Focusing on Fall Foilage 'fore It Fast Forwards

We are enjoying this beautiful fall weather and the changing leaves. Autum is such a beautiful time of year!

We had planned to attend a church's fall celebration this weekend, but circumstances changed. Clint took off to refinish our hardwood floors. To escape the fumes, we are sleeping in our 33' motorhome and 31' travel trailer. All of the furniture and the kitchen appliances are crammed on the deck and storage room. It's a bit crazy around here! :-) We need all hands on deck to help us get this finished as soon as possible. Everyone on Team Asbell is in a good mood as we work toward another goal. Well, someone was grumpy this afternoon. Excusing myself for a couple of hours to catch up on much needed sleep helped a lot. :-)

The pine kitchen floor was a beautiful light oak stain. We have had so many compliments on it. However, it was hard to keep looking nice. So, we sanded it and are staining it to match the darker color of the Douglas Fir in the den and dining room. We also are redoing the oak upstairs hallway to match the bedrooms. The den and dining room just needed the poly coat reapplied. We are hoping to get six coats on it. We are putting on number four tonight.

Hannah is climbing on me insisting on my attention. I must go play with my "chickie-doodles." That's Clint's nickname for our girls.

Psalm 30:4-5 Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness. For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.

The More Kids, the Lower Moms' Suicide Risk

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2010/03/23/kids-lower-moms-suicide-risk/

Supporting the theory that parenthood offers a buffer against suicidal behavior, a new study finds that the more children a woman has, the lower her suicide risk.

There is a long-standing theory that the historically lower suicide rates seen among married versus unmarried women reflects a "protective effect" of motherhood, rather than advantages of marriage per se.

These latest findings give some support to that theory, researcher Dr. Chun-Yuh Yang, of Kaohsiung Medical University in Taiwan, told Reuters Health by email.

Looking at 30 years' worth of data on 1.3 million Taiwanese mothers, Yang found that women with two children were 39 percent less likely than those with one child to commit suicide.

That risk was 60 percent lower among women with three or more children, Yang reports in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

The findings are based on birth and mortality records for Taiwanese women who had their first child between 1978 and 1987. Yang followed death rates for the study group through 2007.

Suicide was uncommon regardless of the number of children the women had. Among women with one child, there were 11 suicides per 100,000 women per year; that rate was seven per 100,000 among women with two children, and just under six per 100,000 among mothers with three or more children.

When Yang factored in a number of other variables — including the women's age at first birth, marital status and education level — the number of children a woman had remained linked to suicide risk.

It's possible, Yang said, that women with a large brood of children benefit from greater emotional or material support when times are tough.

Women who have several children also spend a larger share of their lives caring for young children compared with mothers who have one child; mothers who feel "needed," Yang noted, may be less vulnerable to suicide.

However, the researcher said, it is also likely that women who are already more vulnerable to suicide — because of serious depression or other psychiatric illnesses — tend to have fewer children.

This is probably an "important explanation" for the findings, according to Yang.

One previous study, Yang noted, found that women with no children showed a higher suicide risk than mothers in general. Again, that could signal some sort of protective effect of motherhood, or the fact that women with psychiatric disorders are less likely to have children.

Although the current study included only Taiwanese women, Yang said the findings are likely relevant to other countries as well. Studies done in Norway, Denmark and Finland have found a similar relationship between a woman's number of children and her risk of suicide.

SOURCE: Canadian Medical Association Journal, online March 22, 2010.

Seeds

seed pods on thorny bush

grass seed

a mixture of grasses Hot Shot will enjoy eating in the winter months in our front side yard

Every year in July, we allow certain parts of our yard to grow tall.
By fall, we have a beautiful crop of grass seed to be resown where we need it.
We do this to reseed our yard and the pastures.
We also allow certain areas to grow tall to feed the horse through the winter.
These two practices save us hundreds of dollars each year.

Mark 4:30-32 He also said, "With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable will we use for it? It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade."

Questions for Those Under Peer Pressure

For those going through peer pressure and faced with the "everyone's doing it" line:

What does God say about it in His Word?
Do I want His blessings more than I want my way?
Are His long term blessings better than the temporary pleasure this is offering me? Which should I desire more? Does my desire line up with what is overall best for me?
Do I have a realistic view and fear of the negative consequences of this action?
If I were caught in the middle of doing this, would I be ashamed? <--This is a good way to question your conscience.

2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Morning sickness 'increases the chance that child will have high IQ'

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/5286670/Morning-sickness-increases-the-chance-that-child-will-have-high-IQ.html


The same hormones which make expectant mothers feel ill could help their baby's development, doctors believe.

Children were more likely to do better in intelligence tests if their mothers had experienced nausea and vomiting during pregnancy.

The findings, published online in The Journal of Paediatrics and reported by New Scientist magazine, show that the severity of the sickness is a significant predictor of higher scores.

Dr Irena Nulman, from The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Canada, said: "Our findings suggest an association between morning sickness and improved neurodevelopment in the offspring."

She said that more research was needed to understand the range of effects caused by the common condition.

"Morning sickness is a widespread and puzzling physiological phenomenon that has yet to be sufficiently studied," she said.

Scientists believe that the sickness could be a by-product of changes in the levels of certain hormones, known as HCG (human chronic gonadotropin) and thyroxine, during pregnancy.

These fluctuations help the body to ensure that a woman's placenta grows properly, delivering vital nutrients to her baby.

The study followed 121 women who fell pregnant between 1998 and 2003.

The IQ levels of their children were tested between the ages of three and seven.

Other factors such as mother's IQ, her level of alcohol consumption and socioeconomic status, which can affect a child's IQ, were taken into account during the study.

While previous studies suggested an early protective benefit of morning sickness, the long-term effects, including on intelligence, had not been directly investigated before.

Dr Irena Nulman, of The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Canada, said: "Our findings suggest an association between morning sickness and improved neurodevelopment in the offspring.

"Morning sickness is a widespread and puzzling physiological phenomenon that has yet to be sufficiently studied."

Wild Horses in Corolla

We drove all the way to the end of the beach where the fence is. Then we turned around and turned right into the second road into the dunes. The first picture is what we saw as soon as we came down off the first dune. Corolla is a gorgeous place, and we need to show respect for the environment, wild horses and the residents. There are laws you need to research and follow regarding viewing the horses, driving on the beach and staying off the dunes.

Storm Ending (pict)

The magnificent show was over, so I left.

Storm

We were blessed with great weather most of our stay, but on Thursday, a storm blew in.

I love watching storms. I could not tear myself away from this amazing force!

I've lived near the ocean my entire life, but I have never watched a storm from start to finish before this. I fell in love with the ocean in an entirely new way!

Amanda and Clint watching from our front row seats.

Hang gliding

Amanda in her gear awaiting her turn.

Brandon took to hang gliding like a duck to water!

A Pelican and more (picts)

A pelican on the sound. Caleb loves pelicans!

Wash Woods on Corolla Beach, an ancient maritime forest

Amanda on Corolla Beach

Brandon and Amanda joking around together.

The Sound

Joshua

Hannah copying her big brother, Brandon

Hannah bringing her finds back to Clint and I.

Amanda swimming with Emily on her back.

Roanoke Sound

Caleb

beach house

Brandon

Miss Hannah

Sisters...and a Brother

Emily was sitting in this chair when Hannah decided to join her. She put her arm around Emily and I grabbed the camera!

Bethanhy

Hannah holding onto Clint

Amanda, Joshua and Caleb have had a good natured wrestling match going on for years. When it rains a lot at our house and floods the field, the boys will try to take her down in it. Joshua thought he could take her on by himself, but it didn't work out quite like he thought it would. One year, he'll catch up with her!

Corolla

horseshoe crab

royal terns

beached bouy

Nags Head, NC

Hannah and Emily giggling over the ocean waves tickling their feet

Caleb in the background

Caleb with Bethany in the background

Corolla

Happy Birthday Amanda!

Amanda is always helping me prepare for celebrations, so I wanted to surprise her. Plus, not many people can say they have had a milestone birthday on 10/10/10! I asked Brandon and her to do some shopping for me after they went to their teen group at church. I figured between their group activities and the errands, I'd have plenty of time if I hurried to bake and frost the cake, wrap presents and set up for a party. Plans never go as they are laid out!

The group meeting was canceled! The group leader lost our phone number and couldn't call. Brandon called from the local store to inform me of this and to ask for the list. I sent him to distant store to buy us some more time. Clint, Joshua, Caleb, Bethany and I worked as fast as we could and pulled it off fairly well! Amanda had expected her party would be the following day, so she was truly surprised when she saw the decorated dining room when she came home at 11 p.m.

The picture is of a funny moment after Joshua and Amanda had been horsing around. I asked Joshua to help wrap presents. He is an obedient child and did as he was asked. He is also a mischievous child and used half a roll of packaging tape on one present!!! Amanda paid him back by entangling him in the long piece of tape. You can see him plotting his next move in the picture.

Happy Birthday, Amanda! We enjoyed celebrating God's blessing our family through the gift of YOU!