Today I had an enlightenment. Did you know that there is a right and a wrong pitch with which to talk? That's right. And if you talk in the wrong pitch for too long, it damages your vocal cords. Rest assurd, though, that most people talk in the right pitch. I also found that singing is the same way. If you sing in the wrong pitch, you can damage your vocal cords.

I went to a Choral Celebration today at Philadelphia Biblical University. I attended two workshops addressing singing techniqiues. Here is where I learned this valuable information. I have been singing tenor. But now I wonder if I should sing alto. I don't want to hurt my vocal cords. I dared not ask the instructor during the workshop, for fear of standing up in front of everyone and having to sing.

I thought that I would seek out my choir director and ask her opinion. She said I would make a great alto. So, next time I'm at choir, I'll give it a try.

I also heard an applicable lecture on Realizing Unity and Reconciliation in Worship by a man from Wheaton College.

He encouraged us to consider the question: Who inspires you? He talked of the kind of people who were reconcilers; people of courage, people or zeal, people of humility.

Soren Kierkegaard was quoted on worship:
True worship quite simply consists in doing God’s will. But that kind of worship was never to people’s liking. What occupies people in every age . . . is to arrange another kind of worship that consists of doing their own will, but in such a way that God’s name, calling upon God, is connected with it, whereby people think themselves protected against being ungodly—alas, although precisely this is the most definite kind of ungodliness. ~The Moment and Late Writings

He quoted Paul in Ephesians 5:21 "Submit to one another in reverence for Christ." He challenged us to think about if we do this in our congregations. Do we allow for our differences in worship, because we reverence Christ? Do we reverence Christ?

He quoted Jesus in John 17:20-26. Specifically verse 21, "that all of them may be one," verse 22b "that they may be one as we are one," and verse 23 "May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me." Jesus is praying for us, that my church be one.

He said that worship is an act of love and devotion to God. It isn't about us and how we feel. It's all about God. Edification and annunciation are byproducts of worship. God is the audience, the congregants are the performers, and the pastors and leaders are the prompters. ~Kierkegaard

We also sang "The Servant Song" by Richard Gillard. http://www.audiblefaith.com/pages/sg852958

There was a time for question, and another attendee brought up corporate sanctification. Do we come to church to sanctify only ourselves or our brothers and sisters in Christ as well? Shouldn't individual sanctification be the means to corporate sanctification?

I have a lot to consider.

My husband's company still has not joined with the new one, yet. We are anticipating when it does, for the pay increase it will bring.

I want to try to do my shopping monthly instead of weekly, except for produce and milk. I also need to get back to planning my meals in advance. I do not like the task of thinking up dinner ideas on the day we are to eat it. I like looking at my meal calendar, seeing what's for dinner, going to the frig and finding all the ingredients. I don't like staring in the freezer and shuffling food around for ten minutes racking my brain about what's in there that we could eat. Especially when I start at 4:00, hoping to eat by 5:00. It just doesn't work for me, and I don't like the pressure. Yet, I find myself doing it way to often.

Therefore, I need to fill out my meal calendar.

Well, our prayers were answered. It wasn't the house for us. Almost all the things we were hoping for were met with a resounding "No!"

Is it really that much to ask to be included in the choice of paint color of the house or for a sidewalk from the driveway to the house? Or a lamp post? And we even offered to pay more money. I feel that they are being a little selfish and overly controlling.

Well, all that doesn't even matter anyway, because the taxes for this house we really like are way to high for us. For some ridiculous reason a 100 year old house is considered new construction, just because it is part of a new subdivision. This house is also assessed at a much higher price than it's worth. So, the taxes are twice what they should be. Did I mention the house now only has a 15th of the land that it originally had? The rest was subdivided off. But yet, the taxes remain the same. But I should be okay with it, right? We asked God to show us His will. He did a good job. Not this house.

Of course, now I anticipate the even better house He has planned for us.

I spent all day reading The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman. I think the book was great. He stated his reasons for writing, his thoughts on love, the five main ways people want to be loved, and thoughts on what to do about what you've just read.

I like to think that I need all five. Quality time, Words of Affirmation, Gifts, Acts of Service, and Physical Touch. But he says we have one main love language. We might like them all, but one stands out. He did say that some of us could be bilingual.

I highly recommend this book. Learn how to love others in a way they understand.

My husband loved me by taking our daughter with him today, so that I could have the day to myself. I read up on how to love him better.

How much thought have you put forth thinking about your skin and the amazing organ that it is?

You take things for granted when they are fine. I cut two fingers the other day. Just small little slivers of skin missing, but it hurts as though the entire end of both fingers are gone. They throbbed all the time when I first cut them. Now, only when I bump them. Typing presses on one of them.

Skin is the largest organ in our body. It covers us up. Holds us together. Helps us keep warm and cool down. Here is a nice little picture.

Isn't it beautiful? Our body constantly amazes me. How God made us and planned everything so perfectly. Our body systems work together to do their jobs.

Our eyelashes and nose hairs help keep dirt out. Our lungs take up a small space compared to the amount of surface area available for oxygen absorption. Our eyes see images upside down, and it's our brains' job to turn the images around.

When I was pregnant, I often thought about the developing my daughter was doing each day, and what a miracle she was. She continues to baffle me in what she can do at only 18 months.

We are all miracles, and even though our bodies don't always do what they are suppose to do, we are perfect.

God planned it all and beautifully executes it in each one of us.

My cuts still hurt though.

There goes that time again. Every time I turn around, it's gone.

Valentine's Day was nice and simple. My husband made me dinner. He brought me tulips and chocolate. I snuck a heart cookie into his lunch, with a note. He got more cookies when he came home.

Valentine's Day is a good time to remember God's love for us, and the love He has rained down upon us. The reason we love is because He first loved us.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Time.
Elusive, slipping.
Ticking away, unreachable.
Hard to keep up, always going.
Never waiting, pushing.
Cannot find, hurry.
Time.

We finally made it to the cabin this weekend. I much enjoy this break from the everyday. I packed and got our car ready by 9:10 am. I was quite proud of myself. We usually run over by at least an hour. We have been trying to get up there for a month. The weekends always had something else.

I had to have it done early, since we were going to look at the house again, this time documenting it on video. My parents had a looksee, too. Our plan was to head up after looking at the house, stopping at the bank, and getting gas. We left at a favorable hour and arrived before dinner time.

The heating bill for the cabin is ridiculous, especially since no one lives there. So, to help not run up the propane bill, we used the fireplace to heat the cabin. This is all well and good when you can build a fire and keep one burning. Our Friday night attempt left us a little cold. Our Saturday attempt was nice and toasty. Our Sunday attempt was in between the two. It also helps immensely to have dry firewood and kindling and enough newspaper. I highly recommend dry wood.

Our daughter had a grand time exploring. This was her first trip up since learning to walk. She was everywhere checking out everything, including the inside of a trash can. Gratefully, the cabin is fairly childproof. We only had to move a few things.

She did however find the knobs on the gas stove rather interesting. She liked to turn them, succeeding once in turning a burner on. I knew something was amiss when I didn't hear her anymore.

We also did well in our timing for coming home. We were not unreasonably late getting home. Did I say I always enjoy a weekend at the cabin?

Have you ever heard of the book Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good Very Bad Day?

Well, yesterday could equal it for me.

I am over my birthday selfishness.

My birthday is today. And I am ungrateful. Instead of being joyful for my wonderful gifts, I am bemoaning that which I did not receive. And in the course of my pity party, I have caused my husband to feel that he did something wrong. He did not. His poor wife is the problem.

He wished me Happy Birthday before I even got up. My husband made me a carmel apple crisp. He took me to dinner Friday night. He bought me thoughtful gifts. He changed all of our daughter's diapers. What more could a wife and mother want?

I am trying to be thankful.

My husband was very excited. He is liking conversing with our daughter. She is starting to understand and communicate more.

He was telling me of a night when he put her to bed. Our daughter was picking out the books to read. She handed one to my husband, but when he sat her on his lap, she gave a look that it wasn't really the book she wanted. So, he asked her if it was. She shook her head no. He asked her if she wanted another book. She nodded yes. He put her down, and she picked out another book. The right one.

It still amazes me when she does what I ask. Not so much that she obeys me (not that that isn't nice,) but that she knows what I am asking her. I asked her if she wanted to color. She said she did, so I got paper ready for her. I looked over at her, and she was holding her crayons. She knew what coloring was, that it involved crayons, where they were kept, and that she should get them.

As my friend says, she's brilliant.

When I turn on our kitchen faucet, I usually end up nearly burning myself, once the hot water comes through. We have the style where one lever runs both hot and cold. When it is right in middle, the water is too hot to put my hands under. I think this should not be. I have to tilt it significantly to the right for the water to be balanced. It has been this way for far too long, and it irritates me immensely. My solution has been to turn the hot water valve to nearly shut. I turned it more tonight. I think I have finally accomplished a balance in my water temperatures.

Last night we had a thunderstorm. My husband and I were in the bathroom brushing teeth, when our lights went out. I thought he did it on purpose as a joke or something. I was about to say "Hey, what are you doing?" when he informed me that we lost power. It was very dark. Our bathroom has no windows, not that they would have helped since there was no light outside. We realized this when my husband tried to shed some light on our darkness by opening our bedroom blinds to let the post light in. As the slats turned, we were still engulfed in darkness. It was a little scary, having the darkness surround me, even though I knew exactly were I was, and that my husband was with me.

Makes me think of my sin that surrounds me in darkness. And Jesus is my light that shines through. Depend on Him and there will always be a light for the darkness that tries to seep in.

Titan 5 . . . the car seat from the other place.

Since switching the car seat to forward facing, we have been using it incorrectly. Apparently, we were using the wrong shoulder slots. We were using the lower ones, but if those are used forward-facing, "the harness may not properly restrain the child in the event of a crash." Fortunately, we have not had to test that warning.

To remedy the mistake, we create the problem. The problem lies with the straps themselves. First, the straps have two toddler positions. When in the lower position, they are too tight. When in the higher position, they are too loose. And to top it all off, the seat has a strap to "easily" tighten the straps once fastened around my child. Well let me tell you, it would only be easily for the Hulk, perhaps. All I accomplish when I pull on that strap is to pull the seat out of position, hurt my hand and arm, and get rather angry with the seat. The strap stays just as loose as it was. I have to reach behind the seat, a feat in itself, and pull down on the plate that hooks the shoulder straps to the pull tight strap. This method is no where in the manual, though I have found it the only effect method. But another problem lies in that when the shoulder strap is in the higher position, I can't really reach the plate, effectively negating my method.

This may be confusing, but just know that it is a royal pain.

I am trying to call Evenflo but haven't gotten through yet.

We bought a CD tower. We opened it. A shelf was split. We returned it.

We bought a different CD tower. We opened it. A shelf was broken, and it was missing instructions. We returned it.

We bought another CD tower. We opened it. It was missing the screws to put it together. We returned it.

We searched through three boxes at the store and found a CD tower with all its parts, that were also not broken and had instructions. We didn't open it at home yet.

What might we find when we do? Oooh, the suspense. I might have to make yet another trip to Wal-Mart.


~~The subjects in this story were not actors, but real people. This story took place over a period of one week. Stay reading for the thrilling conclusion of . . . "The CD Tower."~~

Be still and know....
Be still and know....
Be still and know....

Stephen Curtis Chapman wrote a song called "Be Still and Know." My mom and I heard it on the radio on our way to choir practice. It is also one of our choir's anthems. It is a beautiful song.

....that He is God.
....that He is faithful.
....that he's our Father.

In our busy lives and schedules, we must be still and know God, hear God, see His works. We must still our restless souls.

"Stand in awe and be amazed."

Be still . . . .

Yesterday, I discovered that when warning labels on prescription bottles say to take the medication with copious amounts of water (copious is my word - the label actually said "plenty," but copious adds a little something,) they mean it. I neglected to adhere to that little warning, but my stomach was quite aware and rid itself of the offending intruder.

Consequently, my stomach felt poorly all day. Though, I didn't take the full dosage, but that was a different oversight on my part. I somehow missed the part where the label says to take 1 dose twice a day. I was thinking 1 dose once a day. Oops. Oopses with medication shouldn't really occur. I get an extra day now to take my medicine. AND, even if I read it correctly, after my morning experience and my still poor stomach, I am not so sure I would have attempted taking the medication again so soon.

But alas, after a meal and with a large drink, I ventured a swallow today. Nothing was forthcoming. I took my medication with no ill will on my stomach's part. But, I did not realize the twice part until it was too late to take the second dose today. I will remedy that tomorrow.

My grandmother had us over for lunch today. When we bring her home from church, she sometimes has us up for lunch. We had the ole standby of grilled cheese and chili (it's usually soup, but we thought we'd try chili for a change.) It was tasty. She also had made an applesauce of sorts, and she added raisin. It was tasty, too. My daughter fell asleep on the way over, and slept right through lunch. She ate when we got home. Guess what she had. You're right - grilled cheese.

Again already my morning is askew. Being up very early, my daughter fell asleep by 10:30. I guess it's hit or miss with her and her morning naps.

I will take the opportunity to read my Bible now.

Today I accomplished my laundry and had most of it folded before I went to sleep. Getting all the clean laundry folded and put away the same day I wash it is a challenge for me.

For example, to have full advantage of the use of my laundry baskets today, I had to put towels washed last Wednesday away first.

I have not read my Bible yet this week. I am trying to read through I Corinthians. And would you believe that the book makes more sense when you read it all the way through, instead of a verse here and a section there? Imagine that! I suppose it would than make sense to read II Corinthians next.