A City Life For Me

“Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.” Psalm 116:5 Yesterday, August 25, 2010, my Gramps went home to be with the Lord.  There are a lot of details that I still don’t know, but it has been suggested that he had a heart attack or stroke while driving.  Gramps was sick and had a low immune system already, from undergoing treatment for Hepatitis C.  He has had many heart problems in the past. Grams and Gramps celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in 2006.  The picture above is the most recent picture of them, from our family reunion in June 2010. As I was putting updates on Facebook, I was overwhelmed at how many people commented just to say they were praying.  This is the first loss of a loved one that I have experienced.  It means a lot to have so many friends who will pray.  When I spoke to my Grams on the phone yesterday, I told her that a lot of people were praying for us.  She said simply, “God is good.” ...

Elaine and I eat breakfast together.  Today we slept in a bit, so it was more like a mid-morning snack.  I had no sooner set my plate, loaded with a yummy NYC bagel, on the table than it disappeared!  I looked down, and five little fingers had entwined themselves around my bagel.  Elaine’s eyes got really big as she struggle to raise the large “Cheerio” to her mouth.  “This isn’t a Cheerio,” she thought.  “But it’s very yummy.  Mommy’s Cheerios have butter on them!” So it turns out that I only got half of my bagel this morning.  Elaine tried to return a portion of the other half, but it was so gummed up I declined. Two of my favorite pleasures about living in NYC are the bagels and the pizza.  They are fabulous!  Someone told me that it is because of the water we have in the City.  Someone told us that Brooklyn water is cleaner than bottled water.  Whatever the reason, bagels and pizza are amazing!

I was really excited to read this chapter in Voices of the True Woman Movement because it is written by Janet Parshall.  The theme of this chapter is the impact of a mother’s prayers. Janet took the story of Hannah, piece by piece, and drew lessons from each situation. Hannah lived in the times of the judges, and society was wicked, just as it is today.  We know that she was one of Elkannah’s wives, and she was barren.  “Whenever a society begins to tinker with the institution of marriage, created by God in a perfect environment called Eden, we are undermining a profound and precious gift.”  What a statement!  Marriage is definitely under attack in our culture today! When speaking of the hard things that God allows into our lives, Janet made the point that we still have to trust the Lord.  It is His perfect plan that _______________ is my situation in life (singleness, barrenness, sickness, family troubles, etc.).  The question to us is whether o...

The next chapter in Voices of the True Woman Movement is again written by Nancy Leigh DeMoss.  The basis, as you may have guessed from the title, is the story of Esther in the Old Testament.  The story of a true woman.  Nancy has done a fabulous radio series on Esther, and this chapter reminded me of the some of the lessons I learned in that series! Nancy starts with the premise that there are always two “dramas” – the one that we see, or the human plot, and the one that we don’t see, or the invisible working of the Kingdom of God.  I needed to be reminded of that, because too many times I look only around me at what I can see , and I forget to look up and trust that God is at work in ways that I cannot see. While discussing the rise of Esther from the position of unknown Jewess to queen of Persia, Nancy makes this comment: “And we see that this story is really about God and His agenda, God and His aims, God and His purposes.  ‘What is God up to?’ T...

It’s been a challenging week here in the Hamilton household.  Elaine has decided to not sleep through the night and that she doesn’t like naptime.  She is getting taller every day, which places more and more things within her reach. Today she helped herself to my cereal bowl.  She could just get her fingers on it enough to pull it off the edge of the table.  I returned to the room to find Elaine covered in milk and Rice Chex.  She was happy! She also discovered the diaper changing basket on the shelf of the changing table.  I thought she was being awfully quiet.  When I peeked in I discovered she had worked the cap off the bottle.  Lotion was everywhere – on Elaine, on the floor.  Again, she was very happy. Elaine likes to play Peeping Tom when I am in the shower.  However, she does not like the shower curtain touching her at all.  So she flings it back and the floor gets covered in water.  Yesterday I got out of the show...

Ben used his birthday money, and some precious savings, to purchase something he has been wanting for a while…Rosetta Stone Language software.  Ben is learning Spanish!  He selected Spanish because I know a lot of it (did you know that?), and because he works with a lot of Hispanic people.  They don’t speak so much English, so in an attempt to communicate Ben is learning Spanish.  The other night Ben was talking away to his laptop and learning to pronounce new vocabulary when Elaine hollered from her crib.  After a very fussy day, she had gone to bed VERY early, and thus was awake.  Very awake.  So she got to have a Spanish lesson with Daddy! Maybe one day our little family will be bilingual!  

Chapter three in Voices of the True Woman Movement is a history of the feminist and women’s liberation movement, by Mary Kassian.  I have heard Mary deliver this message before, but I still learned some new things.  Mary details the beginning, purpose, and influence of the feminist movement.  This movement in our country has affected every man, woman, and child today. Mary starts the chapter by noting the female progression in popular TV series.  In the 1950s it was Leave it to Beaver and June Cleaver, who was the loving housewife.  In the 1970s it was The Mary Tyler Moore Show featuring a female career woman without male attachments.  Then the 1980s brought on Murphy Brown and the loud-mouthed, brash woman as the main character.  This led to the degradation of the Ellen in the 90s who was lesbian and in charge. An interesting statistic that “shocked” me: “Today, one American child is born outside of marriage every twenty-five seconds. ...

So I know that I am biased because I am the mommy, but I just think Elaine has been especially cute lately.  Every day she discovers something new or surprises me.  Even Ben said this morning, “Baby Girl you are so cute!” Here’s a couple of random shots…I captured them for my diaper blog , but I am saving them until I am actually carrying this product to sell. I love this shot because of the light coming in and the concentrated expression on her face!   Don’t worry Mom.  I won’t fall.  I can stand up by myself!   Yup.  Pretty much she is always happy!

Hey everyone.  Just wanted to let you know that my laptop finally gave up the ghost, and we are in the process of transferring files, pictures, and music to a desktop computer.  So…I will be “gone” for a few days, but I have lots to share when I come back! Until then…

This may seem insignificant to many, and you may wonder why I am putting it on my blog.  I want to be able to remember the small blessings that God has poured out so that I can trust Him more in the big areas. Things are “tight” here in Brooklyn.  We know that God will provide for us, but sometimes we still wonder how it will be possible.  I have been frustrated in the grocery shopping side of things because I can’t get things as cheap, find the good deals, or use my coupons like I used to.  So I prayed specifically for a good bargain on a couple of items that we were in need of.  There are many “99 cent” stores around here, but most of them are “99 cents and up”.  However, Mrs. M and Agnes from church told me about 99 Cents the Limit over by our church.  This store charges just 99 cents for everything, and they have a food section.  They get things like the day old Pepperidge Farm breads, dairy products, and frozen products. Today in my shopp...

Elaine is in love with Cheerios.  She would eat them all day long if she could!  As you walk through our home you will see little piles of Cheerios in each room.  Elaine has been snacking!  This smart little nine month old of mine has figured out where I keep the Cheerios box, and it is on her level.  So the other day she decided to help herself! “I don’t need Mommy’s help.  I’ll just get them myself!” “Uh-oh.  I’ve been caught!” I remember old Cheerios commercials from when I was a kid.  The jingle was something like, “Because you’ve got a lot to do…before lunch!”  Elaine just has Cheerios for lunch too, and that makes her like the Energizer Bunny – she keeps going, and going, and going…

Okay, it is really starting to sink in just how expensive it is to live in NYC!  In Va. Beach I was spending $40-50 per week on groceries, or under $200 for the month.  My groceries last month were nearly double that!  I have discovered that I don’t get the same great coupons, and stores don’t run the same great deals.  While I have scoured out the best milk, eggs, and meat prices, I am struggling finding the deals and cutting the budget on other items.  I went to Target today because I had a list of needed toiletries and paper products.  After three hours and no bargains I was very disappointed.  I think the grocery store and drug stores run better sales, and things are definitely marked better! SO…I thought I would poll my readers.  If I can’t use coupons to score the same bargains I am used to, what else can I do to save money?  We’re only using the A/C part time, and I don’t have a clothes dryer.   Water is included in our re...

In college Danielle and I would quote great movie lines to each other.  We had a line for every situation.  Something would happen, one of us would quote a movie, we would crack up laughing, and reminisce about the movie.  Of course, our selections were usually “chick flicks!”  Confession: my favorite movie of all time is the chick flick You’ve Got Mail, starring Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks.  (Disclaimer: you need to watch it with a TV Guardian).  Bookstores, New York City, an email romance with someone who turns out to be your enemy…does it get any better?  This movie is just full of wonderful, quotable lines! One of the best parts about You’ve Got Mail is that it is set in the upper west side of Manhattan.  Danielle and I loved everything New York City in the movie!  There is one seen where the main characters meet at a cafe…Cafe Lalo.  It is a real place on 83rd and Amsterdam Ave.  I thought it would be fun to go there when Danielle...

It has been three years since I have been to the Statue of Liberty.  We were not able to secure tickets to visit the pedestal or the crown, but we still had fun.  It was the first time for Danielle, Evan, and of course, Elaine to visit Liberty Island. We were glad that Ben had the foresight to reserve ferry tickets, because the line was a snake that seemed longer than the two hours which they were announcing! Me, Elaine, Danielle, and NYC skyline It’s an interesting perspective, but I like it!  Evan captured this shot of our little family and Lady Liberty! My all-time, undisputed, favorite picture from the whole day!