Wolf Rank Ceremony

Sunday afternoon the Cub Scouts had their second-to-last Pack Meeting of the year. B10 had worked hard all year long and achived his Wolf Scout Rank Badge.

Rank Ceremonies are a pretty big deal in Cub Scouts. Most of the other awards (like arrow points) can only be given out after you achive rank.

There are lots of Wolf Rank Ceremonies out there on the web, but I actually wrote my own for B10. The main color of Wolf is red, it's the background of the badge and used in most of the Wolf things.

Basically the Cubmaster said the following speech, while I drew a red wolf pawprint on his left cheek with red facepaint.

~The Wolf Badge is red, a bold and meaningful color.
~Red is for the blood you pumped when you mastered Feats of Skill, kept your Body Healthy, and worked hard with tools.
~Red is for the Flag that flies over our Home and Community, over all our Streets.
~Red is found in Your Living World that you interacted with and collected and even at times Cooked!
~Red represents your thoughtful heart – when making Good Choices, spending time with
Your Family, and doing your Duty to God.

Wear the Red Wolf Paw on your face proudly, and the Red Wolf badge on your uniform
to signify the hard work you’ve put into this achievement.

Lots of the other boys seemed sad to not have pawprints on their cheeks! The speech basically touches on all the different achievements B10 had to complete in order to become a Wolf Scout.

I'm so proud of his working hard all year - and sticking it out even when it wasn't always easy and fun. He did a great job, and learned a lot.

My proudest moment was when he placed 13th overall in District (out of almost 75 cars, just at District, not to mention the number of boys who competed on the Pack level) and wasn't upset at all. He was looking at the other cars that beat him, so he could build a better car next year. I think it is awesome how he understood that the point wasn't to win, but to enjoy himself.

I can't wait for May - B10 becomes a BEAR Cub Scout and my little CW will be an official TIGER Cub!

~Lone Butterfly )i(

History's Witness

On Tuesday I received a call at work from my Uncle. He wanted to know if I would like to go to the Braves game with him that night.

This was an important day for Braves fans, because John Smoltz was 4 away from reaching the 3,000 strikeout mark. There are only 16 major league pitchers that have reached this in their careers - so it's pretty amazing. Smoltz was the starting pitcher (vs. John Lanman of the Washington Nationals, an excellent pitcher in his own right).

I said of COURSE I want to go and sat at work until 5:15 p.m. for Uncle to come and pick me up. We drove out to Turner Field, ate a great dinner there, and had incredible seats. Three rows back from the Nationals dugout. (Which was perfect for not being in the sun!)

Here is Smoltz on the mound.

The game was amazing.

Smoltz did make his 3,000 strike out (3,006 in total by the end of the night). Even though we lost, just knowing that I was there for history to be made felt so cool.

Either way, I kept my program from the game, so fifty years from now, I'll be able to tell my great-grandchildren about how I was there when Smoltz set a record. It's kinda cool knowing that I'll be able to tell stories, just like my grandfather told me stories. History in almost any form has always fascinated me, and this is a pretty awesome way to be a part of it.

ETA: Pictures up!

~Lone Butterfly )i(

Photographic Evidence

Acutal Photographic Evidence of two Siblings playing together without arguing.

Please do not note the state of the room. Joy comes at a price, people.

~Lone Butterfly )i(

When at Work -

There are times when as a Christian I feel uncomfortable. At work, currently, I have had a situation arise that has put me in a position that, while not difficult, is a little complicated.

One of the women I work with found the website A Complaint Free World. The idea is that you wear a purple bracelet on your wrist and every time you complain you move it to the other wrist. It takes 21 days to form a new habit, and this is suppose to help you. She ordered enough for everyone and work and distributed them with a letter from the organization.

A quote from the letter given out with the bracelet is as follows:

“Our words are powerful indicators of our thoughts, and our thoughts create our lives. When we complain, we draw to us negative things because we put out negative energy.”

The thing is, it’s not a bad idea to try and think positively. To limit our complaints and the time I spend criticizing others.

However, this particular “ministry” was founded by Rev. Will Bowen of Christ Church Unity, in Kansas City. I confess to find it odd that they named themselves a “Christ Church” when their public declaration of beliefs is clearly written on their homepage:

We Believe...
1.There is only One Presence and One Power, God the Good, omnipotence
2. If God is everywhere, God is also within everyone

3. Our thoughts create our reality4. Pray affirmatively giving thanks for what you desire
5. Practice the four principles (above) to the best of your ability each and every day.
We honor all faiths.

This is not a Christian church. It’s not even a Protestant church. It’s a “all pathways lead to heaven” kind of church, and that goes against my beliefs.

So here is my quandary.

I was given a bracelet like everyone else, which I have not worn and will not wear. However, the woman who handed it out has been rather vocal about chastising people she sees not wearing the bracelet.

At first, in order to “get out of Dodge” quickly, I made a joke that I wasn’t going to wear something I knew I would fail at (ie: me actually quitting complaining). And while many will say that this is not religious, but social - I disagree. The bracelet has the website written on it, thus if I were to wear it I would be basically advertising for these people.

~

It is my hope that she (the lady at work) will drop the subject. But then that frustrates me, as I know I should be able to articulate my position on the matter and not be ashamed of being a Christian. It's a delicate situation, because I am still at work, and I must remain sensitive to others.

~

Is it complaining to wish she was a little less of a pushy person?

~

~Lone Butterfly )i(

A Mother’s Greatest Fear –

I lost CW this morning. I picked him up from Sunday School and in my rush to get back upstairs (because I have to be there before the choir comes in), I decided to step into the restroom before sitting him down in our pew.

I handed him his papers (Adam and Eve coloring sheets this week) and put my hands on his shoulders and backed him against the wall. Looking straight into his eyes I said, “don’t move, Mummy will be right back.”

Then I stepped into the restroom. The line was relatively short, considering the size of the church compared to the number of stalls. I washed my hands, and was out within 4 minutes.

CW was gone.

Husband was in the Foyer and my automatic conclusion was that CW had seen him and they were together. But Husband quickly dispelled that thought when he asked me where CW was.

What ensued was 10 minutes of sheer panic.

I cannot adequately describe what it feels like to search every place you can think a child might be and not find the child. He wasn’t in my Mum’s Sunday School classroom (she was sick today, that’s why B10 wasn’t there). He hadn’t gone back to his classroom. He hadn’t wandered into the large lobby. He wasn’t in the Children’s Church room – nor the library – nor mine and Husband’s Sunday School room (where he usually finds breakfast).

My heart stopped at least once.

After he was found (playing in a far away bathroom with another little boy – by that little boy’s mother) and thoroughly chastised, I sat him down in our pew and collapsed into my chair in front of my computers.

The congregation finished singing the third or fourth song before my heart returned to normal.

How could I have so much fear? We weren’t in a grocery store or a Target – and while our church is large, it’s not so large that people don’t know one another. But all my mind could process was that my child was missing.

We’ve had a few issues with CW recently, he just walks away from us in crowded places. Yesterday he almost walked out in front of a car. I worry that part of his processing issues and he can’t hear us when we call him. I know that much of it is just disobedience and him being a child, but I’m not sure what to do to fix it.

He spent this entire afternoon sitting on a bed with no TV or toys as punishment for walking away.

I still have a knot in my stomach when I think about it, while this story ended well – I feel for all the mothers who don’t have a happy ending.

~Lone Butterfly )i(

White Chili Chicken - Meal in a Bag

The boys and Husband are getting ready to go camping for the first time (for the three of them alone). It's going to be quite an experience for them, and I've been asked to make sure they have plenty of easy things to fix and eat.

This receipe is very easy, and you can prepare it special for when you are camping.

First the ingredients:

5 Chicken Tenderloins, cubed in 1/2 to 1 inch cubes
1 Envelope of White Chili Seasoning
1 Cup of Water
1 Can of White Beans (16-19 oz) - NOT drained

For a one-stop meal add 1 can of corn (drained).

Now for the ultra simple directions- cook the chicken cubes, add everything else, bring to a boil and let simmer for 10 minutes.

Then it's ready to eat!

For camping, try this:

Get a large (gallon size) ziplock freezer bag. Cook the chicken and put it into the bag. Make sure your cup of water is hot, and stir in the envelope of seasoning mix to dissolve. Set aside to cool. Open the can of beans (undrained) and the can of corn (drained). Dump both cans in the bag on top of the chicken. Pour the water/seasoning mix into the bag and seal tightly.

Now, if you have a large enough freezer - lay the bag flat (on a plate or pan, just in case the zipper decides not to seal). It will freeze quickly, and defrost faster when you are ready to eat it.

When it's time to go camping, use the bag as an "ice pack" in your cooler to keep other foods cold! It's less wasted ice, and gives you more flexiblity in food prep! Plus, if you're sending your beloved spouse out into the wilderness with two little boys without you - you can help him out by labeling the ziplock bag using a Sharpie Marker so he knows what to cook, and when to cook it!

To reheat, just open the bag and dump into your one-pot and bring to a boil.

~Lone Butterfly )i(

ETA: Yes, Keetha - the boys LOVED it (as did Husband). :D

Sometimes I Am Ashamed -

I preface this entire post by stating – I am as guilty as the next Christian, and am speaking to myself as much as the Protestant world at large.

Last night B10 and I were curled up in my bed watching the Public Broadcasting Station. We have really ragged bunny ears on our TV, and only get the main channels, and those come in pretty fuzzy. It was after 10 pm, and I had stopped on a documentary about Jews in America.

B10 and I had a few great discussions about the show, but there was a part that struck me and really gave me pause today.

There is a rise in the number of Orthodox Jews in America. These are generally considered the most conservative, and it has only been recently that they have begun allowing women to even study the Scriptures. The narrator talks about this particular sect then the camera showed groups of women sitting around tables studying.

These women sat around in groups and just read the Scriptures out loud and discussed them together. In Hebrew.

When’s the last time you sat down with other Christian women and read the Scriptures in Hebrew? Greek? Aramaic?

When’s the last time you sat down with other Christian women and read the Scriptures in English? And just studied them for themselves, without the crutch of someone else telling you what to believe.

Please do not get me wrong – there is plenty of good in the world done by talented women such as Beth Moore and Anne Graham Lotz. But I’ve also seen women who will join in a Bible Study just because it’s a “Beth Moore” study or an “Anne Graham Lotz” study.

Whatever happened to studying because it’s GOD’S study? Without the fancy videos and pretty, slick here-are-your-answer workbooks? What about sitting down with the Word of God and other women who have the same desire to learn you have and just reading?

We aren’t going to have all the right answers, and it’s okay to ask questions of those more educated than us in the religious field (especially since most of us cannot return to the original text and languages). But Scripture as a whole was NEVER MEANT to be confusing or difficult to understand. That is NOT God’s way.

I wonder if it’s because it’s not a privilege to us. My husband isn’t sitting outside my door denying me the right to read about my Lord. The government isn’t threatening to turn my children against me or kill me for my beliefs.

Bible Study time has become social time for the Western Protestant Woman.

I wish I knew how to fix it. How do I get the same hunger for knowledge that drives the Jewish Orthodox women to go out of their way to spend time in the Written Torah? Where do I find a group of women to walk along side me?

How do I live my life less ashamed?

Cutest Shoes EVAH -

- which sadly do not belong to me.

My mum (who wears the same size shoe as I do) went to visit HER mum in a far away state. While there, she found something at that Target that we do not sell here.

~

I know, because I've looked.

Do you see the adorableness of these shoes? The perfect little flowers? The tiny little red ladybugs? Now, imagine a perfect Banana Republic jean skirt, that flows just to my knees, a slightly off-white 3/4 quarter length sweater, and a bright red tank.

~

I was rockin today at work.

Here is another picture of the shoes, modeled by me.

I suggest you rush out to your nearest Target to find these. And if they have them there - I'm a size 7 and my birthday is in November. ;)

To recap - shoes are adorable. Especially on me. (See my "kickin it back" pose? It's all the shoes.)

~Lone Butterfly )i(

Stevie B's Field Trip

CW's Kindergarten class had a field trip to Stevie B's Pizza today. He (along with his 13 closest friends) got to play in the Arcade (each child received 4 tokens - plus whatever they could bum off the nearest adult - parent or not). You'll notice he's intent on the gaming.

After a good 30 minutes of wasting our money in the electronic pit of despair, the kids were herded (all adults in tow) to wash their hands and see how dough was made.

Take a good look where CW's hands are in the above picture. Keep that in mind as we move forward, 'kay?

Next we entered the walk-in fridge. A chilly experience that left CW proclaiming he was a penguin (and showing great concern for the little girl next to him).

Then each child picked a partner and together they made a pizza. Look closely at this picture. Notice the large bins of ingredients? Notice the LACK OF GLOVES? Do you remember where we saw CW's hands in previous pictures? (This is the time when you thank me for not showing you the picture of his hands in mouth/near his nose.)

And here is CW showing off his creation. Pepperoni and Cheese. All the children loved their lunch, and really enjoyed the trip. Kudos to his teachers who set it up - they did a great job!

For the record - I did not have Stevie B's. You get one guess as to why.

~Lone Butterfly )i(

Questions Answered!

1. What part of blogging brings you the most joy and satisfaction? Relationships? Having an outlet for writing? Reading? Commenting? Building your traffic? Something else?

2. What is the most frustrating part of blogging for you?

3. If you had to give someone one piece of advice about blogging, what would it be?

4. What do you know about blogging now that you WISH you had known when you started your blog?

5. What draws you to the blogs you read regularly? What elevates a blog to “daily read” status?

BooMama asked these questions in her blog, and I was prepared to leave a comment, before I realized how L-O-N-G of a comment it would be. My solution was to answer them on my own blog, so I could ramble to my heart’s content.

1. Having an outlet for writing is what brings me the most joy. I wish (like most bloggers) that I received more comments, but I have resisted putting even a counter on my blog, because if I did, that would immediately become my focus. Right now, I can just enjoy saying my piece and posting pictures of my children (even if it’s the injured parts of them I’m showing).

2. The most frustrating part of blogging for me is finding the time to do it. More than once I’ve had a blog post in my head all day long, but when I get home from work it never actually is written and posted. That makes me sad.

3. One piece of advice is protect your privacy. There are too many horror stories about people online for me to risk saying my children’s names online. I do recognize that my children pretty unique names, which adds to my caution. And while I’ve never posted anything that could get me fired from my job – I’m also very aware that things in cyberspace do not disappear, so I’m careful of how I speak of my place of employment and the people I work with.

4. I wish I had known that it was better to be regular than to only post when I thought I had something important to document. I wish I could go back and read more posts from when I started, my life has changed quite a bit since then.

5. There are two reasons why I would read a blog regularly – first: excellent, witty writing and second: I know the person in real life. When I’m very lucky the two merge into one! Daily read sites are few and far between. I check my sister’s site often, and my friend’s. Then there are the sites that are “popular” (ie: BooMama, BigMama, & Ree). I read those, and so do my friends, so we can talk about the interesting things written. Finally, BigMama hosted a Fashion Fiesta, and my sister and I made a few new blogging-friends. I am currently visiting their sites on a daily basis, to see if we have as many things in common as it initially seems. Those could blossom into daily reads, just as any relationship blossoms over a mutual love of something.

~Lone Butterfly )i(

Injuries

**WARNING** This post contains a very mild photo of a head injury.

Somehow, in the last twenty-four hours, we've managed to do quite a bit of damage to B10 and myself.

Husband and I have a pretty open policy about digging in the yard - as long as it's not damaging to a tree, then go ahead. The boys are always creating holes and then filling them back in and creating new ones.

As I was walking my bicycle to the road through our yard, the front tire caught one of these holes. The downhill slope ended up causing me and the bike to hit the ground - in that order. Now I have a very lovely bruise that stretches from my upper thigh almost to my knee. Then there are numerous small bruises below my knee to my ankle.

~

The second injury came when B10 and Husband were roughhousing last night, after CW had fallen asleep. I was just drying off after my bath when I heard B10 screaming and Husband saying "It's okay". (B10 was responding - "NO IT'S NOT OKAY!")

I ran into our bedroom to find B10 curled up face down on our bed, with Husband's hand covered in blood over the back of his head.

Apparently, whacking your head really hard against a piece of wood is NOT the greatest idea...

It took over 20 minutes to calm him down and clean the wound. Head wounds bleed like Niagara Falls anyway, and the fact the the child was tired didn't help the situation at all. I'm just glad we didn't have to go to the Emergency Room for stitches, which is what I was initally afraid of!

I hope everyone else is having an injury-free week! I'm off to see if B10 can make it to swim lessons (he was a bit apprehensive about getting chlorine in his hair).

~Lone Butterfly )i(

An Addendum to the Spring Fashion Fiesta

For those who asked about my black-tie fashion (yay Work!), here is a picture of me and one of my best friends, Edelweiss (who is also my boss - these are the reasons I can work and not go crazy).

I adore this outfit, because it's elegant enough for me to wear around tuxedos, but the pants make it great when I'm actually doing WORK (there's quite a bit of lifting and bending and carrying that goes on).

Don't we look happy?

It's White House/Black Market and the necklace came from the store at my work.

I've been searching for the photo I have somewhere when I was 8 months pregnant and went to a function - I had the prettiest green dress!

Edited to Add: I found the photo I was searching for!

Spring Bicycling

For Christmas Granddaddy, Jr and Minnie Mouse gave the boys and me bicycles, Husband received a bike rack for the truck. The weather has been rather chilly until about two weeks ago, and then the boys were gone – so this afternoon was only the fourth time we’ve been able to practice with the boys.

CW did wonderful his first try, but since then has decided he doesn’t want to learn. I think he’ll come around when he sees everyone else getting to ride. But this time was spent with him running around the yard with his helmet on.





B10 and Husband practiced for over a mile, with B10 actually riding by himself for a bit of the journey. I’m really proud of how well he did, wearing his helmet without complaints and trying his best.

Our driveway is on a hill, and he even walked his bike up to the front door by himself! Not an easy feat at the end of practice. (Husband carries our bikes through the house to the sun porch in the back.)

I even pulled out my bike and rode up and down our little street, while CW raced me on foot. I am still adjusting to having to wear a helmet, but I am really loving my new bicycle!

~

I can’t wait until we can all go biking with the Sheeps – BooSheep received a bicycle identical to mine, and Hubby Sheep received a new bicycle that has a small trailer attached, so Little Sheep can ride with us! (And Little Sheep can carry a picnic basket – HANDY!)

THANK YOU Granddaddy, Jr and Minnie Mouse! We love our Christmas presents!

~Lone Butterfly )i(

Spring Fashion Fiesta!

First - to anyone who stumbled here through Mr. Linky - WELCOME! Grab a plate of binary nachos and a drink and check out my closet! I'll admit right now that I'm not into all the latest fashions, but I one of the awesome perks of my job is that I get to dress up for black-tie functions at least twice a year. That's when I get fancy, what you're going to see today is what I wear the other 363 days...

The first question asked of all Spring Fashion Fiesta was what do I wear on a daily basis - I'm going to begin with a photo of my closet. It's not huge, but suits my needs.




Now - imagine I have a pair of black pants (preferably from Banana Republic). If you're feeling daring - imagine grey pants. Or (gasp) a black skirt. There's the bottom half of my wardrobe. My favorite top is this lovely burnt orange piece from Target. (I love Target!) The sleeves are just a tad tight, but I can wear a nice shell from New York and Company underneath (in black, of course).





Next - I always carry a lunchbag to work, it was a gift from my sister, BooSheep on my 30th birthday. It's black and white (to match pretty much everything I wear) with my initials in hot pink. It's from Thirty-One, a Christian based company. It's insulated on the inside - without a doubt one of the best and most useful presents I've ever received.

Finally - the other perk of my job - occasionally there is really cool jewelry to purchase. Employees are always allowed to borrow jewelry to wear on our "black-tie" nights, but it's an exciting time when I can actually take a piece home with me. I have a pair of earrings that matches this necklace and makes me smile.

Please ignore the cat hair in the picture - scratch that - imagine the cat hair all over my black pants. And there you have it: Lone Butterfly's Daily Uniform!

BigMama's second question was what would we LIKE to have in our closet. I'm boring. I would prefer more black slacks (and skirts) from Banana Republic. Like these Martin Fit ones. Or for a bit of variety - this skirt has the word floral in the title. I'm also really loving this (in black).

Big thanks to BigMama for hosting such a great Fiesta! Thanks for visiting - hope to see ya'll back soon!

~Lone Butterfly )i(

It's Been a Lonely Spring Break -

With both boys gone to visit their Dad's for Spring Break, it's been rather lonely here. I have been able to spend the night once with BooSheep and Little Sheep, and we spent the past two Mondays together. Little Sheep loves his fire engine (just like his Daddy!)

~

I love this age in Little Sheep's life. He's finally beginning to remember me, and it's kind-of cool to see him point to B-10 and CW's pictures and ask where they are. I am glad I was able to spend time with him, especially since this time with the boys away has been particularly difficult.

In years past, I'll miss the boys, but I'll accomplish great tasks (such as completely redoing a room or writing 50 pages of a story). This time, I haven't really been able to accomplish anything of note. Their room is clean and organized, but that took very little time in the greater scheme of things, and it was Doc and Cookie who did most of the work one Friday/Saturday/Sunday in the evenings.

So in addition to missing them, I feel useless. Which leads me to feeling frustrated. Which leads to all sorts of mini-depression states. Unsatisfied, overall, with almost everything. It doesn't help that my recurring health issues reared their ugly head, either.

BooSheep and I had good discussion about my major stresses, though I still can't figure out how to make it better. I think, right now, the only thing that will help is having them back. Not that they make me happy, per say - I know that is impossible and not their job. I just want to not have them gone as a stress, one less thing to worry about and two more hugs every day.

~Lone Butterfly )i(

Join in!

I am issuing everyone reading (and that means all two of you) the challenge to join in at BigMama's Spring Fashion Fiesta. It's my second time joining in a "blogging - festival" and I would love to have company!

It's very easy - go ahead and take pictures now (you can even blog it and save it). Then post on Friday with your link on Mr. Linky, back at BigMama's site.

In the blog post we need to answer two questions:

1) What do you wear on a daily basis? (Your "uniform" as it were.) What piece of clothing can you not live without?

2) What is your dream outfit? Or dream item? If you could own any piece of clothing or shoes what would it be?

I can't wait to see what everyone says! I'm already planning my post! (Really? The giddyness!)

See you on Friday at the Fiesta!

~Lone Butterfly )i(

The False Ideas in My Head -

Did you ever have that evening where you’re sitting watching Jeopardy and you’re getting every question right?

It’s as if the stars have aligned and all 12 categories are perfect for you – by the time Final Jeopardy comes along, you’ve racked up more money than the rest of the contestants and your head starts to inflate. Especially when you nail three in a row that no one else gets.

You’re excited.

You’re thrilled.

You’re one step ahead of Alex -

Even the Final Jeopardy question is, dare I say it, easy – I mean, who didn’t know Mexico City? (Two of the contestants, actually.)

Then you go to the Jeopardy website, because you’re oh-so-smart, to take the pre-contestant quiz and realize –

Yes.

You’re not even close to Jeopardy ready.

Or –

…maybe this happens to just me.

~Lone Butterfly )i(

Worship Service

Defining worship is a hazy proposition for me. Most of the people I know practice the bulk of their worship on Sunday mornings during the “Worship Service”. It has been 18 months since I have had that luxury on a regular basis.

I would say I am relatively proficient at communing with God when I am alone. I have an active prayer life, and I read Scripture and listen to Him speak to me (never audibly, but usually pretty clearly).

My Sunday mornings, from about 8:30 am until after service is over (around noon) are spent in a booth in the balcony.

Every fifth Sunday I’ll drop off breakfast for the Sunday School class that I don’t get to attend, but Husband enjoys. If I’m lucky, someone else has started coffee and I can take a cup with me upstairs. Otherwise, it’s just me and the balcony.

The Sound Guys – led by my stepfather, Doc, will be up there fiddling and twisting things. Setting levels just right and making sure batteries are fresh, before they head off to class.

Meanwhile, I’ll be updating any changes the songs being sung, review the sermon notes, and if I’m really on top of things – I’ll make headway into all the announcements that have to be fixed/corrected/added in to the rotation we run before service begins. At some point the Music Worship Leader, the Pianist, and the Drummer will be ready to run through the songs. I’ll click over and show all the lyrics (which is good, because sometimes I have Jesus walking through the dessert, rather than the desert…).

Around 10:15 people will start to fill the Sanctuary. My church is a good-size building, with between 800-900 guests on a Sunday morning. The balcony fills to a comfortable level, with the pew right next to be being filled by Cookie, B-10 and CW – and sometimes Husband if he’s not ushering or singing in the choir.

At 10:30 sharp the service begins, and while the entire congregation begins to worship, focusing their hearts and minds on God, I tend to feel rather left out.

I know God recognizes those who serve Him. And I know that I’m, quite frankly, very good at what I do. It takes rhythm to properly advance lyric slides during songs, and I strive to remain on top of where the preacher is during his sermons. Unfortunately, I cannot sing along, nor can I read the Scripture or take notes during the talks.

If I’m feeling empty when I arrive at church on Sunday morning, I’m usually feeling empty when I leave. It’s frustrating and sad, but I understand – perhaps more than most – the necessity of those willing to serve.

Why do I continue to do it? Because I can. I’m the one who knows how, and doesn’t have other commitments. Even though that means for me - the Worship Service is more service than worship.

But if you were to sneak into my church’s Sanctuary around 5 pm on a Wednesday night – you’d be in for a surprise. The window shades would be up – natural sunlight flooding through the floor to ceiling glass and illuminating the room. One small desk lamp would be shining from the very top of the balcony. And the left large screen, hanging above the choir loft would be on.

And, if you’re very quiet and enter from the back of the room (under the balcony), you’ll enter my worship service. If you sneak forward and look up, you’ll see the tip of my head over the four computer screens bouncing up and down as I type in the words for the next Sunday’s service.

I won’t be able to hear you if you call my name, the iPod in my ears will be playing my songs much louder than you can shout. If your really lucky I’m singing along.

Every once in a while, I even have to stop my typing and raise my hands in the air – an action you would NEVER see from me on a Sunday morning (goodness, I don’t even clap in church). That’s my time, right there with the cross in front of me, worshiping.

My worship iPod playlist:

Undignified - Dave Crowder (The Lime CD)

Love Song for a Savior
Art in Me
Boy on a String
Flood - Jars of Clay (Jars of Clay)

High of 75
I So Hate Consequences
My Girl’s Ex-Boyfriend
More Than Useless – Relient k (Mmhmm)

Stand – Rascal Flatts (Me and My Gang)

Feel free to join in, if you're ever nearby. What songs bring out the worship in you?

~Lone Butterfly )i(

Easy Chicken Pot Pie

I love Chicken Pot Pie - especially since it's such an easy dish. Plus, I always have leftovers that taste delicious when reheated the next day (an important consideration in meal planning, since both Hubby and I take our lunches to work).

This is one of the simplest recipes that I know to make, and it is fun for the kids to help with.

Ingredients:

~1 Can of Peas or Green Beans (well-drained)

~1 Can of Corn (well-drained)

~1 large Can of Chicken (not drained)

~1 small handful of rice (not cooked)

~1 Can of Cream of Chicken Soup

~1 box of Pilsbury Pie Crusts (2 come in the box)

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1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

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2) In a 8 inch pie pan (I use a glass one) place the bottom crust. Set the top crust aside.

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3) Mix all other ingredients in a large bowl.

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4) Dump mixture into pie pan.

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5) Place top crust on mixture, pinching the edges to close.

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6) Using a sharp knife, cut slits in the top crust to vent. If you want to be "fancy" - you can use a very small cookie cutter to cut out shapes in the top crust. This will vent the pot pie - and make it beautiful when it bakes.

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7) Using aluminum foil, wrap only the very edges of the pot pie, leaving the center exposed. Bake for 30 minutes.

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8) Remove the aluminum foil.

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9) Bake an additional 15-20 minutes - until the edges are golden.

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10) Allow the Chicken Pot Pie to cool for 15 minutes, and you're ready to eat!

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I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. It's a great meal to serve when you are having guests over, because it's simple, but fills your home with a delightful smell. Add a fresh salad and cookies and dinner is complete!

~Lone Butterfly )i(