They made it!

So my in-laws packed up their car Saturday night. I would say it's a bit full, no? In fact, I believe that packpack/water jug/pillow/bag is in the passenger seat, which is technically where my mother-in-law is supposed to sit. Hmm....

But regardless of their space restrictions, they have made it safely to Lincoln, NE. And now a new era of life begins for us.... 3 kids & no more free babysitters :( Oh, the sadness. No more free housecleaning :( Oh, the dirtiness. No more free cooking :( Oh, the starvation. They did contribute so much to our lives, but we're happy that they have the chance to move on with theirs, too. After all, I'm pretty sure slavery has been outlawed in the good ol' U.S. of A. So congratulations to them for finding a gig that pays! But we will miss them, come back to visit soon!

It's beginning to smell a lot like Christmas!

Well, most people would argue that it smells more like Thanksgiving, but I don't know any songs about that. I opened our pantry today, saw a leftover can of pumpkin from last year (don't worry, it doesn't expire until '09) and got a sudden hankerin' for Pumpkin Pie! I think it was all that talk about Christmas with the Jehovah's Witnesses that did it. So Sofia & I pulled out our ingredients and whipped us up a delighful combination of cinnamon, allspice & cloves (I love the smell of cinnamon & cloves!), topped off with a heathy portion of whipped cream. Yum! I lovelovelovelovelove fall, so it just made my day happy! Come soon, Fall!

My first witnessing experience

I had my first real witnessing experience today, only it was supposed to be me that was the witnessee, not the witnesser. We have this nice Jehovah's Witness lady that comes to our neighborhood with various partners every so often, only I'm usually on my way to the library when they come. But a few weeks ago, she left me with their book, What Does the Bible Really Teach? and I promised her I would add it to my study of Revelation.

I really did read parts of it, and found they have a lot more in common with us that I have previously been lead to believe--state of the dead, hell/purgatory, etc. When she came back Tuesday, we were on our way to the library again, but what the heck, I told her to come back Thursday so we could talk.

Very out of character for me. I don't talk to strangers (thanks for the lessons, mom!), and I don't talk about religion/spiritual things, and I certainly don't talk to strangers about religion/spiritual things!

So they showed up this morning, all three of them--my neighbhorhood Witness, Maggie, her daughter, and another church member (I'm terrible with names). I sent the kids to the park with vovo (grandpa) and we sat down to chat.

One of the things I found interesting about their beliefs was that they don't celebrate holidays, especially "religious" holidays like Christmas or Easter. I kind of agree with them on that for a variety of reasons. So we started out with that--let them see I have an open mind to new ideas, right?

They brought up the subject of Constantine changing "Christmas" to the pagan holiday on Dec. 25th, so we then kind of segued into the question of Sabbath, and how he was also responsible for changing Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday. Now, I'm not trying to convert anyone or anything, I have never had the opportunity to ask a non-Adventist why they don't keep Saturday as Sabbath. Let's say we had a spirited discussion. I think they were surprised at some of my questions & the verses I pointed out. My guess is the people they deal with usually need a more elementary guide to the Bible. Lucky (Thankfully, really) for me, I have had a renewed interest in studying the Bible, not for religious purposes, but for my own questions & spiritual growth, so I had a lot of stuff fresh in my mind.

So we went back & forth for about an hour or so. I don't think I've convinced them (yet), but they haven't convinced me either. I'm sure they'll be back. Actually, Maggie had brought me a book about Revelation, since I had mentioned last time that I was studying it on my own. So it'll be interesting to read their take on that bit of prophecy. Hopefully I won't have a panic attack and hide next time I see them. Again, anyone who knows me knows this whole scenario is not in my list of likely actions. But I will say it was quite interesting. I hope they weren't disappointed they didn't bring me into their fold. I think at the very least, I gave them some good practice.

P.S. Any local ladies interested in a weekly/bi-weekly Bible study group?? Might be nice to study among those who have the same belief system as I do, but anyone's welcome!

I hope they have a clown car!

So my in-laws are moving this weekend to Lincoln, Ne (brr-rrr!). They've packed up their goods, and are getting a storage unit for most of it, and putting the essentials in their car. They have a Kia Rio. This is what's left:

Yes, I said a Kia Rio. My father-in-law has remarkable packing skills, which he put to use for our trip from CA to TX, but I'm not sure even he can pull this one off. Pictured is just what we have left in the garage for them, it's not counting the stuff they have up in the guest room. Yikes.

What Child Labor Laws?

I've decided the kids need to start working for their room & board around here. I go through about 4 gallons of whole milk, 4 quarts of soy milk, and heaven only knows how many pounds of fishy crackers every week to feed these ravenous beasts. Not to mention the 8 or 9 loads of laundry every week. Or the hours spent picking up stray pieces of board puzzles throughout the house. Or the dozens of trash bags filled with dirty diapers. Or the hours of listening to sing-a-long songs with peppy tunes & clever (or not) lyrics. Or how many times I've been forced to see Dora's Animal's Adventures. Or the time spent looking for at least one freakin' chewy (pacifier) out of the dozen that we supposedly have (I think the boys eat them--they have to have gone somewhere!). Lots of reasons why I've decided my kids can't be freeloaders any more.


So I've put them to work cleaning windows. After all, it's their half-chewed gooey Dora snacks streaking down the once-gleaming glass. It's their PB & J handprints covering the once-sparkling front door (I can prove it--fingerprints don't lie). So make 'em work for it. That's my new policy. So if you happen to stop by my house and see Sofia pushing the lawnmower while boys are pulling weeds (and probably eating a few), don't call CPS on me. I'm just trying to make them earn their keep.