Monday, April 27, 2009

Introducing....

Our nephew!!

Abishai Elijah Peterson
Hop on over and see more... We are excited about this little man making his arrival, just a little sad that they live so far away. Take lots of pics Andy & Candice because they change so fast...

We love you guys and are really excited to meet this little man!

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

April 22, 2009

Today Cole took his first step towards his mama....


then he fell...

Sunday, April 19, 2009

A lazy Sunday afternoon...

We took it easy today after we spent early afternoon at the church for the annual picnic...Brian spent the night up there with the guys and helped bbq 75o lbs of brisket and 150 chickens...they stayed up all night, had a great time... so we took it easy this afternoon. And after all the rain this weekend, we were glad to get out of the house. It was a perfect day.

I love these three more than anything and everyday they make me love them even more...





Outiside in her chair with Betty Lou and the Fancy Nancy high heels...










This weekend was even greater because we now have a new addition....so stay tuned! I will share when I can...




Saturday, April 11, 2009

geometry 101

Here's how the story goes....this is the bookcase before today and pre-decorating...


Notice the difference today? Look closely.... the columns got wrapped so that the raw 4x4's were covered and the bare electrical wiring no longer exposed.

Today Steve used a table saw to cut each of the 1x'6's that were to be wrapped around the 4x4 columns at a 22.5 degree angle so that when placed together at the corner of the column it then made a perfect 45 degree angle...resulting in an octagonal shape instead of the square that the columns were.

Did I confuse you yet? ok, good , read on...


So once all the 1 x6's had been cut and placed together, crown molding was cut at the same 22.5 degree angle to match the column's octagonal shape.
Now, I figured they would just cut the 1x6's to fit together around the columns, maintaining the square shape of the original posts. But I was pleasantly surprised by the octagonal shape. It makes the columns not so ordinary, even though I am all for keeping things simple. It gives it distinction from all the typical carpentry you see in most houses- according to Steve.
This took some serious dedication and work on Steve's part ( it was his idea)- that poor father-in-law of mine was up there sanding and sanding and sanding almost the entire afternoon, mostly by hand. All the 1x6's were cut and nailed together early this morning.

This is one of the columns that got fully finished as far as wood work. The other is still missing crown molding.


And just in case you might be wondering....
1. No, the decor on the bookshelf is far from finished.
2. and no, I did not paint the columns white and tan striped...it's wood filler that is piecing them together.
** Thank you Steve for all of your hard hard work in this house...today and all the days past. Even though it is your labor of love, without you this house would likely still be someone else's with every inch of wall space covered in 4-5 layers of wallpaper with yucky carpet. We truly appreciate all you have done for us. (One day I will post before and after pics of this house for ya'lls amusement).
Stay tuned, more updates to come.






Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Monday, April 6, 2009

catching up....


We took a little trip to Ft. Worth over Spring Break to visit Aunt B and Uncle Ho Ho ( my aunt and uncle, but that's what my kids call them). I LOVE it there...we had a great time and enjoyed the getaway. We took home some new memories and Brian brought home some bad eye allergies. Ha!

Riley got to eat Ben & Jerry's Mission to Marzipan ( REALLY good if you like almonds and marzipan) ice cream, which she was very determined to not miss a bite of once she dropped some on the counter.



Aunt B and I took the kids to the park where Cole fell in love with the swing...

and Riley made her first bunny cake as a fun "pre-Easter" activity! She couldn't get enough of the jellybeans.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Yesterday we took the kids back to play at the park...the weather was unbelievable and we just had to get out.

So I tell Riley to look up so I can get a better view of her precious little face- and she strikes a pose! wow- don't know where she got that from. But I laughed.
(You'll have to forgive the hair- it was all in a ruffle after nap time...and if you've seen her precious hair, you know what I mean. )



This little monkey man found him a swing and some of his daily greens to eat. Those cheeks are so fat I could just bite them. (Is that wrong?)



















Friday, April 3, 2009

A worthy read...

GOD vs. Science

A science professor begins his school year with a lecture to the students, 'Let me explain the problem science has with religion.' The atheist professor of philosophy pauses before his class and then asks one of his new students to stand.
'You're a Christian, aren't you, son?' 'Yes sir,' the student says.

'So you believe in God?'

'Absolutely.'

'Is God good?'

'Sure! God's good.'

'Is God all-powerful? Can God do anything?' 'Yes.' 'Are you good or evil?'

'The Bible says I'm evil.' The professor grins knowingly.

'Aha! The Bible!' He considers for a moment. 'Here's one for you.

Let's say there's a sick person over here and you can cure him. You can do it. Would you help him? Would you try?'

'Yes sir, I would.'

'So you're good....!' 'I wouldn't say that.'

'But why not say that? You'd help a sick and maimed person if you could. Most of us would if we could. But God doesn't.'

The student does not answer, so the professor continues. 'He doesn't, does he? My brother was a Christian who died of cancer, even though he prayed to Jesus to heal him.

How is this Jesus good? Hmmm? Can you answer that one?' The student remains silent. '

No, you can't, can you?' the professor says. He takes a sip of water from a glass on his desk to give the student time to relax.

'Let's start again, young fella. Is God good?' 'Er...yes,' the student says. 'Is Satan good?' The student doesn't hesitate on this one. 'No.' 'Then where does Satan come from?' The student falters. 'From God' 'That's right. God made Satan, didn't he? Tell me, son. Is there evil in this world?' 'Yes, sir.' 'Evil's everywhere, isn't it? And God did make everything, correct?' 'Yes.' 'So who created evil?' The professor continued, 'If God created everything, then God created evil, since evil exists, and according to the principle that our works define who we are, then God is evil.'

Again, the student has no answer. 'Is there sickness? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness? All these terrible things, do they exist in this world?'

The student squirms on his feet. 'Yes.' 'So who created them?' The student does not answer again, so the professor repeats his question. 'Who created them?' There is still no answer.

Suddenly the lecturer breaks away to pace in front of the classroom. The class is mesmerized.

'Tell me,' he continues onto another student. 'Do you believe in Jesus Christ, son?' The student's voice betrays him and cracks. 'Yes, professor, I do.' The old man stops pacing. 'Science says you have five senses you use to identify and observe the world around you. Have you ever seen Jesus?' 'No sir. I've never seen Him.' 'Then tell us if you've ever heard your Jesus?' 'No, sir, I have not.' 'Have you ever felt your Jesus, tasted your Jesus or smelt your Jesus? Have you ever had ! any sensory perception of Jesus Christ, or God for that matter?' 'No, sir, I'm afraid I haven't.' 'Yet you still believe in him?' 'Yes.'

'According to the rules of empirical, testable, demonstrable protocol, science says your God doesn't exist. What do you say to that, son?' 'Nothing,' the student replies. 'I only have my faith.' 'Yes, faith,' the professor repeats. 'And that is the problem science has with God. There is no evidence, only faith.'

At the back of the room another student stands quietly for a moment before asking a question of His own. 'Professor, is there such thing as heat?' 'Yes,' the professor replies. 'There's heat.' 'And is there such a thing as cold?' 'Yes, son, there's cold too.' 'No sir, there isn't.'

The professor turns to face the student, obviously interested. The room suddenly becomes very quiet. The student begins to explain. 'You can have lots of heat, even more heat, super-heat, mega-heat, unlimited heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat, but we don't have anything called 'cold'. We can hit up to 458 degrees below zero, which is no heat, but we can't go any further after that. There is no such thing as cold; otherwise we would be able to go colder than the lowest -458 degrees.'

'Every body or object is susceptible to study when it has or transmits energy, and heat is what makes a body or matter have or transmit energy. Absolute zero (-458 F) is the total absence of heat. You see, sir, cold is only a word we use to describe the absence of heat. We cannot measure cold. Heat we can measure in thermal units because heat is energy. Cold is not the opposite of heat, sir, just the absence of it.'

Silence across the room.

A pen drops somewhere in the classroom, sounding like a hammer.

'What about darkness, professor. Is there such a thing as darkness?'

'Yes,' the professor replies without hesitation.

'What is night if it isn't darkness?'

'You're wrong again, sir. Darkness is not something; it is the absence of something. You can have low light, normal light, bright light, flashing light, but if you have no light constantly you have nothing and it's called darkness, isn't it? That's the meaning we use to define the word.'

'In reality, darkness isn't. If it were, you would be able to make darkness darker, wouldn't you?'

The professor begins to smile at the student in front of him. This will be a good semester.

'So what point are you making, young man?'

'Yes, professor. My point is, your philosophical premise is flawed to start with, and so your conclusion must also be flawed.' The professor's face cannot hide his surprise this time. 'Flawed? Can you explain how?'

'You are working on the premise of duality,' the student explains. 'You argue that there is life and then there's death; a good God and a bad God. You are viewing the concept of God as something finite, something we can measure.

Sir, science can't even explain a thought.'

'It uses electricity and magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully understood either one. To view death as the opposite of life is to be ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive thing. Death is not the opposite of life, just the absence of it.'

'Now tell me, professor. Do you teach your students that they evolved from a monkey?'

'If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, young man, yes, of course I do.'

'Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir?'

The professor begins to shake his head, still smiling, as he realizes where the argument is going. A very good semester, indeed. '

Since no one has ever observed the process of evolution at work and cannot even prove that this process is an on-going endeavor, are you not teaching your opinion, sir? Are you now not a scientist, but a preacher?' The class is in uproar. The student remains silent until the commotion has subsided.

'To continue the point you were making earlier to the other student, let me give you an example of what I mean.'

The student looks around the room. 'Is there anyone in the class who has ever seen the professor's brain?' The class breaks out into laughter. 'Is there anyone here who has ever heard the professor's brain, felt the professor's brain, touched or smelt the professor's brain? No one appears to have done so.

So, according to the established rules of empirical, stable, demonstrable protocol, science says that you have no brain, with all due respect, sir.'

'So if science says you have no brain, how can we trust your lectures, sir?' Now the room is silent.

The professor just stares at the student, his face unreadable. Finally, after what seems an eternity, the old man answers. 'I guess you'll have to take them on faith.'

'Now, you accept that there is faith, and, in fact, faith exists with life,' the student continues.

'Now, sir, is there such a thing as evil?' Now uncertain, the professor responds, 'Of course, there is. We see it everyday. It is in the daily example of man's inhumanity to man. It is in the multitude of crime and violence everywhere in the world. These manifestations are nothing else but evil.'

To this the student replied, 'Evil does not exist sir, or at least it does not exist unto itself. Evil is simply the absence of God. It is just like darkness and cold, a word that man has created to describe the absence of God. God did not create evil. Evil is the result of what happens when man does not have God's love present in his heart. It's like the cold that comes when there is no heat or the darkness that comes when there is no light.' The professor sat down.