Perks of Country Life

James is, without contest, the "green thumb" in the family. I, on the other hand, am excellent at killing anything that grows. So, this spring James decided to plant a vegetable garden. We borrowed a tiller, bought some plants (tomatos, peppers, and cucumbers), and even erected a small fence around the garden.

Fast forward three months...the cucumbers and two pepper plants were eaten by rabbits. The tomato plants (about six) and other two pepper plants are doing just fine. Especially the tomato plants!! James went out today and picked all the ripe tomatos. He filled a 3-gallon bucket AND a large colander! It looks like there will be some more ready within the next few days, especially since it rained today.

Therefore...we have started making sauces and canning them. James made four pints of marinara sauce today, and I'm going to be making salsa tomorrow (probably more than four pints, because we have at least 30 tomatos left over). We'll probably make some more marinara sauce (good for pizza, pasta, and lasagna) with any other red tomatos. If the yellow tomatos keep producing at this rate, we'll have enough salsa to last us for years...

Durham Day...

James is going into school today (he only goes 1-2x/week in the summer), so I'm driving down with him. I have to get some final necessities at Babies R Us (I have a bunch of coupons that expire tomorrow) and I'm also going to a children's consignment shop to see if I can find a bouncer. My cousin gave me one, but unfortunately, it doesn't work. I've been told this is a VERY useful item in the first few months.

I went to my first "Probationers' Residency Event" on Tuesday and Wednesday. It was fun, but jam-packed and tiring. It didn't help that the beds at our conference assembly center are notoriously uncomfortable. I was happy to return to my comfy Sleep Number bed. :)

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

I pre-ordered my copy from Amazon.com back in February, and was told it would arrive on Saturday by UPS. When I did this for Half-Blood Prince, it arrived either the evening before release or early that morning. This time, I spent my morning running to the door whenever the dogs barked, hoping to see a brown delivery truck. I told James that if the book hadn't arrived by 1pm, I was heading to Wal-Mart to buy a copy. Yes, I'm impatient. Of course, it did allow me time to get some work done on my sermon and other church-related stuff.

At 12:50 p.m., the mail arrived. Guess what was in the mail? Yup, Harry Potter #7. Apparently Amazon decided to have a bunch of books arrive via the Postal Service. Anyway, I ripped the box out of James' hands, grabbed the book, and headed to the nursery (and the ultra-comfy glider) for some heavy reading. Five hours later (without even so much as a bathroom break), I finished the book, Yes, I read almost 800 pages in that time period. After all, it is a children's book. :) I'll go back and re-read it to get a deeper understanding, but this time I really just wanted to capture the plot and, of course, find out what happens at the end.

Here's my brief summary/impression: J.K. Rowling is freaking brilliant. God has given this woman an incredible mind and writing gift. She keeps the reader guessing at every moment, and has sudden plot twists that you'd never expect. The way she ends the series is, in my opinion, perfect. Yes, lots (and lots...and lots) of characters die. There is great sadness throughout, and I will admit that I found myself in tears several times. HOWEVER, the book (and thus the series) ends on a positive and hope-filled note, ties up many loose areas in the plot, yet still leaves the reader desiring more. That's pure genius, I think; having a very clear final ending, yet with just enough information withheld that the reader is left with a small amount of speculation.


Here are just a few impressions/questions from my reading (SPOILER ALERT!)


Scroll down to read:

1. I liked the parting from the Dursleys. Uncle Vernon clearly wasn't going to miss Harry, but Dudley seems to be turning into a decent human being.
2. I cried when Dobby died. And then I cried more when Harry buried him without magic.
3. I found the last fifty pages or so of the book to be mesmerizing and really good sermon material. Snape winds up being a "good guy" after all, willing to do anything for the love of Lily Evans Potter. His actions play a huge role in Harry's defeat of Voldemort. Harry's willingness to die for the greater good, and subsequent "resurrection" have very strong links to Christian theology. Harry's willingness to lay aside potential immortality (through the three Hallows) shows an incredible character, quite the opposite of Voldemort.
4. Oh, Fred. Poor Fred...I had a feeling one of the twins would die, but it hurt when it happened.
5. I wish there would have been a little bit more to the epilogue...what vocations do the trio wind up choosing? Is Harry an Auror, which was his fondest ambition? What happens to George? Who becomes the new headmaster of Hogwarts? The natural choice would be McGonagall, but it doesn't say anything about that.
6. GO NEVILLE! I was so psyched to see him become the powerful wizard he was meant to be, to save the day by killing Nagini, and to become a Howarts professor. Cool.

Happy 3rd Anniversary, Woody!!, part II

Well, it seems my mommy can't post a recent picture of me. So I convinced daddy to find the camera and upload a new one:



Don't I age well for a dog?

PS. Join me for some cake this evening. It's yellow with strawberry frosting!

Happy 3rd Anniversary, Woody!!

Today is the third anniversary of Woody's "Adoption Day"--the day that we brought him home from the Woodford (KY) Humane Society. He was my anniversary AND birthday present that year. Woody has blessed us so much over the past three years, and has been through a lot with us.

After Mommy does some work on her sermon and copies the bulletin, we're going to PetSmart (thanks, Grandma Nina for the gift card) and the park. Tonight James will make a cake.

This picture was taken in December 2005, on the Asbury Seminary campus. The statue is of John Wesley, the founder of Methodism. Woody is a great "P.P." (Pastor's Pooch)!

Harry Potter Spoilers

Hi folks...just a quick post because my plate is extremely full for the next few days. I have to write a sermon, a Bible Study lesson, and type and copy a bulletin. Plus a few other things I'm probably forgetting. Not to mention finish cleaning off my desk at home, or risk the wrath of my beloved. Next week I'm going to try and clean my office at church. Anyway, I'm trying to get everything done by Saturday morning so that when my copy of Deathly Hallows arrives, I can read it until I'm finished (or until Sunday morning at 9:00 a.m., whichever comes first).

In my spare time, I've been reading this blog, "The Muggle Tongue" through the Lexington Herald-Leader website. The author just posted the funniest FAKE spoiler that she found for HP #7 (apparently real spoilers are in abundance; I'm staying clear of them).

Check the "spoiler" out by clicking here: http://themuggletongue.wordpress.com/

Among the Living...

I think I can say that I'm well on my way to recovery from this bout of bronchitis, but I had about four days of absolute misery. I started on my antibiotic on Thursday afternoon, when my cough was just annoying. By Saturday afternoon, I was feeling kinda miserable. No fever, just a cough, heaviness in my chest, and fatigue. I coughed through worship on Sunday, took a brief nap, and then went to a reception to meet my new District Superintendent (aka my boss). I had scheduled a Bible study to begin Sunday evening, but postponed that a week to give me some rest.

From Sunday evening to Wednesday morning, I didn't leave the house. The lone exception was the Trustees meeting on Monday night. I mostly stayed in bed (with the vaporizer on) and slept. I got up to eat, take my medication, and watch TV when I got bored. I think I really needed the time of rest.

By Wednesday morning, I was feeling better. I was able to get some work done and James and I went to see "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix". I went to bed around 8:30 p.m. and slept until 5:30 a.m. I'm feeling pretty good now...I've been able to stop taking Robitussin, and my antibiotic is clearly working (I had it refilled on Monday). Now I just have to do a lot of "catch-up" work in the next two days. My Saturday is booked, because we have our childbirth class at the hospital. It goes from 9am-5pm. Next Saturday is "booked" (literally!) because I should be receiving my copy of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows sometime that day. I pre-ordered it from Amazon six months ago...and I have been assured that it will arrive before 7pm on Saturday, or I get my money back. :) :)

We are officially "ready"

Last night, I met James in Durham for dinner, since he had gone down to work. Afterwards, we headed over to Babies R Us and bought Susanna her car seat and a base for our other car. It's a Graco SnugRide in "Emerson". We installed it in my Escape this afternoon.

Hospitals require that you have a car seat installed in your vehicle before taking baby home, so this was the last crucial purchase before Susanna arrives. Once we arrive at home, she has a Pack-n-Play to sleep in and plenty of diapers, wipes, and clothes. We also have loads of toiletries. Food will be provided by Mommy for the first six months or so. :) James painted the nursery this week, and it looks LOVELY. It's a light blue with the accent wall, ceiling, and closet painted pale yellow.

It's good to know that we have the bare-bones basics (plus a few more things)! The crib and dresser should arrive by the end of July, and I have a few more things that I want to purchase before she arrives. However, if she arrived today, we'd be ready to take her home. (Of course, if she arrived today, she'd spend a few weeks in the NICU. However, you understand my point).

Needed: New Pharmaceutical Inventions

I'm allergic to penicillin and cephalosporins (which are the cousins of penicillin). We found this out when I was 10, after a "fun-filled" summer where I had hives for 90 days. Therefore, I've always been slightly limited in the medicines I can take for bacterial infections...the doctor usually has about five or six options, tops, that he/she can work with. However, apparently it's worse when you're pregnant and have drug allergies...

Up until a few weeks ago, I had really been blessed to have a very healthy pregnancy. I didn't even get a cold all winter! However, during Annual Conference (June 10-14) my allergies started bothering me (or so I thought). I had a sore throat and a cough. Once I got home, I started taking Claritin, since I felt fine otherwise. A few days later, the sore throat and cough got worse and were joined by nasal congestion and "yucky cold feeling". I checked with my OB-GYN, who told me to self-medicate with stuff off my "safe meds list." So I started taking Robitussin DM. It helped, but the cough would interrupt my sleep and keep me (and James) up at night. I called my PCP (Primary Care Physician) who acted like they didn't want to touch me with a ten-foot pole, and wanted my OB-GYN to take care of things. Of course, my OB-Gyn wanted me to talk to my PCP. Since I was feeling OK, I kept taking my Robitussin and hoped it would go away.

Fast forward to yesterday...Wednesday night, I woke up with coughing spells several times at night. James demanded that I go to the doctor. Yesterday, I called my PCP at 9:00 a.m., described my symptoms, and begged for an appointment. The response: they didn't have any appointments until Monday AND wouldn't give me anything, anyway. I was FURIOUS. I called my OB-Gyn, who told me to go to any PCP, and to feel free to give them her name and phone # if they desired to consult with her.

So, I got dressed and headed over to PrimeCare (our drop-in urgent care center). Three hours later, I emerged victorious with a diagnosis of mild bronchitis and a prescription for erythromicin (which is apparently the ONLY "safe" drug for pregnancy to which I'm not allergic).

Of course, my little excursion ate up most of my day, since I had to go to the pharmacy and then (since I was in town and we desperately needed TP) Wal-Mart. Simon had obedience class last night (we're still working on "heel" and "stay", but everything else is great), which took up my evening. So today I have to: write (or at least make headway on) my sermon, plan a worship service, finish all my thank-you notes for the shower, finish writing the first session of a Bible Study...and I'm sure I can think of more!

I'll be sure and get lots of sleep tomorrow night and Saturday night. I think I may take Monday off just to sleep and take it easy. I don't want this to get any worse...At least I can do almost everything sitting down with my feet propped up!

So...if there are any budding pharmacists out there...would you please get to work on developing a new drug that is safe for pregnant women who are allergic to penicillin and cephalosporins? I'd really appreciate it!!