Housework = the flu (kind of)

"Hey mom?"

What.

"You know that kind of feeling you get in your mouth right before you get sick?"

What??

"Well, I'm not going to get sick, but you know what I'm talking about? The kind of gross feeling you get in your mouth right before you get sick?"

Yeah, I guess. Why?

"Cause that's how dusting make me feel. Taking everything off the dresser, dusting it, and then having to put everything back on again. Ugh. My mouth just feels sick."

Merry Christmas!

This past spring, our family visited Independence Hall, Gettysburg & the Statue of Liberty. We learned a lot about the price others have paid for our freedom. But no one ever paid a higher price for freedom than Jesus Christ as He died on the cross to free us from our sin. This Christmas, as we celebrate His birth, we are reminded of and thankful for His sacrifice.

Have a Merry Christmas!!

American Community Survey

Never heard of it?? Be thankful. I hadn't either before a couple weeks ago. Now I'm mad. And I don't say that lightly.

Some governmental body thinks it is completely ok to ask me weird questions like "does this house have a flush toilet" and "which fuel is most used by this home" to just plain intrusive, "what is the monthly rent or mortgage payment on this property" , "About how much do you think this house and lot...would sell for if it were for sale" and "because of a physical, mental, or emotional condition, does this person have serious difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions?" YES I AM SERIOUS!!

I am SO not ok with this!! It also asks, "Is this person currently covered by any of the following types of health insurance or health coverage plans?" and then it lists a bunch of options. On the ACS website it tells me the government needs to know this information so it can better plan federal programs to assist me.

WHY DO THEY THINK I WANT THEIR ASSISTANCE!??!

The worst part of this whole thing is that I also got a letter stating that I am required by law to answer all 28 pages (28!!) of their survey or face penalties.

Can you imagine if George Washington would have gotten one of these things??? OR what about Patrick Henry??....I feel a "Give me Liberty or give me Death" coming on.

You know you've been studying WW2 too long when...

You set up the nativity set and a few days later you overhear this:

Timothy, watching Kayla, Lucas and Alyssa dig around in the Christmas tree - "Guys, what are you doing??"

Lucas - "We're trying to find Mary and Joseph."

Timothy - "Why?"

Lucas - "Because we're hiding them from the Germans."

Timothy - "huh?"

Lucas - "The Germans are chasing them because they're Jews."

Sometimes it's hard to come home...

Ok, I'll be honest - most of the time it's hard to come home. I LOVE MY VACATIONS. It always blows me away when people either say they don't really take family vacations or they're so happy to come home at the end of them. I love my home, but vacations are a slice of heaven for me. Andrew is around 24/7 & we get to visit places and play with our kids all day long. What could be better???

Our most recent trip was to Florida. Swimming in the pool, spending time with my mom and dad, going to the beach, swimming some more, hiking in Big Cypress Preserve - and seeing a boatload of alligators :), going on a fantastic boat ride with friends where every kid caught at least one fish, playing mini-golf and eating out at some fun restaurants.

Makes me wish I was back there. Yet, if I was actually in Florida all the time, it wouldn't be vacation - Andrew would have to work and we couldn't just spend everyday at the pool or other fun places.

So, today while I listen to Lucas whine about doing math (again), I get to work on being content where I am...and look forward to our next trip :)

Burnin' a hole in his pocket

Over the past few weeks, I've come to understand the meaning of this

Seriously, every time I turn around, Lucas has been making a bee line for the computer to look on-line for bows and arrows and playmobil stuff. "I'm just lookin, Mom." Well, I finally put a kabash to that by locking down the computer when it wasn't in use so he couldn't constantly try to "look."

This past Sunday, as I was heading out the door for church, he came into the kitchen carrying a wad of cash.

"Lucas, what in the world are you doing" - as the slightly agitated words flew out of my mouth, Andrew shot me a 'cool it' look and I put down my purse.

Then, in a matter of fact voice that got less matter of fact and more emotional as he spoke, he looked at the money and replied, "It's my spending money. I need to take it to church, mom. I realize I've been spending too much time thinking about toys and stuff. I've been thinking about them more than I've been thinking about God. In fact, sometimes when I've been praying I've really been thinking about toys and not really meaning it, I've just been saying 'blah, blah, blah' like it doesn't really matter."

His moist eyes look at me to make sure I'm really listening - I am.

"So, I figure if I give it to God, that will take care of the problem."

Jesus - thank you for a son who has a tender heart toward you.
And Lord - help his mommy to learn from him.


Matthew 6:33 - But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Love is consuming

On Saturday, Jordan Schroeder entered the heavenly gates and stood in the presence of His Lord. Before he did, he and Katelyn gave everything they hoped and dreamed of to their Heavenly Father. Read their post - http://jkschroeder.blogspot.com/ - When I am weak, then am I strong. 2 Cor 12:10

This morning is his funeral. As I was going about the house praying for Katelyn and their families this morning, I heard this song on the radio:

“You Can Have Me”
by Sidewalk Prophets

If I saw You on the street
And You said come and follow me
But I had to give up everything
All I once held dear and all of my dreams
Would I love You enough to let go
Or would my love run dry
When You asked for my life

When did love become unmoving?
When did love become unconsuming?
Forgetting what the world has told me
Father of love, You can have me
You can have me

If You’re all You claim to be
Then I’m not losing anything
So I will crawl upon my knees
Just to know the joy of suffering
I will love You enough to let go
Lord, I give you my life
I give you my life

When did love become unmoving?
When did love become unconsuming?
Forgetting what the world has told me
Father of love, You can have me
You can have me

I want to be where You are
I’m running into Your arms
And I will never look back
So Jesus, here is my heart

When did love become unmoving?
When did love become unconsuming?
Forgetting what the world has told me
Father of love, You can have me
You can have me

When did love become unmoving?
When did love become unconsuming?
Forgetting what the world has told me
Father of love, You can have me
My Father, my love
You can have me

Competitive Hide and Seek

In some families, Hide and Seek is a game for toddlers/preschoolers and their reluctant parents. Not in our house. At the Rassi house, one person hides and everyone else tries to find him/her. To make it a challenge, we start a timer when we start looking. Whoever stays hidden the longest, wins. And I have to say – the kids aren’t the only ones who get way into this.

Exhibit one, unmade bunk beds:

Exhibit two:

The time: 12 minutes.

He sure hides well for a big man.

Praying with Alyssa

I LOVE little kid prayers. They just lay it all out there. They also have the tendency to not understand the whole picture - & when you add those two things together, praying with little kids is pure joy :). Case in point:

A few years ago the kids and I started praying for imprisoned pastors in China. Every day we pray for their needs (food, strength, etc). Then last year we went to Magdalena and spent quite a bit of time with Bill and Joan Schick, so they have also been added to our prayer list. Lately, Alyssa has been getting the two kind of mixed up, so her prayers sound like this - "God please bless Tien Chi Yang & Ai Ping, and please give Bill & Joan a bowl of rice to eat."

We have also been praying for Pearl - an awesome, godly woman we had the opportunity to meet who is a part of the illegal house church movement in China. Among a number of other requests, Pearl asked us to pray that her church would grow. Nearly every night since Alyssa has prayed, "God, please help Pearl's house church grow with red." After a while, we had to ask her what she meant, and she very confidently explained, "Well, we want Pearl's house church to grow and if it's going to grow, I think it should grow with red bricks, not white ones, cause red is a lot prettier for a church." :)

Maybe I should let the building committee know.

Twilight, Breaking Dawn and a Tooth

It's official, the Twilight books and movies are an absolute craze. The Twilight Saga has been sold in 39 countries and over 42 million copies have been sold worldwide. The last book in the Twilight Saga, Breaking Dawn, sold 1.3 million copies in its first day on-sale, breaking publisher records.

I have to admit that those numbers break my heart. This series has proven yet again, that people are hungering for a deep love story, especially one that involves the supernatural. They don't realize it, but they are yearning for the true story God wrote thousands of years ago. The promise and then coming of Jesus Christ is the world's most dramatic, beautiful love story. The supernatural is joined together with the natural and the whole purpose is redeeming love. The Twilight series taps into that hunger in a powerful way. Unfortunately, it does so in a completely counterfit way. Bella is willing to eternally give up not only her view of God (she doesn't want a god who would not accept Edward - a vampire), but also her soul in order to fulfill her desires.

Let me share a quote with you that I think speaks profoundly to the nature of these books;

"Stephenie Meyer is an amazing phenomenon—out of the brightness of her mind and spirit comes the illuminated darkness of her stories." (Orson Scott Card)

Illuminated darkness.

"for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works." (2 Cor 11:14b-15)

Last night, Lucas approached us with a loose tooth. The tooth was a bit wiggly, but definitely not pull-out-able. I figured we were in for a couple weeks of wiggly tooth eating issues. Imagine my pleasant surprise when Lucas came to me this morning, and said, "Mom! I pulled out my tooth last night!" In shock, I asked how he could have possibly gotten it out. He responded, "Well, it was just a little loose, so I pulled it down until it hurt a little and then held it there until it didn't hurt anymore. Then I pulled it down a little bit more and stopped when it hurt a little and then held it there. I just kept doing that for a really long time (more than an hour - hey why go to sleep when you can mess with your tooth :P ) until it was really loose and I could pull it out!"

Satan works like that. He comes to us with a "guilty pleasure," (like a romance novel that involves an every day girl and a vampire) and honestly, God is so good that He often gives us the grace to stop there and we see no harm done. But we have opened ourselves to Satan's influence. We've pulled on the tooth. The next time Satan comes at us, he may come with something that is a bit more occultic. maybe not.

When God tells us to guard our minds and our hearts, He does so because He loves us deeply and He sees Satan as he is. "Be sober , be vigilant ; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about , seeking whom he may devour." (1 Peter 5:8). God is so good, He doesn't let us see Satan as he is. We would be terrified. Every moment of every day. Terrified. Yet, because we don't see him - we are way too quick to dismiss him and his demons, and the work they are doing.

I don't think it is coincidence that many of the loudest voices who are screaming for us to discern carefully what we allow into our minds are those whom God has redeemed from in-depth occultic activity.

If you are into the Twilight series, I encourage you to click on the following links and read the articles with open eyes.
http://www.christiananswersforthenewage.org/Articles_TwilightBook4.html
http://carylmatrisciana.com/x2/content/view/106/166/

Please also read:
http://www.avoidtwilight.com/quotes.html

Finally - I know some portray these books as simply fantasy, but vampires are real occultic individuals (no they don't have fangs and change into bats, but they do drink human blood, check the above link) and God has very strong words to say regarding any involvement in the occult. I remember reading This Present Darkness (Frank Peretti) years ago and praying that God would give me eyes to see the Spiritual War that is taking place in my own life and all around me. Would you pray that prayer? God wants us to be armed against our enemy and ready to fight. And praise be to God, we can win!!!!!

Ephesians 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

What does a hotel cook, a couple park rangers & a restroom attendant have in common?

They all took pride in their work.

Each time we came across one of these people on our 10 day spring vacation across Gettysburg, Philly & NYC, it was a like a breath of fresh air. In this world of mediocrity, it was a joy to watch them work. And when they were thanked, they seemed genuinely taken aback. After all, they were just doing their job.

And it made me think.

How do I treat the job I have been given? Does my life and work as a wife, mom, & most importantly a Child of God feel like a fresh breath of air to people around me?

Gotcha!….happy April fools day :)

Yummy “cupcakes” for supper.  You should have heard the excitement around the table :) 

My older 2 still thought it was pretty fun when they bit into their meatloaf covered with brightly colored mashed potatoes….the younger 2 just felt gypped.  Any great ideas for me for next year??

End of an era….or, how to keep a bunch of 5yr olds from bouncing off the walls

Last Wednesday my baby turned 5. Wow. Now, I’m not necessarily a baby person, but it’s still sad to think that I am ending that stage in my life. Andrew calls 5 the “magical age” when you can go to a restaurant, sit and wait for dinner to come and fully expect that your children will find a way to quietly occupy themselves….you can go on a long walk without the stroller and know that you won’t end up having to carry a tired little one most of the way. Still, it’s sad…..they just grow up waaaaaay to fast. Ok, before I start sounding even older than I am, let me get to the fun stuff.

We like to start 5 off with a bang. So, Alyssa got to invite all the girls in her Sunday School class for a themed birthday party (every 5 years our kids get a birthday party with friends - when they turn 5, 10 & 15 or 16). A few weeks ago Alyssa and I headed to the party store and after walking up and down the aisles, and talking over all her choices, she picked princesses.

The entire week of her birthday, she told complete strangers that she was having a princess party with an air of sophistication rivaled only by a true princess. Which, as she will tell you, she is, of course.

The day of the party arrived with much yelling and screaming about getting this pig-sty cleaned up…..I mean….with much fanfare and rejoicing :). Just in time the castle was ready, the princesses arrived in their chauffeured coaches, one looking more beautiful than the next, and the party began!

If I have learned anything by my 4th child, it is this - when you have a room full of 5 year olds you have to keep them busy! We played Princess and the Pea (so each girl could prove she really is a princess), put the Princess in the Window, Princess May I, and a host of other Princess-y games. Alyssa had a fantastic time! I’ll leave you with a bit more of the fun.

Political humor

I've said before that I love Stoplight (Focus on the Family political shorts). And for good or bad, my kids love them too. Today we watched a couple as a bit of a reward after cleaning the basement - I know - some moms give out candy, some give little prizes, I let my kids watch stoplight :). Anywho, this one had to be watched several times with my kids giggling in the background so I decided to share.....enjoy!



Now I'm hungry......hmm........

out with the OLD, in the the NEW

Ever since we bought our house, I have hated the kitchen countertops. The previous owners installed them to “update” the house, but they were terrible quality and stained easily. At the time, I told Andrew that they would do, but someday, I wanted something different. Every couple years, I would gently remind Andrew that I still hated the countertops and after talking it over, ‘we’ would decide that other home projects (like a large patio/basketball court) were more important. Eventually I gave up and resigned myself to living with ugly countertops. After all, we’ve been here for 11 years! Then last fall…out of the clear blue…Andrew asked me, “So, do you still want new countertops?” Well yeah!

Thus began the l o n g process of figuring out what I wanted and what fit the amount we were willing to pay. And I’m happy to say, that after many hours of researching, testing, getting quotes and praying, I have a countertop I LOVE.

Aren’t they gorgeous! :) I know, these pictures are so itty bitty, it’s hard to really see them. They are concrete, ground down to expose the aggregate and then polished to a smooth and glossy finish. Bob Salter and crew did a fantastic job of figuring out exactly what I wanted and making it happen. The next couple pics show them off better.

One of the things I love about concrete is all the ways you can make it uniquely yours. I have a small spot to the right of my stove that isn’t used much, so I had a trivet set into the concrete there to set hot pots onto while I’m cooking. I also had them cut out a space for a butcher block to the right of my sink. I knew I would use these features, but wow! I had no idea how much I would love them!

If only every household project turned out this well :).

Do you know Haiti?

We, like so many other families around the world, have been praying for the people of Haiti every night since the earthquake destroyed Port au Prince. Sometimes we pray with the kids individually and sometimes we pray as a family. One night, a couple weeks after the earthquake, we were praying as a family when Alyssa, in the middle of her prayer, stopped and turned to us and asked, "Mmmmm, what's her name?" Now, this is not an uncommon occurrence, so we all started guessing who she might be asking about, "Tess?" "No, she's a big girl, not a little girl!" The names started flying, "Erica? Pearl? Lena? Katie?" All met with resounding no's. Her little face screwed up as she closed her eyes and thought hard. "Member?! She's hurt and sick. She needs food and water." I was stumped. Lucas looked at her questioningly and ventured, "Alyssa, do you mean Haiti?" A huge smile beamed across her face. "Yes!!!" and she continued on with her prayer not seeming to hear her sister & brothers' astonished, "Haiti is a country, not a girl!!" I shot my kids a 'knock it off' kind of look and we finished our prayers.

As I tucked Alyssa into bed that night, I did my best to gently explain to her that Haiti is a country with many people who are sick and hurt and need our prayers. She assured me she understood.

Fast forward to this last Wednesday night. After we got home from church, Alyssa was changing into pjs when she turned to me and exclaimed. "Wow Mommy! Lots of people know Haiti! We pray for Haiti and tonight at church they prayed for Haiti and even on the raido I heard them pray for Haiti!" Then, incredulously, she added, "How do so many people know her???"Ya gotta love it.

Playing Church

My girls have been loving the new Playmobil Church they got for Christmas. They have wanted this church ever since last winter when they saw it was set to come out late spring of last year. They waited a long time and they have not been disappointed. It's just as perfect for playing church as they thought it would be.
Before Christmas I wanted to make sure my girls still wanted this church, so I subtly asked - "Do you guys still play church a lot with Playmobil?" They emphatically answered of course they do, and then Kayla went on to explain, "See when we play, we play an entire week. So, of course, every Sunday we get everyone all together and it takes forever (imagine a healthy dose of 8 yr old drama here) because we have to get all the chairs and benches all set up and then get all the parents and all the kids all sat down in church and Sunday School and then we can have church."

"So, every time you have church it takes a long time to get everything together."

She replied, "Oh no, Wednesday nights go much faster."

"Why's that?"

"Cause not nearly as many people come to church on Wednesday night."

The first time I published this post, I ended it right here. But, then I decided I just couldn't. Kayla was simply stating things as they are, but her words cut to my heart.

When Andrew and I got married we agreed that Wednesday night church was going to be a high priority in our family. While we were in college we truly felt the need to be spiritually refreshed with other believers in the middle of a week filled with Satan's onslaughts. We reasoned that once we moved away from the college atmosphere we would need mid-week church just as much, because while Satan may not be as clearly palpable, he would be just as active in trying to deceive us. I won't kid you and say that it's always been easy. Having 4 babies in 6 years made it awfully hard to get ourselves out the door, let alone really focus on the service. I'll be painfully honest - sometimes I was just going through the motions, doing what I knew I should do even though my heart wasn't all there.

Oh, but the blessings we are reaping now!!! On nights when Satan is working to convince Andrew and I that we just can't make it to church, at least one of our children will pipe up - "We need to hurry and eat so we can get to church!"

Or the times Satan has nearly won out and Andrew and I agree we just can't make it, a child (or more likely several children) will emphatically state, "What?? We're not going to church?? But no one is sick!! Why can't we go??"

Besides being our greatest cheerleaders for getting to church, as our children have grown, they have each asked some great questions about the sermons and I can see they are learning more and more about God's Word.

I understand that some kids really need to get to bed earlier than Wed. night church lets out. I understand that sometimes people have to work late, or work second shift. What I don't understand is not making church a priority. Believers around the world face fines, imprisonment, even death for gathering in the name of Jesus.

It makes me think of a time when Timothy and I were running late for a Bible study. He was almost 3 yrs old, and he called out to me - "Mommy! We're late! Miss Peggy and Miss Susie are waiting for us! And Mommy - Jesus is waiting for us."

He is waiting for us. Waiting for us to stop our busyness, turn off all our distractions and turn our attention to Him.