Saving the ice cream

There is an ice cream problem in my house.  It disappears.  The Pastor loves ice cream and doesn't know when to stop.  So this week, I bought a box for him and one for me.  I expect his to be gone by midnight.  So, to keep him from moving on to mine, I had to have a plan.  I thought I would do a simple tutorial so you, too, could protect your ice cream:

You will need:

One box of ice cream bars

Scissors and a chip clip

A large ziploc bag

A bag of brocoli florets

Gather all of your materials and cut open the bag of brocoli

Pour the broccoli into the ziploc bag and seal.  Do you see where this is going?

NOW,  Place the ice cream bars in the broccoli bag and seal with the chip clip.

You're ready to return the ice bars and the broccoli to the freezer, safe and sound.

The strangest thing happened this weekend.

I emptied a hamper. Mind you, not ALL hampers, BUT all of the towels, and the hamper that Steve and I share was totally empty for over an hour.

Plus, I broke one of my self-enforced rules and did a load for Charles as well. Decided not to go overboard and do the rest of his laundry, though. I firmly believe that when a child is old enough to reach the dials on the washer, that his laundry should be his responsibility. I’ll pitch in if I’m home on vacation, or they’re in a pinch, or I’m totally bored. And I'll wash a few things of his if I'm running a smaller load.

In response to trusting him with this great responsibility, C has created a rather successful ploy. He washes a load, dries it, and leaves it in the dryer. Then he washes another load and leaves it in the washer. Forever.

Sometimes I finish it for him, sometimes I try to outwait him. I never claimed to enjoy doing laundry, I’m willing to stall. But I try to make him do his laundry. I’m not sure what Meg does these days. I don’t see much laundry of hers done at my house.

On another note, though somewhat related, we have revival this coming weekend. When the kids were little, my key to surviving revival (either here or in Urbana) while working full time and living with young children, was to buy each child all new socks and underwear. By Friday or Saturday of revival week, my mind was so overtaxed (it doesn’t take much), that I couldn’t even find the stuff to wash if I had the time. So, I just figured it was a good time to restock and save some of my sanity as well. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

New paths....

After almost 25 years, we are moving out of our church. Through an amazing set of circumstances that could have only been ordained by our Lord, Crusaders Church of Decatur is in the process of completing the purchase of a new, larger building.

We are so excited. Although our current building has served us well, we desperately need more room for Sunday School and church. I believe that part of our calling is to reach the children of our community whose parents won't bring them to church. To tell them about Jesus and to love them for Jesus, even when they aren't so lovable!

The new building will have 5 rooms downstairs (I'll be recruiting teachers!), plus a large open area. My head is buzzing with ideas of the things we can do and trying to come up with a plan for arranging everything, plus planning the move!!!

The current plan is to close on the 19th of December and our Christmas program will be on the 21st. We desperately want to be in the building on that Sunday! If everything falls into place, we may be able to take possession a week earlier. That should make December interesting!

So. Add to that two sons with December birthdays, a Mom with a December birthday, and this may be a very confusing month!

I will keep reminding myself that all of the things that will make me so busy this month are good things. It won't be worth getting all upset over (would the kids notice if we don't put a tree up at home?), when it's all about the wonderful blessings!

A very good day

We spent the auspicious Black Friday in Chicago with all of our children. I hope they all had a good time, because for me it was an awesome day.


We started out picking up Andrew and Sarah in Urbana. Sarah volunteered to drive and off we went, headed straight for the Talbot's Outlet Store in Park Ridge. Heaven on earth for Megz and Sarah. They went through that store with a fine toothed comb (hate that analogy), found some great deals, used a coupon and we headed for the minivan.


Then we were off to the Loop, in downtown Chicago. Parked in the underground parking at Grant Park, and ate lunch at a great Italian fast food deli across the street. "No trip to Chicago is complete," says Andrew, "without a visit to the old Marshall Field's (now Macy's) on State Street." Since Grandma Durst worked there in the early 1940's, she always asks if we were there. So we had a walk through the store, rested in the Levenger department in their amazingly over priced chairs and then off to the bargains at Nordstrom Rack (Peggy scored a badly needed winter coat!) and H&M.


We took the free trolley to North Michigan Avenue, shopped at an amazing number of stores and had a great time.


The city was beautifully decorated for the holiday, my family was all together and it could not have been better.


Steve and I had fallen behind the kids (I'm the slow one) as we walked down Michigan Avenue. Ahead of us were: Sarah, Andrew, Meghan, and Charles all walking with arms linked.


That sight was Thanksgiving and Christmas all wrapped up together.

Oh Dear!

My kids are attending the Interchurch Holiness Convention in Dayton next week. We've been as a family several times, and I enjoy it -- especially the opportunity to attend the hugh children's church and watch professional children's church workers in action. It inspires me for months!

But as Meghan was planning what she would wear and how many outfits she would need (the school newsletter said TWO), I was reminded of the time I bought this beautiful navy blue dress and wore it to IHC. I was walking through the lobby and saw a young lady with my dress on! Well, no big surprise, there are like 20,000 people there -- there's bound to be ONE other person with my dress. I walk further. There's another, and another. Oh no! a women's trio must have bought MY DRESS! Oh well, shake it off!

I head for the women's restroom, where a young lady looks at me and says, "Oh! You're wearing our CHOIR dress!" That's right. I was dressed like all of the women in the Hobe Sound Bible College choir!

Me and 40 others!

I've always regretted that I didn't just mozey on over and try to sing with them!

Thirty Years.

That’s how long we have pastored Crusaders Church in Decatur, Illinois.

All I can say is, if we had known then what we know NOW, there might not have been a church. Or at least not started by US!

But what I know is that God has been with us each step of the way. Through all of our stupidity, fear, lack of talent, and even laziness. He has brought us through.

We have a small church. Some may say it’s not worth the trouble, but if just one child’s life is changed, that’s worth 30 years of my life. If we have shown one family that a life with Christ as the center is beautiful, we've not failed.

Yesterday was a good day. 52 in church. Meghan and I taught 25 children in Sunday School in a room smaller than many bedrooms. The good thing about that is we’ve finally figured out a way to manage many children in a small place, we’ve finally figured out a room arrangement so that I can even take a step or two while I’m teaching. Megz and I work well together, and if it weren’t so exhausting, it would be fun!

And the best thing of these thirty years is that I have done it with a faithful man that I love with all of my heart. We’ve been able to show our children that life is not about the money or the house, but about serving others for God. I think they’ve learned that and that is worth it all.

I switched the kitchen cabinets...

And I'm sitting at the computer, silently waiting for comments. DH just walked to the kitchen for his morning cup of tea. Just waiting ...

It has occurred to me that the kitchen cabinets were not loaded logically. Stuff right above the dishwasher goes in and out of the dishwasher. Those things that aren't used as often were above and to the left of the dishwasher. So it was always awkward to put dishes away.

I had a quiet morning, so I switched. It started with pulling out the OTC med bin and throwing away old stuff and straightening that. Then the first aid bin, checking that, writing down needed stuff like UNEXPIRED hydrogen peroxide and rubbing alcohol.

Then I unloaded the dishwasher. And did the whole gotta put the dishes on the counter first, then close the dishwasher door so I can reach the shelves. Hmmmm. Everyone is still asleep. No one to comment or get in my way. So I did it!

Just heard a HMMMMM in the kitchen. I'm just going to wait and see what he says...