Pushin'

Got home about 7:45 last night. We had a s/w "push" (release) that started at 6. Normally I would have left at my normal time and worked from home but one of the developers brought down a production database at 4:30 and it took over an hour to get it fixed. On the way home I stopped and got Taco Bell for the boys and E picked up Jalisco Grill burritos for us.

E worked an earlier shift yesterday as they were short on days. It was nice having her home in the evening. NO had ball practice last night and SE worked. I got up early this morning and went to the gym - oy! I really need to go on a regular basis as I feel so much better when I do.

Blessings on your day

Holy Hedgehog, Batman!

'NZ man 'used hedgehog as weapon'

A man in New Zealand has been charged with using a hedgehog as a weapon, the New Zealand Herald has reported.

Police said William Singalargh, 27, had hurled the hedgehog about 5m (16ft) at a 15-year-old boy.

"It hit the victim in the leg, causing a large, red welt and several puncture marks," said Senior Sgt Bruce Jenkins, in the North Island town of Whakatane.

It was unclear whether the hedgehog was still alive when it was thrown, though it was dead when collected as evidence.

The police spokesman said the suspect was arrested "for assault with a weapon, namely the hedgehog."

Mr Singalargh is due to appear in court on 17 April. If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison.

Squeeze is coming

RF's main squeeze (only squeeze) is arriving from the UK May 11th. The current plan is for them to drive from the SFO airport to Roseville and stay for 4-5 days.

It will be nice to finally meet the guy that has won the heart of my princess. The real trick will be to find time to get to know Andy while still parading him in front of the rest of the NorCal clan.

Curry Courier

I made my Kashmir Lamb last night. It is a curry dish (English not Indian) that is very sweet rather than spicy. Of course the whole house (and a bit of the neighborhood) smelled of curry as there is 1/3 cup of curry paste in the recipe. The kids all like it and I made it at AR's request. I was able to get it done enough for him to have a bowl before he went to work. Then NO ad I took some over rice to E for her dinner. All the other nurses are jealous ;)

Got the backyard sprinklers working last night. Was easier than usual this year - didn't have any lines go sour. Still have a couple of heads that appear to be clogged that I need to tear apart. The camellia bush is blooming late this year, still quite a few blooms on it. My calas haven't done more than poke the tip of a few stems above ground. Not sure why they aren't up yet. They are usually in full bloom by mid-late April. We will be looking to fill in the gaps in the back flower beds next weekend. I lost 3 bushes to the freeze 2 years ago and a huge butterfly bush to the wind storm last fall.

The roses are budding out nicely and I should have blooms in 10 days or less. Pictures as soon as they open.

Workin' Hard

Finished the veggie garden - re-ran the drip lines, caged the tomatoes (found a Black Prince at Home Depot, one of our favorites), planted a Poblano chili pepper and a sweet red pepper, planted more Basil and weeded. Fertilized the roses and added more watering capacity. Cleaned up the cable mess under the 'puter, put the CD rack back together, cleaned up the garage, put the valance back on one of the blinds, and replaced the weather stripping on the back door.

We are having 4-cheese pasta, chicken satay and grilled asparagus for dinner. I will take dinner over to E at 7:30

BTW, it was 78 today and we lost our first ball game.

That was Easy

Dinner will be a snap tonight. AR is on a date with his new girlfriend; SE is waiting for Opie to return from Benicia so they can go out, NO is with his buddy until after 8. Guess I will be eating warmed up pizza at the hospital with E tonight.

JM just called. Their friend Greg was able to get the rooms at the Marriott Hotel in Monterey for $79/night for my birthday weekend. (w00t!!!) I guess we are going after all :) That is a savings of almost $500 over what renting a house would cost (and $1,500 less than the "published" rate).

Game 3

Tomorrow is a busy day. SE works at 10, AR goes in at 4 and E has to be at the hospital by 2:30. Noah has game 3 tomorrow morning (they are 2-0 so far) and this weekend is also pictures and opening day for RWLL. I have let the garden go too long and really need to get the watering set up. I know I have a broken head in the flower garden and the bed by the bench is a mess. I am looking forward to working in the garden and yard. Hopefully I can get the final bits in the garage straightened out so both cars will fit again.

Desolation

All too often, in our journey through this life, we walk through periods of desolation. We have times when it seems that we are in a desert or a forest that has been devastated.

We don't have far to look to find those feelings in God's Word. More than once, King David cried out to God in his despair. Yet in the midst of anguish, grief and pain, David always finished his laments on a positive note. No matter how bad it got, he never forgot where his strength and safety came from; David never forgot that God is good; David never forgot all of the things that God had done for him.

When we are in that dry time; that time of desolation we need to look past the circumstances to the One who loves us best.

Blessings on your day
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Psalm 22:14-15 I am poured out like water, And all my bones are out of joint; My heart is like wax; It is melted within me. 15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd, And my tongue cleaves to my jaws; And You lay me in the dust of death.

My Grandson on Easter

It's Late

It is late and the house is very quiet. Everyone is in bed, dishwasher is unloaded, kitchen cleaned up and stuff ready for the morning. SE made breaded pork chops for dinner. AR asked his friend to prom (wrote PROM?" on the car window. Went to pick her up with the window down. When she came out he had a single rose waiting for her and rolled up the window.) and, BTW, to be his official girlfriend :) They went miniature golfing and had dinner at the Paradise Grill. Afterwards they picked up another friend and hanged out (is that even a word?) in the hot tub.

Tomorrow the cleaning people come for the first time in a month. E will be glad to get things deep cleaned. E is working all weekend so I have no idea what dinner will look like tomorrow. The picture above is Liam sitting in his wagon eating candy on Easter Saturday.

Are you tired?

It is so easy to get tired of the race. It is so easy to sit down on the sidelines and stop running. In fact, we see this done over and over in the Word. Of the kings of Israel and Judah that are called "Godly" few of them finished well. The news is full of stories of the fall and collapse of Gospel singers, evangelists, preachers and leaders in the church. We all know Christians who have walked with God for years and years and then went sideways.

Somehow we seem to think that we can let go and coast for a while. We think that we are "owed" a vacation and a time of rest. We buy into the idea that we work for so long and then get to retire. God's Word tells us that this isn't so. Over and over Paul reminds us that we need to finish the WHOLE race - that we need to run all the way so we can win the prize (prizes and rewards are an entirely different study).

The writer of Hebrews addresses this many times as well (in fact the book can be taken as written specifically to this issue). Our time of rest is after we leave this world. Until then we are promised trials, toils and struggles.

Is there joy? Yes! Is there peace? Yes! But if we don't finish well, they have no value.

Blessings on your day
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Hebrews 12

Jesus, the Example

1 Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Update on dad

[Received in email]

Hi kids,

Thought we’d update you on the Dr.’s appointment. I saw an “Electrophysiologist” this morning. He specializes in dealing with the electrical side of the hearts functioning. [?] Anyway he talked about what could have been the cause of my little episode. Very enlightening and understandable. It has to do with standing in one spot without moving around, which what I was doing that day. As we get older, we apparently lose the function of certain nerves in our heart muscle and the blood settles into the lower extremities and the brain gets “short of blood” which may cause a light-headed condition or even loss of conscientiousness. This is what I was nearing. On April 18 2008 I will be taking a “Tilt Table Test” which will try to stimulate the condition under controlled conditions. That should be interesting. I will get the results on April 23^rd.. In the mean time Dr. Kim feels I CAN DRIVE so we are heading for Arizona tomorrow morning.

The Price of Peace

Periodically, we have to stop what we are doing and address the "tone" of the household. It is very easy to forget that the people we live with are "family." As I pondered this, I ran across the following excerpt from one of Walt Henrichsen's devotionals:

The family unit affords a vivid illustration of this truth. The better we know someone the more difficult it seems to maintain peace. There are probably two reasons for this. First, because we know them well their weaknesses and idiosyncrasies become glaringly apparent. Second, familiarity tends to invite presumption; we are prone to impose on those close to us. Thus the family becomes an environment inviting confrontation.

In all the places that we walk during our lives, the family should be the one place that is safe. We are confronted and attacked at the market place, at work, in school and everywhere we go in the world. At home, we need to find a place that is safe from the trials and tribulations of the world in which we live.

I am not saying there is never conflict in the home nor am I saying that I expect that people will always get along. What I do expect is that people will remember that these are the people that will love us and care for us when no one else will.

Blessings on your day (and check out the full text of the devotional at the link above)
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Romans 12:18 (NASB) If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.

It's a new day

The sun was out this morning but the weatherman claims it will cloud up with a 20% chance of rain. The last time we had a 20% chance of rain we got 1/2 inch in 24 hours. I hope the rain holds off until after N's game today. They play at 5 at Kaseberg park. Last night we had a whole chicken in the crock pot and rice - tonight it is Tuna Helper (yes I know but it is easy and not too bad with hot sauce on it).

All that is left to do on the remodel is the blinds on the large window (they are a tad long and need to be trimmed) and the door frames. SE starts her new job today - hopefully they will give her the hours she needs to pay her bills (she owes her mom quite a lot of money).

And Done (Mostly)

Only a few final touches to go. Most of which you can't see in the pictures anyway