What's Alicia been up to?

• I've been stuck at home for a month since Brian's car suddenly had engine failure (at ten o'clock at night while I was driving it, no less). We thought to replace it, but it seems used car prices have doubled in the past couple of years, so it's been in the shop since Wednesday with no word yet on its prognosis. But it's bad...very bad. Edited to add: for just a little over the amount we originally paid for the car, we will now have a repaired car. Uggh.
• Ethan has had a mild, but lingering stomach bug for nearly two weeks. Brian had it for about five days.
• My family was supposed to arrive on Sunday, but my Grandma's cardiologists are continually trying to kill her by putting her on new drugs to control high blood pressure brought on by ...new drugs and their accompanying side effects. She passed out again and is in the hospital. As soon as she fires the cardiologists and drops the new drugs (which, btw, is not just my opinion, but the internists' at the hospital as well), she should be fine. Hopefully she'll be released this morning. I really hate doctors!
• Oh, and my parents van had the newly replaced compressor go bad the day before they were supposed to leave, so that's been rereplaced too now. When it rains...
• Despite all of this, I'm not the least bit depressed.
• Partly because I'm in the middle of a very long, very torrid love affair - with my husband. Keeps life fun and interesting.
• I also read the Twilight series about the same time the car engine died. Stayed up three nights in a row to read the three books, getting my sister hooked on them too, in the process, then was totally obsessed with them for at least two weeks, reading all 1625 pages of them about five more times. This is the real reason I quit blogging - I was busy reading! Don't think I'd recommend them to the young adults they're marketed for, but if you're older a love a good romance that get an emotional grip on you, is well-written, and has great lines, this might be an unexpected pleasure for you too. I'm ranking it right up there with Romeo and Juliet and The Notebook. The last book in the series is due out August 2, and the first movie is coming in December.
• This Twilight hang-up resulted in my listening to Stephanie Meyer's playlists that go with her books, and becoming readdicted to music as well. I've found lots of new music to love as a result, and these days find me exploring new artist on youtube and organizing my favorites into playlists. I'm enjoying Secondhand Serenade, in particular, these days.
• I also ended up in a scramble to find some fiction half as good, so that I could quit reading the same books over and over. I reread some Francine Rivers and Lori Wick and a bunch of new books. Some were pretty good. After skimming through mostly non-fiction for the past few years and reading mostly just blogs for the past year or so, I've really enjoyed reading fiction and have read more books in the past month than I have in years (if you count the massive number of rereading I've been doing).
• Oh, and another Twilight side effect is the huge quantity of Twilight flair on facebook got me readdicted to facebook as well. Good grief. :^)
• We also celebrated Rosie's third birthday and our eleventh wedding anniversary this month. I'll get her birthday letter up soon. I've got to get her official pics too. And I know that I'm miserably behind on pics for the blog, so watch out - if I start I might not stop!
• We've had some other stuff going on as well that I'm not quite ready to share here yet. It was stressful for a time, but right now, at least, I feel peaceful about this unknown in my life.
• And, who knows if this will begin continuous blogging again or not. My fam is (probably) coming in tonight or tomorrow for the next couple of weeks, and then it's going to be a mad scramble to get my school year going (no, I'm not ready, I've been reading!)

Father's Day Ideas

Okay, Brian, my love, you can go away now.

Now we can talk.

So, in case your the last minute type too, here's some inspiration:

1. Start coloring now and you'll have plenty of signs to decorate with by Sunday.
2. Make a T-Shirt for Dad, or better yet, go to church wearing matching t-shirts declaring your love.
3. Have your little ones make this mini book, let the slightly older try this one, and the self-motivated can go all out.
4. Create a decorative license plate.
5. Print some coupons.
6. This tie takes the cake.
7. But my kids' Reese's loving dad is getting these.
8. Hijack his desktop and give him some new wallpaper.
9. Get some minor league baseball or monster truck tickets for dad, grandpa, and the kids.
10. Build a picture frame - nifty!
11. Or a business card holder from his best golfin' buddy.
12. And, if your crazy like us, why not sing him a song? I wrote this chart-topping song many years ago and enlisted one of my siblings help in distributing the copies to the kids still living at home, and we sang it to my dad together. We may have to do a reunion tour - what'd'ya say, Hannah?

"DEAR OLD DAD" - (sung to the tune of the Mickey Mouse Club - my dad and I have a long history with this song) - and yes, we are weird, and so is our sense of humor

Who's the leader of the home that's made for you and me

D-E-A-R O-L-D D-A-D-D-Y

Hey! there, Hi! there, Ho! there We're as happy as can be

D-E-A-R O-L-D D-A-D-D-Y

Dear old Dad (He's so swell!) Dear old Dad (We know it well!)

Forever loving him until we die (Die! Die! Die!)

Come along, and sing a song and join the family

D-E-A-R O-L-D D-A-D-D-Y

The power of music

Sometimes I forget. I forget in the midst of mediocre music. I forget because the continual noises of three children more often have me craving silence than any kind of sound.

Today I was reminded. I finally got an ear bud that plus into my cell phone, which has a mini SD card. This is the first time I've used headphones for music since...umm...my personal cassette player in high school?

So far the only thing on it is the Valley of Vision CD.

It was lovely. I cleaned up the kitchen and danced a little, and clapped, and actually enjoyed cleaning up the kitchen. I folded laundry and hung up clothes, and was happy to do it. And I sang along.

And when the children came in from the yard with problems and requests, I wasn't irritated at all. Because I think that it would have really felt like the sin it is, if praise to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit came in one ear and anything but kindness and gratitude came out of my mouth.

I look forward to being reminded again tomorrow.

It Was Love
Words and music by Mark Altrogge
As recorded on Valley of Vision

It was love that brought You from above
To walk upon the earth
And love that caused Your weariness
Your hunger and Your thirst
It was love that caused You to be tried
And tempted by the foe
And love that brought the nails and cross
And love that bought my soul

How wonderful Your love, the mystery of mysteries
Filling up my heart, more glorious than I know
How wonderful Your love
There's nothing else so sweet to me
I'll never be apart from the Lover of my soul
From the Lover of my soul

Your love is filled with holiness
O Spirit, fan this flame
Your love will never cease or cool
Your love will never change
O let me see Your love for me
Around me everywhere
The shining sun, a gentle rain
Remind me of Your care

© 2005 Sovereign Grace Praise (BMI).

Do you get really stuck on one or two songs?

I absolutely get addicted to songs sometimes, playing them over and over. Right now it's Coldplay's "Fix You", who wouldn't love that guitar bridge? Ethan sure does, and my girls find it very danceable. I'm also enjoying Hillsong's "From the Inside Out". What songs are you stuck on right now?

We sing hymns and spiritual songs at the end of family devotions. Rosie usually requests "Jesus Loves Me" or "Oh, How I Love Jesus", but last night she surprised me. When we asked what she wanted to sing she said, "Glorious", I began racking my brain for what she was referring to, but Ethan quickly interpreted that she wanted to sing "Father all-glorious", as in "Come Thou, Almighty King". I'd introduced it as the new hymn a few days ago and we'd only sung it two nights, but she apparently liked it, and did quite well singing it. I love new songs, but don't want my kids to miss the treasures of the old.

So tell me now, what song's in your head today (that you want there, ya know, not the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Theme, although it is really cute!)?

Beautiful music

Sorry I lost the youtube video - watch it here.

It's called AirTap - for more go to http://www.erikmongrain.com/

On their way -

a new motherboard and my sister Hannah and brother-in-law Joseph! Yay! I can't wait! The kids (I'm eight years older, can't help it, my siblings will always be my kids too) will be here tomorrow and the motherboard soon after, I hope.

I finally got the pool up for my real kids (actually Brian did). And while my computer has been messed up, I've actually had time to read fiction - and I've sure enjoyed it. My mother sent me Lynn Austin's Refiner's Fire books 1-3 for my birthday in March, I've finally read them. and I really enjoyed them, especially the first one, Candle in the Darkness.

Ethan is sleeping in his top bunk for the first time tonight and Anna is is the bottom and Rose is on a mattress on the floor since the girls' room has been designated the guest room. I finally got the mattress for the second bunk all fixed up and on the bed. He's thrilled.

Rose loves to dance! She's not as graceful as Anna Kate, but she makes up for it in passion and enthusiasm. We had CMT's summer fun station on (you can skip any songs that you don't like) and she danced and danced. Playing music is always a funny debate at our house. Brian turns it on at a medium to medium low volume. Ethan's always disliked loud noise or music (other than himself), so he 's good with that volume. I, on the other hand, believe that if you're going to listen to music (or sing or "dance" to it) it should be as loud as possible. This is an across the board rule from Mozart's Great C Minor Mass to Blake Shelton's "Some Beach." Brian enjoys my enjoyment of my very loud music, but usually turns it down when that particular "favorite" is over (I only turn it down if channel surfing doesn't present another favorite), Ethan sits and complains about how loud it is. And let me tell you, folks, they have not even heard loud yet. When no one is home, or I'm in the car by myself it is way louder than anything they tolerate.

Well, I've been my usual random self. Someday I'll get my pics and stuff up that I want to share with you all. Happy Sunday!

SWACDA Collegiate Choir Worthy is the Lamb Amen Chorus

This is the music I've been enjoying on my birthday. I wanted to share it with you.

Top 20 Praise and Worship Songs...So Far

I turned on the radio this morning just in time to catch most of 20 The Countdown Magazine which was playing the Top 20 Praise and Worship Songs..So Far. Jon Rivers was co-hosted by Chris Tomlin. What a blessing! All of these songs are favorites of mine. Our family favorite though would have to be "How Great Is Our God." Rosie even sings along, humming on syllables, then ending each phrase with "ah Goh." And she raises her arms to praise our great and holy God. The next song to play was "You Are My King," which includes the phrase "and it's my joy to honor You, in all I do, I honor You." And Ethan asked, "Mom, did they just say, 'in all I do, I barbeque?' " Good grief.

This show had wonderful background stories to several of the songs, the Psalms and situations that inspired them. You can listen to them by clicking here and scrolling down to the extended podcast version.