Comforts of Home

As I have successfully made pumpkin bread along with colonial pumpkin pie this evening it brought great joy. Carter and Cole separately asked me early last week when I was going to make the above items. It was a neat reminder to me that they each know what baking I do in the fall. Oh the comforts of home. Each boy helped in adding the ingredients of the pie. Carter helped make the whipping cream. He knew that we add real vanilla and some sugar. No fake stuff at our home. They will some day make great husbands who actually know their way around the kitchen.

It has taken some time to get the older boys on a good Saturday morning chore routine. They now take some initiative to have their chores completed. This week we decided to reward them with some allowance. After going to a local store they each know what items cost and are working toward saving for what they want. Carter was thrilled! He asked "What other chores can I do to earn more?" I told him to check the column that said "Marble earnings". He did and earned some more money instead of marbles. If you remember the "Caught ya being kind or Gotcha jar" is when we catch the boys doing a kind gesture toward others in and out of the home. After the jar is filled with marbles they decide what fun thing for us to do as a family. As for Cole owed us a little money and did an extra chore to wipe his slate clean. He then was rewarded with his full allowance. Dave and I will be working to instill in their hearts a desire to set aside a portion for saving, giving to God and fun money. Larry Burkett has written something on this subject.

On a side note: Stuart pretends to vacuum with his play vacuum with his motor mouth sounds while they vacuum on their assigned week. He makes sure he has my attention and says "Look Mommy I am vacuuming". It is so cute!

I did get my haircut this past Thursday. I was feeling ugly. Literally I felt as if the "ug" in ugly pertained to me alone. I knew it was time to do something with my hair and it had to be that day - Thursday! I called two hair dressers that had cut my hair in the past nine months whom I thought did a good job and took the one who could do it. I have to say it looks much better than the mullet I thought I had. Yes, laugh all you want I thought I looked as though I had a mullet with the radiated hair regrowth. Not the kind of look I have been going for. Dave was very affirming in his words when I returned home. He and I both love longer hair but he said that this is just temporary and it looked great - more proportional. (ie: no mullet even though he didn't say it). Dave even complimented me later in the evening as I was giving Stuart his bath by popping his head in the door to say it looks good. So thankful for his affirmations. I have found in doing my Bible studies that I need to find contentment in my circumstances. Especially in my hair I am needing to find contentment. I continually remind myself that I have hair. That is great in and of itself. No denying it.

This Tuesday and Wednesday is when I will share my testimony in each Bible study. Thank you for praying. As I look back at the year I am amazed at how far God has taken me and my family. Not just my health but every aspect of our lives. I hope others see this much needed change as well. It is hard to imagine that this Wednesday the 7th will be one year to date from brain surgery.

Next Tuesday the 13th at 1 pm is my MRI. Please pray for a clear scan and that all scans from April through September are compared with this scan. Pray for the "questionably minimally increased white matter" (scar tissue) to have no change. Dave and I will have our consult with Dr. Needles on Thursday the 15th in the morning.

Walking with God every step of the way. . . kate