Coming in February 2008

A film I'm actually excited about seeing:


EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed

About the film.
"In a scientific world gone mad, EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed is the controversial documentary that will chronicle Ben Stein's confrontation with the Neo-Darwinian "machine," exposing widespread suppression and entrenched discrimination in his heroic quest to bring back freedom in our institutions, laboratories and most importantly, in our classrooms, with the help of the world's top scientists, educators, and thinkers. Coming to theaters in early 2008, EXPELLED promises to be the most controversial film of the year (think Fahrenheit 9/11 and An Inconvenient Truth)" (quote from an EXPELLED promotional e-mail).

Check out the Super Trailer HERE.

Merry Christmas Love

Judah has been singing his own Christmas songs today. He sings variations of: "Whose birthday do we celebrate on Christmas? Jesus' birthday. Happy Birthday, Jesus!" And then he proceeds to sing the entire Gospel of Christ. I love it.

I told him the story of Jesus before we took a nap together today, and he said, "Will you tell me the crucify part?" He's currently fascinated with the proverbial bad guys. When James told him the story of Jesus' birth this morning, he said, "You forgot about the bad king." He knows the details better than we do.

I just wanted to put a little Christmas love out there and share a couple pictures (Judah is, of course, dressed as a pirate. Thank you, Auntie Lisa!). Pictures from this morning can be found by clicking HERE.

Good night, blog-reading friends. Have a Happy New Year!

Miriam's Birthday Plans--Revised

OK, I can't believe that NO ONE said, "Lori, are you insane? Opryland Hotel at this time of year?" Really. Come on, people! We were heading down Briley Parkway, and there was at least two miles of traffic at each exit, heading both directions. Nuts! Completely nuts! So we went to the downtown library instead. After about an hour, we hugged and kissed my parents (they're from KY, so they didn't know how nuts it was going to be either) and headed to a pizza place in East Nashville (PizzeREAL--we had a coupon) before we ended the birthday celebration with house-made ice cream from the Pied Piper Creamery on 11th Ave near 5 points. I'll download pictures soon. Miriam looked especially cute in her little Christmas party dress.

Mira's Birthday

Just a quick reminder that we're going to be hanging out at the Opryland Hotel tomorrow from about 2 p.m until we nearly pass out from exhaustion. If you want to join us, we'll be roaming the building checking out Christmas decorations, enjoying hot cider, and maybe munching on a birthday cookie or two. Very casual except that we'll probably sing "Happy Birthday" to Miriam before we leave.

By the way, if you read this blog (and have never commented on a post), could you send me an e-mail at some point and let me know? I'd love to hear from you. If you start your own blog, I can pretty much guarantee that I'll be one of your readers! If you already blog, I'm probably a big fan!

Pyrex Explosions

Check out Consumer Affairs' website and read some of the customer complaints about Pyrex cookware. I've posted a couple of them here, too. Most of them experienced explosions in the oven or upon removing them from the oven. At least one said her Pyrex exploded in the cabinet.
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/homeowners/pyrex.html

Joann of Springfield PA (11/21/07) I had put my vegetables in my pyrex dish, as I always do, inside my oven. It had only been in there 12 minutes when my husband walked in and found flames shooting from our (gas) range. I am new to gas cooking, but had never heard of pyrex exploding inside an oven before. I have used pyrex for over 25 years and this was my first (and now, last) issue with their bakeware. It was a very scary experience since I had always thought pyrex to be an exceptionally safe product.

NEVER leave a kitchen with anything cooking, no matter how long you've been cooking!!My oven is a mess - it took quite a while to clean up the glass - and longer to clean the mess out of the oven (the remnants of what had been cooking).

Deeanna of Camp Lejeune NC (11/20/07)On two occasions our Pyrex bakeware has exploded in our oven. I say exploded because when glass flies up onto countertops and the refridgerator from the oven that is the only way it could have gotten there, I know the Vice President of Pyrex says they do not explode they break.

On both occasions our food was done and was being taken out of the oven, the rack had been moved out and my husband was getting ready to take our food out and bang and shatter. So, our dinner was ruined and our kitchen was a mess, not to mention my husbands feet had glass in them and they were burned by the food that exploded out of the pan.

The first incident was in May 2000 and now again November 17th 2007! We will not be using Pyrex anymore for anything.

Jeri of Pottstown PA (10/20/07) Pyrex baking dish exploded when removed from oven. Shattered the glass pane in oven door. This is the second such incident. Thought once was my fault, but twice? Sounds like a defect to me....

Paige of Woodand Hills CA (10/30/07) I've had two Pyrex dishes explode--not break. They shattered to tiny dust like particles while unused and in my cabinets. Last night our glass Waring blender exploded while on the counter. It had not been used in weeks and was just sitting there unattended. I've had huge messes because shattered glass is really hard to clean up. And, I had to spend an hour on the Internet this morning instead of working, to get information so I can convince my mother-in-law this isn't the work of a ghost.

Gift-wrapping for Children of Prisoners

A friend of a friend needs help wrapping approx. 500 gifts for children of prisoners--by Saturday. Want to help? Here's her message:

Hey Gang!

Everybody's busy. Everybody's swamped... But, this is an unabashed, unashamed beg fest! :-) I am coordinating the wrapping and delivery of about 500 gifts to the children of prisoners. I need to have them all wrapped by Saturday afternoon and I need people to help wrap. I absolutely cannot do this by myself. I need help. It can be 15 minutes or 30 minutes or hours at a time if you have it! This is the proposed schedule:

Wednesday:
Wrapping at Northeast Church from 9:00 a.m. until noon
Wrapping at my house from 1:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.

Thursday:
Wrapping at Northeast Church from 9:00 a.m. until noon
Wrapping at my house from 1:00 p.m. - whenever (night time as well)

Saturday:
Wrapping at my house from 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

You can come any time for any amount of time that is convenient for you. All supplies are provided. Just show up! There are other things to be done if you don't think you're a good gift wrapper or just don't like it.

In addition, if you would like to experience first hand the joy and excitement of a child receiving a gift, please come by Northeast or my house and pick up a package or two.

DIRECTIONS TO MY HOUSE, 1023 Grider Drive

Take Vietnam Veterans to exit 12, Big Station Camp Creek Road
From Gallatin, take a right
From Hendersonville, take a left
Pass Knox Doss Middle School on the left
Go another 1/2 mile or so until you see Stone Creek Subdivision on the left - turn left into the subdivision
Take the 1st immediate left
Take the 1st right, which is my street, Grider Drive
I am about 2/3 of the way down on the left

My phone # is 957-6113

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE

Thank you!

Aimee

Sounding the Alarm

In some parts of Africa, there is a saying: When a lion enters your village, sound the alarm loudly. I'm sounding the alarm to pray for two newborns.

Yesterday after the service at Grace Center, a friend's car got stuck in a ditch. Within a few seconds, several young men gathered and pushed him out. One of them said, "There's not much you can't do when you get a bunch of people together."

I believe this was a prophetic picture for my friends' newborns who are hospitalized and fighting for their lives. While praying individually is effective, if we will gather to pray and give them a spiritual push, we will see greater results.

Tonight we are gathering to pray for baby Avonlea, who was born a week ago and has been undergoing tests (including a spinal tap and methods to cause her geart to race) at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital to try to determine the source of fluid in her heart and abdomen, high blood pressure, inexplicable bouts of heart racing (without the tests), and suspected viral infection. Avonlea and her family need us to see them through Avonlea's complete healing and release from the hospital.

Who: Anyone who has a heart to gather and pray
What: A prayer push for baby Avonlea
Where: Street-level lobby of Vanderbilt Children's Hospital
When: Tonight, Monday, December 10, from 8-10 p.m.
How: Click HERE for driving directions

On Wednesday nights (until his release date), we are gathering to pray for David Holcroft Langager, who was born at 26 weeks and currently weighs 2 lbs. 4 oz. He is in the NICU at Centennial Women's Hospital. He needs prayer for lung development, freedom from infection, and feeding progress. So far, he is on track for all three, but parents Susan and John are on the biggest roller coaster of their lives. Sometimes David's vitals drop or he is unable to handle any stimuli. He and his family are in great need of prayer coverage as they navigate through these difficult weeks. Right now, the doctor is saying his release date will be near his due date, which is late-February.

Who: Anyone who has a heart to gather and pray
What: Increased prayer coverage through gatherings for baby David
Where: Street-level lobby of The Women's Hospital at Centennial
When: Every Wednesday from 7-10 p.m. until David is released
How: Click HERE for driving directions

If you're unable to join us at the hospital, please join us in the Spirit and pray tonight and on Wednesday nights until further notice. There's a lot stirring in my heart right now regarding prayer, but I'll have to write about it after the kids go to bed.

Tis the season to grow up

I knew it would happen. Even before I had kids I knew it would happen. It happened today. Judah asked me for a Christmas tree. I've never put up a Christmas tree. I don't even know where to begin. It's not that I'm anti-Christmas tree--it's just that I'm not really pro-Christmas tree. It's not something that's important enough to me to spend the energy doing it. Besides, we don't own enough ornaments for a Christmas tree. I think we have one. My friend Wendy made it.

So we're in the van, and I ask Judah, "Where would we put it?"
He says, "Upstairs."
"Where upstairs?"
"In my room."

Then, I thought, maybe we could do a small one and put it on his dresser so Miriam wouldn't pull it down or eat it. We looked at one tonight in the mall. $20. Give me a break.

On the way home, I had a brilliant idea. I said, "What if we make our own tree? What if we put up a big sheet of paper or posterboard and use paints and markers and crayons and colored pencils and fabric and glue and tape and add all kinds of fun decorations?"
"Yeah!"
Score. He's really jazzed about it. Whew. I wonder how many more years we can do this. I wonder which kid will finally cause me to cave in.

If someone were to give me white Christmas lights, I might even put them up. This year. Maybe.

My girlfriend Wendy came over this morning (same one who made my solitary Christmas ornament) and helped me put up curtains in the kids' room (she deserves an award a month for being my friend). I've had a blanket nailed to the wall for 2 1/2 years. I can't help but feel grown up when I go in there now. Judah says with a big grin, "But you ARE a grown up."

Am I?

When did that happen?

Random Thoughts on a Sunday Night

We're entering a busy, busy season of social gatherings and births. Two of my friends and one acquaintance just had babies and two more friends and one more acquaintance are expecting any day now (all due dates are before December 12).



I've been working on coordinating meals for new moms and writing updates for my friend with the premature baby as well as contacting people to ask them to pray. I've been busier than usual doing things that actually require my brain. It's rather refreshing. But I tend to be an all-or-nothing kind of gal, so I have to remind myself that when my children are awake and I'm on the phone or computer, they need me to get on the floor and play with them. Or feed them. Or wipe their little bottoms. Or clean up their spills.



I told my grandfather last year that my life had become a series of cleaning up other people's messes. His response? "Oh, so the tables have turned." Thanks for the compassion, Poppop.



Last week, my son spilled some water in the kitchen, and the second I got it cleaned up, my daughter spilled water in the living room. Thank God we put in hardwood floors a few months ago (and bought some super absorbent microfiber towels at Costco). I keep at least one towel on the floor at all times. They get pretty filthy, not to mention soaked, pretty quickly.



I keep thinking that one day I'll sit down and write about things that move me--things I'm passionate about--things that matter. Then, I find myself either without enough time to write anything more than a quick note or my brain is so fried that I couldn't possibly eek out more than, "I took more pictures of the kids."



Judah and I need haircuts. Both of my children need baths. Judah has had the same shirt on since Thursday. It's Sunday night. My husband is packing to go to Austin. Three nights without him doesn't seem so daunting since his three week trip to India. I'm ready. I have something to look forward to every day this week. My mom is coming to visit on Tuesday.



Last week I called my mom and said, "I'm calling to schedule your next visit." She was about to dart out the door, so she called me back with her availability. Tuesday or Thursday. James is traveling again? Tuesday.



My kids adore her. Judah calls her Nana Pajama Pants (and calls himself Judah Flower Pot). She makes him Banana Nut Bread almost every time she sees him, so he's renamed it Nana Nut Bread.



Maybe one day I'll write about how my relationship with my mom has changed--how much I enjoy her visits and watching her love on my children. Just thinking about how much she loves them makes me want to cry. My dad took Judah to the park right after Miriam was born. We have to nudge him a little, but he enjoys them just as much as Mom does. He's just not as assertive. My dad is pretty quiet and shy. Must be where I get it.



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