenly. One minute it was alive and well, capturing our lives with such dignity even though it was about 5 years old and quite possibly the first digital camera ever made. I really wanted to sell some things on ebay, take Easter pics, etc but no, my camera had to die on us. Very depressing.

I am really going to be missing my camera this week-end. We're headed to Savannah to throw a big 30th wedding anniversary party for my parents. These days people just don't stay married for 30 minutes much less 30 years so this milestone is definitely cause for celebration. We're co-hosting the party with my sister and brother-in-law and have really been saving our pennies...we're having it catered by some church friends in Savannah. We're each making a dessert - Anna is making some kind of blueberry cake and I'm making the famous Paula Dean Not Yo' Mama's Banana Pudding, as banana pudding is my Dad's favorite. This recipe is particularly tasty and a little bit different from other banana puddings I've tasted. And it looks pretty in a trifle bowl. I've been hard at work on a memory book of sorts to present to them at the party. Hopefully it will turn out OK...


There is no more lovely, friendly and charming relationship, communion or company than a good marriage.
- Martin Luther

Informal poll

I'm just wondering what everyone thinks of this -

http://www.biblicalwomanhood.com/index.htm

Wow - it's been awhile!

I just realized that it has been quite some time since I last posted. I'm sure I was sorely missed. :)

The Wedding:

Very fun and very tiring! It was beautiful and everything turned out just right - just like Katie imagined it...except my camera didn't make it. It died the night of the wedding. Janelle emailed one picture from the rehearsal dinner -

I missed Charlie like crazy but my family took good care of him - he plenty of people to entertain him, that's for sure!

Me:

One big reason why I haven't posted is that I've been dealing with some kind of shoulder injury since early last week. I have no idea how it happened - maybe incorrect push-up position - but I've been to the dr and have been diagnosed with tendonitus of my rotator cuff. It really stinks and everytime I think it's getting better, I overdo it or move it funny and re-injure myself. :( So tomorrow I'm taking a sick day and staying off my computer all week-end in hopes of finally recovering. We'll see!

I'm also experimenting with a new meal plan this month - meals for a month. Janelle gave me this idea and I'm giving it a try: plan all your meals for a month and make one big trip to the grocery (for me this turned into one big trip to the grocery and one big trip to Sam's). Then just go to the store for the fresh stuff you need once a week. Supposedly this will save time and money. We'll see. I'm all for saving money since Ryan and I put ourselves on this big-time budget. :)

In other news, my most recent and most fashion-forward Spring wardrobe addition: bright yellow patton-leather flats with a small pointy heal. They look fabulous with white pants and jeans. These shoes were very budget-friendly, weighing in at a whopping $9.99. I got the idea of yellow shoes from one of the fashion segments during the 9:30 segment of Today.

Work:

We are going thru a big "re-org" at my office, a corporate re-structuring if you will. Think The Office - Branch Closing episode. It should be interesting. I may be getting a new boss and a new team. Can't decide if that's good news or bad. Stay tuned.

I'm also working on trianing some resources "off-shore." (read: India). So my hours are very odd and believe it or not, Schoolhouse Rock- How a Bill Becomes a Law has been part of our training agenda.

Charlie:

He's turning into a little boy. :( His newest thing is an obsession with trucks. He drives them around the room, using his little sitting crawl. It's very cute. What is not cute, however, is how he expresses his frustration when he a) crashes the truck into something (a frequent occurance in our little house or b) turns it over and can't get it back on all fours. He throws a major fit. I think he's frustrated that his body can't do what his mind wants to do, but geez, I wish he'd be a little more polite about it.

Some pictures, courtesy of Janelle who came to visit this week...

(In the picture above, he's saying "Mmmm" because he is starvin' to death and loved what I'd just fed him.)

Easter plans:
Ryan is working all week-end (sad for us :( ) so Charlie and I are headed to Savannah. I don't want to spend the week-end alone. So we'll attend the big Easter egg hunt and pancake breakfast with my family at our home church Saturday morning and then spend the afternoon at the beach, all bundled up as we are going to have some record-cold temps in south GA this week-end!

Happy Easter!

Lives again our glorious King, Alleluia!Where, O death, is now thy sting? Alleluia!Once He died our souls to save, Alleluia!Where thy victory, O grave? Alleluia!

Soar we now where Christ hath led, Alleluia!Following our exalted Head, Alleluia!Made like Him, like Him we rise, Alleluia!Ours the cross, the grave, the skies, Alleluia!