You absolutely must...

visit Joel Hazra's blog today! It is chock full of amazing pictures and videos. Be prepared for butterflies in your stomach when you watch the video of his trip up the mountainside to Darjeeling. You'll be thankful for railings when you're finished! We are so thankful for the Hazra family and their missionary work in Bangladesh. Your prayers for their family are much appreciated.

Sights from the city...

Here's our family with a Doyle Lawson. We fell in love with his music while visiting the Grand Canyon for our 25th wedding anniversary. We jumped at the chance to see him on tour in New York City this past weekend.

Isn't this photo just beautiful? I don't know what the occasion was, but the NYC Public Library placed these candles on its entrance steps. We thought they were so lovely.

The Empire State Building - always beautiful, especially at night.

One reason a pack of lions is called a "pride." Have you ever seen a prouder creature? In the animal kingdom, I mean. If we humans were included, we'd win the title for most proud - hands down. This proud fellow can be seen guarding the entrance to the New York City public library.

Is it music to your ears?

Please look to your right and vote as to whether or not you enjoy the music posted on many internet blogs. I'm not giving my opinion - yet. When the poll is over, I'll write a few of my thoughts.

Something fun...

How to step out of the box:

Who's got your vote in 2008?

Consider the following Republican candidate - Texas Congressman Ron Paul. **Disclaimer** Unfortunately, this video features a college student using language that I don't endorse. I apologize for the word he selected to express his position. The rest of the video is clean. Sorry for any offense.

May I vent?

The story you are about to read is true and—sad to say—probably happens more often than we realize or would even like to believe. The episode took place in Target and had a profound effect upon me. I was shopping for a birthday present to give a little girl. Quite naturally, I was in the toy section browsing through isle-after-isle of stuffed animals, action figures, dolls, and games trying to make the perfect selection for a near perfect little girl. Right near the “boy’s toys” two women, with a little boy in their shopping cart, were carrying on a conversation. They were loud and unpleasant and as I paused at the end of their isle I saw the boy’s mother backhand him across the face—hard. She cursed at him (the likes of which are too embarrassing to record in this writing) and told him never to pull on her jacket again. He couldn’t have been more than three-years-old and burst into uncontrollable tears. She continued to publicly berate him as I stood there with my jaw dropped and my eyes wide open. I was astonished. What on earth could I do? I wanted to rescue the little guy. I wanted to comfort him and tell him everything would be okay, that his Mommy must’ve had a really bad day and she really didn’t mean to hurt him like she did. But he wasn’t mine; he was hers. Hers to make and to mold into the man he was bound to become—angry, resentful, and a hater of women. I escaped to the next isle over and wondered what that little fella’s days were like. If his mother behaved this way in public, I could only imagine her behavior at home. My ear caught the conversation between the two offenders: “She was watching you—“I don’t care who was watching me, that ain’t child abuse—that’s discipline! Let her say one word, and I’ll be cursin’ her out.” This, of course, was all said in reference to me. I find it remarkable that I never said one word to these women and yet a reference was made to “child abuse.” That little boy’s mother KNEW full well that she had abused her son. Physically and emotionally. And he would remember it—for a very long time. Poor little guy.

In the front of the store, a whole different situation caught my ear. Another little boy was crying—uncontrollably. His words came out between dramatized sobs, “I want it! I want it! I WANT IT!” As I write this, I am more than sure my readers have witnessed parents who do what I am about to describe: Nothing—they did absolutely nothing. In fact, they ignored him. They acted as though he wasn’t even there! They didn’t instruct him, they didn’t look at him—they just dragged their screaming son down the aisles, placing items in their cart and staring blankly ahead as if the child was a figment of their imaginations. Once again, I was astonished. What on earth could I do? I wanted to rescue the little guy. I wanted to instruct him and let him know that if he didn’t behave properly we would leave the store and take care of his selfish behavior outside, in the car. But I couldn’t. He wasn’t mine; he was theirs. Theirs to make and to mold into the man he was bound to become—angry, selfish, discontent, and unable to maintain normal relationships. Poor little guy. Was he being bratty? Yes. Do I think that the other people in the store were annoyed by his behavior? Yes. Was it his fault that he continued? No. The fault lies at the feet of the parents who would rather not own up to the fact that it is their responsibility to take the time and effort to properly confront and deal with their child’s unacceptable behavior.

Thanks for letting me vent. As an addition to this post, I'd like to recommend this book for anyone with children:

An excellent read, chock full of biblical principles for raising a happy child. Please read it. You'll never regret it.

For Abbey...

Here's a little questionnaire that Abbey had on her blog. I normally don't do this type of thing, but thought this was a little bit different than all the others I've seen - so I filled it out.

1. If I were a month I would be: October

2. If I were a day of the week I would be: Friday

3. If I were a time of day I would be: 6 AM

4. If I were a direction I would be: West

5. If I were a piece of furniture I would be: Recliner

6. If I were a liquid I would be: Water

7. If I were a stone I would be: Diamond

8. If I were a tree I would be: Evergreen

9. If I were a bird I would be: Cardinal

10. If I were a tool I would be: Sewing machine

11. If I were a flower/plant I would be: Hydrangea

12. If I were a kind of weather I would be: Cool and dry

13. If I were a musical instrument I would be: Dulcimer

14. If I were a color I would be: Green

15. If I were an emotion I would be: Joy

16. If I were a vegetable I would be: Sugar snap peas

17. If I were a sound I would be: Peace and quiet

18. If I were a car I would be: Convertible

19. If I were a food I would be: a crisp apple

20. If I were a place I would be: the Grand Canyon

21. If I were a material I would be: Cotton

22. If I were a scent I would be: Flowers

23. If I were a word I would be: Peaceful

24. If I were a body part I would be: Eyes

25. If I were a facial expression I would be: Smile

26. If I were a subject in school I would be: English

27. If I were a game I would be: Scrabble

What?

A good friend sent this to me. I thought it was amazing!

Don't delete this just because it looks weird. Believe it or not, you can read it.
I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttae r in waht oredr the
ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh?

Madison is 3!

Happy Birthday, Madison! We love you!

"Her smile beams like sunshine, which fills our hearts with love!"

The night was dark and dreary...

So we duplicated Starbucks caramel apple cider. You can too!

Here's what you need~cinnamon syrup, cider, caramel sundae syrup, and whipped cream in a can. Measure the cider by the mugful into a pan and heat through.

Put two tablespoons of the cinnamon syrup (or to taste) in the bottom of a mug along with a few drizzles of caramel. Next, pour hot cider into the mug and stir.

Slather a lovely mound of creamy whipped cream on top and drizzle with caramel.

Enjoy! You'll love it~that's a promise!

A guy and a guitar...

Please take a few minutes to visit Joel Hazra's blog. He has a video of himself playing the guitar and has become quite accomplished! Leave a comment and encourage him to continue! Joel is the son of Nathaniel Hazra ~ our beloved missionary to Bangladesh.

New link...

Please feel free to read my husband's writings in regard to the Christian life! The pen and paper are his instruments of choice for conveying what he has learned throughout the years. He also includes interesting articles from other readers. Enjoy - and don't forget to leave a comment!

Simple pleasures...

One hot cup of aromatic coffee...


Mixed with a little bit of non-dairy goodness=


One good cup of autumn indulgence! Abbey and I just love to try the seasonal flavors of coffee creamer. These two are good, with pumpkin spice being our favorite. I do wish they'd bring back the raspberry white chocolate though. I could drink that one any time of year! Randy likes his coffee black (he doesn't know what he's missing).

Abbey's night out....

Just one more post from Abbey's birthday! Here she is. Nineteen-years-old and lovin' it!

PF Chang's for dinner...


Fortune cookies for dessert (I love the generalities of fortune cookies-fun!)

Christmas shopping at Fortunoff - yes, I did write Christmas shopping. Fortunoff has already rolled in the season. Abbey loved these cute peguins! They were so sparkly...


It was so much fun browsing through all the festive decorations with absolutely no one else in the Christmas section!


To end a perfect day, Abbey treated us (!) to hot Caramel Spiced Cider at Starbucks!

It was a day worth repeating next year!

Quiet time? What's that?

I try, with all that I have, to be alone for my morning devotions. But I always, always have company...

Abbey is 19 today!

On October 15th, 1988 our girl came into the world! Here's a brief photo essay of her life with the first photo of how she appears today. HAPPY BIRTHDAY dear girl! How we love you...

One proud Papa - and he still is today!

Two big brothers, Neal and Dan

Seven months


She never liked gloves!
Adorable, darling, cute!

Abbey and her Mom at the Montauk lighthouse - 'twas windy!

First day of school with Melissa - best friend since the nursery!

My favorite photo...

Practice makes perfect!

I love you Abbey!

Two thankful parents with the one for whom they are grateful...

Waiting...

I love this photo of my husband waiting on the front porch for his girls. Husbands do that a lot, I think.

For your Saturday afternoon enjoyment...

This is fantastic! Enjoy...

Tomorrow...

If everything works out okay, we're going to Stockbridge MA to visit the Norman Rockwell Museum on Saturday. I hope everything works out okay... we went there once, but it's been years.

Autumn in the Hamptoms

The Hamptons in Eastern Long Island are beautiful this time of year! I happened across these gorgeous leaves after they had fallen to the barren flower beds below. Oh so pretty...

Look how our trees have grown!

Several years ago, we bought Leyland Cypress trees for our backyard. The salesman told us, "They grow fast; be prepared!" This photo was taken last year on October 19th.


I took this one today, October 11th. I think it shows that the salesman was right! The foliage isn't quite as colorful as it was in the first photo. It's amazing what a difference 8 chilly days and nights can make when it come to changing the color of the landscape!


Click on the photos to get a better idea of how much new growth there is on our Cypress trees.

Apple Dumplings

I made these apple dumplings after dinner on Tuesday night. They turned out really, really good! Here's a little photo essay about how they were made.


The apples came first, of course. These are Granny Smiths from Eastern Long Island.

Butter, brown sugar, water, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla - all boiled together in a heavy saucepan.

Six apples. Peeled and cored.

Fill each apple with brown sugar, sprinkle with cinnamon, and wrap with your favorite pastry dough.


Pour the sauce on apple dumplings that have been placed in a 9x13 baking dish.


And bake at 350° for one hour.

Yum!