Like Rolling off a Blog

I like my house. It is my home. But the two are not always the same. House and home are not interchangeable terms. Duh, you say? Wherever my husband is, that's where my home is. If we lived in an apartment, a hotel room, or a tent, that would be home. So why do we get stuck on places? They are temporary at best. What do you think? Oh, by the way, my photos have changed homes... so you can check out some of the new ones at www.flickr.com/relfstrand See ya in the funny papers!

I've been married for 30 plus years now, and at the age of 22 was already worried that I might not get married "in time." Well, despite my sinful nature, God made it happen. But check this out: Comments welcome.

I may have added this once before, but I just took the test: I feel loved when... The Five Love Languages My Primary Love Language is Quality Time My Detailed Results: Quality Time: 11 Words of Affirmation: 8 Physical Touch: 5 Acts of Service: 5 Receiving Gifts: 1 About this quiz Unhappiness in relationships is often due to the fact that we speak different love languages. It can be helpful to know what language you speak and what language those around you speak. Tag 3 people so they can find out what their love language is. Take the Quiz! Check out the Book

Gone are the days of snapshots, waiting for development, choosing which ones you really want to share, and then what? Mailing copies to 20 family members? Ah, the good old days! Nope, enter the new-day Nana. And then go check out http://web.mac.com/relfstrand/iWeb/RhondaElf/Links.html because there will be more there, updated with the "links" page at the bottom, etc etc etc. Until then, here's a little photo to keep you company.

The blue light leaks out around the blinds. A butterfly is unwittingly stamped to the floor - aren't they supposed to fly? We're in the pediatric wing of Delnor Hospital. And everyone is frustrated, and everyone is silently praying, and little Oliver isn't supposed to be this color. When they checked his bilirubin, pretty much right after the picture I took, it was not-so-slowly edging its way upward. 18. And they tell me that 25 is the zone you don't want to be near. Please pray. Pray that the lights will take the bilirubin down. Pray that Oliver will perk up enough to eat, and that Britany's milk will come in enough to do the job. Depression is such an unforgiving spiral. It seems I can't think of all the blessings that have happened. I can only count the things that are challenges at the moment. So please pray for all of us, too, that we won't lose hope, faith, or sight of the future. That this happens a lot and babies get over it. But other babies aren...

Just who does he look like, this little man who is sleeping nearby? I truly think that little Oliver John, born on March 10, looks like a teenager already. Check out the genetics. With a blond daddy and a brunette mommy, voila! Red hair! It's so fun to watch them love him and care for him. Especially Adam, who holds him as often as possible. Way to go, kiddos! Now, keep your eye out for the next little Elfstrand, followed by a little Williames. It's going to be quite a year!

No, I mean... "long time." It's been a long time since I blogged anything. Sorry about the delay. It's not like nothing has been going on! I mean, Henry's here ... and Adam just had a birthday ... and Britany is ready to go any day, so the doctor says. I know they wish they were in their own house right now. I know I would at that same age and stage - but we are ready to hear that little guy calling out to his mommy and daddy. If the Lord chooses, we'll be moving them into a place before the delivery date, but if not - we'll be welcoming Baby Elfstrand shortly. Oh, yes, and prayers appreciated for a full time, full benefit job. Thank you!

Job Hunting in Chicago area (western and southwestern 'burbs): 26-year-old male, soon-to-be father, excellent with teens, extreme sports, art; biblical worldview, tender heart; pushes himself to the next level physically, emotionally, spiritually Check it out!

Oh, I love it! A womb with a view! See those teeny tiny hands that were moving so fast they blurred? See the little mouth poised to kiss his mommy and daddy? See the eyes still shut from outside light? See the little nose? Oh, we can hardly wait to hold you, little one!

I'm so excited! Go ahead and ask me why. Go ahead! Okay, I'll tell you anyway. Because, in just about 4 months there will be another little Elfstrand, that's why! Time for me to get out my Nana goodies for another little sweetheart. It's so wonderful to see the generations continue. But I really want an ultrasound picture to post. I'll let you know.

Okay, so I was looking at a new children's book by a competitive publisher, and came across their marketing strategy in the back of the book. BLADS, they said. I'm usually not this far out of the loop, but even Wikipedia doesn't have a definition of a blad. I'm assuming (you know the danger there) this is a combo blog and ad. Right? But how? Capturing the market of blog readers has its challenges. I mean, are the readers of blogs really the prime target for a children's book? Anyone know the demographics? And just how many people are notified when I post something, huh? Or is that the luck of the draw, too? Somebody drag me into this century, please ... :-)

It's a new year ... well, to the school kids it is. But the real new year is in January. And it's a new year for Bible study, Sunday School, fall sports, etc. So, I ask you ... what's "new"? Do you know how many new hours you have in a week? One hundred sixty-eight, that's how many. So I put that many M&Ms in a jar just to see how quickly they go... Yes, really. I counted out 168 M&Ms, minus two, which I replaced with two Hershey kisses. This will be an object lesson for my new Bible study on Wednesday night. Two hours out of the 168 will be "special." Set aside. And probably gobbled up! Ah, chocolate. Almost as sweet as time.

I just took my loving hubby to the airport for a trip to a reformation and revival conference. Frankly, I'd like to be the one going there for some "reforming" and "reviving." Don't get me wrong, I jumped out of bed this morning with lots of energy, and am enjoying my Nutrisystem scrambled eggs, but I'd rather be spending my birthday with family, friends, and doing some extreme relaxing. A reasonable second-place is what I'm doing - spending it with co-workers who love the Lord and me, too! Grandma, at the age of 96, just had a leg artery replaced, and although she is in pain, she's in pretty good shape! Age doesn't scare me. And it doesn't hinder me. I'm planning to "hop til I drop." None of this retirement mumbo jumbo. None of this "at your age" stuff. Some of it is indeed in your body, but most of aging is in your mind. So, I intend to read, read, read; keeping my mind sharp with words, puzzles, conversation, ma...

Remember that old campfire song? "I like the mountains, I like the rolling hills, I like the firelight, I like the daffodils, I like the fireflies when all the lights are low ... boom de ahdah boom de ahdah boom de ahdah boom boom" Oh, yes, it's a classic, and I probably misquoted it. But I digress. We just came back from the mountaintop. Literally. Rocky Mountain National Park. I can sometimes forget how much I miss the mountains until I see them again. I think Chicago is 500 feet above sea level. Not quite a contender for the 12,005 foot peak we stood on this past weekend. So, until I can do that again, I'll just look at my pictures. If you want the link, you can email me.

You know, mice don't really scare me. I'm not one of those women who dashes for the nearest chair and prances about waiting for someone to shoo away the critter. No, I'm really a bit fascinated by their twitchy little noses, and wonder what in the world they are thinking when digging through our combination seed and fertilizer bag in the garage. Perhaps they are eating the seed and building a nest with the rest. I don't know ... but they are a menace ... so ... We went to Target to get a "trap" of sorts. We decided on the sticky kind. Now I wonder what were WE thinking? Anyway... Within one hour of setting the glue out, placing a few crumbs of doggy bone on top, I heard squeaking. Fairly loud squeaking, I might add. Was he calling his family members? Mad? Frustrated? Okay, so we caught the thing, and now what? The instructions on the back of the package don't ever really show a mouse, they show a person throwing away the glue trap. Do you wait until it is ...

I've been accused of being shameless in bringing "work" to the blog. Ah, come on! Is that not the prerogative of the blogger? Are blogs not to vent the public as well as the private? As for nouthetic versus psychotropic. When you land somewhere, let me know. Do the book and film mentioned in the previous comment give any solutions, or merely mock the question? The very foundation of Freudian psychology is flawed. So until that is culled, and we can discern what we are labeling as "psychology," it would be hard to discuss the difference between the good, the bad, and the ugly of it. To "plunder the Egyptians" one must first value what the Egyptians have to offer. Referencing my comment in the first paragraph: this issue doesn't feel like work. It hits a deep chord. Evidence? Skofinopolis... :-)

Hello again! After a loooong hiatus (again!) I'm back. Busy, yes, but feeling good about it. Oh, hey, wanna get some people really talking? There's a new book coming up in a month or so called Will Medicine Stop the Pain? It's about the plethora of women diagnosed with depression, and how easily we fall for medicating the symptoms without getting to the bottom of the problem. So what do you think? If you want to find out more, check it out .

I must say I was smiling more, breathing more deeply, and ready to take on the challenge. The ecstatic reaction for the future, versus the mixed reaction in the present, did quite a bit for my morale. February 3, there I go. February 6, here I come!

Help! I'm caught between two possibilities and don't know which way to turn. Each holds its share of anxiety, benefits, and unknowns. One allows me to stay put in a tenuous future, while the other will surely bring stress. Why can't this be easy?

Thanks to Amanda (Skofstad) Williams who posted the results of her theological survey . Okay, Amanda, here are mine: You scored as Reformed Evangelical. You are a Reformed Evangelical. You take the Bible very seriously because it is God's Word. You most likely hold to TULIP and are sceptical about the possibilities of universal atonement or resistible grace. The most important thing the Church can do is make sure people hear how they can go to heaven when they die. Reformed Evangelical......................82% Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan.............79% Fundamentalist............................75% Neo orthodox..............................57% Charismatic/Pentecostal...................54% Emergent/Postmodern.......................50% Classical Liberal.........................36% Roman Catholic............................25% Modern Liberal............................14% Hmm, seems we scored upside down from one another in many ways. I respect that in you! wink, wink "TULIP...