Pumpkin Video!

Hi Everyone!

I couldn't get the video to load on the site so here is a link to it. It is about six and half minutes long, but I think you will find it enjoyable.

We intentionally picked the music - extra bonus points for anyone who can name the first number.  Everyone likes extra bonus points!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8O58agv72I

Have a great Day!

Happy Fall to you All!

From pumpkin carving to accumulating lots of candy, our kids have had great fun. They went to Milwaukee over the weekend and got so much candy and it's not even October 31! Here are a few pictures to share.

 

The kids emptied out their buckets and wow, Aunt Sarah, you really know how to get the candy.

Coke & Sin

Emily loves Coke and I do too.   For the most part Emily puts up a fight when it comes to household chores except for one specific chore that she will always do willingly and with much excitement.  The chore is pouring her dad a Coke when asked.  Of course there is something in it for Emi as she collects her "payment" by swallowing at least two ounces of my beloved beverage, but this agreement has worked quite nicely for us for a while now as it allows me to remain seated on the couch.  Emily's other habit is not looked upon so fondly though.  If I look the other way or leave the room for a moment, she preys upon my vulnerable glass of Coke like a lion does a vulnerable zebra.  She evens gets so desparate for the delectable concoction that she will at times just take the glass out of my hand and help herself!  Lets just say we have had some stern conversations about these manuevers.

Last night Anita and I were cooking supper which consisted of hamburgers and chicken.  On the stove was a glistening red can of Coke.  I'm sure Emily was secretly eyeing it for a while. Suddenly the moment of opportunity arrived as I went to the sink and Anita opened the frig. Like a lion pouncing on her prey, Emily darted in and grabbed the Coke anticipating the satisfying taste of the forbidden fruit.  Unfortunately for Emily in her haste to commit the crime, she ignored all of the warning signs.  Why was the can sitting on the stove?  Why was the can rather warm?  Why was the top of the can all dirty?  Maybe it was because there was not Coke in the can after all but about 4 ounces of grease!  Oh yes, we did laugh heartily as she scurried to the sink to spit out her "Coke" and hurriedly drank about 20 ounces of water!  

Thankfully the grease was no longer boiling hot and hopefully Emily learned a valuable lesson the easy way.  In this everyday occurrence can you see some similarities to the Adam and Eve story?  You see, ultimately I am for Emily.  I want the best for her, as God wants for us.  And so a sin against God is ultimately a sin against ourselves as Emily found out in trying to "steal" my Coke.  Adam and Eve's downfall in Genesis 3 really came down to a lack of faith - a sin against God that ultimately hurt themselves.  They did not believing that they had real freedom.  Some people, like Adam and Eve, might think that real freedom is being able to choose between good and evil.  Maybe real freedom is only found when one can only desire the good?  Adam and Eve certainly appeared more "free" before the fruit. 

Escalators and Germaphobes

We encounter more escalators in Chicago.  The new adventure for five out of the six Ostercamp's is to see if they can get on and then off the escalator without ever touching the railings. At first I thought this was a test of their coordination and over-all physical abilities.  I was all for this training as it was at least one redeeming thing to do while immersed in the otherwise unredeemable activity of shopping.  

However, after inquiring about the activity, I found out that the source of it came from our friend, Janell, and did not have anything to do with athletic training at all. No, I guess Janell is a germaphobe (one concerned with germs) and convinced my kids and my wife that the rails where filled with germs and that one should risk falling and breaking an arm, neck, or worse yet getting sucked into the undergirth of the escalator beast in order not to contact a few measly germs.  

To prove the irrational thinking behind this, my common practice is to now firmly plant both hands on the escalator rails, ride it safely, and then lick my hands. Yeah, I know it might seem a little gross, but I strongly believe it is the responsibility of a Father to make sure their kids understand the truth.  So if you hear any reports of any escalator related injuries involving Ostercamp's, you will know why and I should be exonerated of any fault!

Changing the subject, but I would appreciate your prayers.  All of the sudden on Monday I came down with a horrendous cold. It is taking all of my energy, and I really want to be out and about with the rest of the family. Praying it won't last too long!

Blessings,

Dave

PS.  Anita thought that I should not joke about prayer.  My disclaimer is to state that while the story is true, it is intended to be humorous.  I always covet your prayers.  Just reading this story should show you how much I need them! It is okay with me if you pray for wisdom rather than health.  :)

Conversations

Natalie and Culture

So Natalie and I were talking about the dogs next door, and I told her that they wanted to lick her face.  She said, "If you're married and you kiss that's gross, but if you're not married it's okay."  It was out of the blue so I asked her, "You can kiss if you're married, right?"  And she immediately and matter-of-factly replied, "No, if you're married it's gross, but if you're not married it's okay."  WHAT?  Chicago must be corrupting her.

Emily and the Pres.

Emily's 4th grade class had an election for class president.  It turned out to be only a two person race between my Emily and some other 4th grade chic who I'm sure was all talk and no substance.  Not to mentioned, she had no previous political experience and what she promised she most surely could not deliver (I mean a pizza party EVERY day, lets be realistic here!), but she had a lot bigger pocket book backing her campaign, so she won.  Okay sorry about the rant, I guess I'm a little bitter, but when all the votes were counted, Emily came in second to this other girl.  [Who by the way, I am trying to like.  :)]

Since it was a two person race and it was so close they decided to make Emily the Vice President.  The scene is Wednesday night dinner at the Ostercamp's.  Emily entered the room eating a breakfast sausage with her fingers.

Anita says, "Why are you eating with your fingers?", insinuating that Emily should definitely know better since it has not been a common practice in our household.  Emily then proceded to tell us the above vice president story.  I told Emily that I was going to start calling her Sarah. Emily said "what" and then smiled and said, "Oh Sarah Palin."  Anita not hearing Emily said, "Sarah, Sarah who?"  She was trying to figure out why I would call Emily, Sara Chapin as Anita was pretty sure Sara Chapin is not vice president of her class even though she, with her heritage, would be more than qualified!  :)  We let her think and think about it and she couldn't figure it out.  We said then it was a famous Sarah and so then she started thinking about my sister.  Guess you're famous, Sarah O! :)  The gears were starting to smoke so the next hint was something like president....  Finally it clicked and Anita said "Oh Sarah Palin!"  

We laughed heartily, and Alise who had been somewhere, I guess in 'lala' land this whole time perked up and said in a surprised and concerned voice, "Sarah Palin eats with her fingers?"   

So there you have it, I guess our potential Vice President candidate is from the Middle Ages, at least according to Alise.  Of course she is from Alaska maybe not a lot of difference...

You probably had to be there, but rest assured we all had a big laugh as we tried hard to keep our food in our mouths!

Craft Time With Natalie!

So Natalie wants to be craftie like her mother and today's activity was painting!  You know those little kid water color paints where the paint is all dried up and you have to use a wet brush to try to get some paint on the paper.  To use this paint of course you need a little cup to wet the brush and also to clean the brush for your next failed attempt of trying to extract a little bit of dried paint from the plastic tray.  Anyway, Natalie got herself all set up and was painting away.

This is when I enter the room, right when Natalie realized she was very thirsty.  All of the sudden, I see her pick up the paint glass, which surely looked a lot like some kind of exotic juice to her, and take a big sip.  I was proud of myself as I kept a straight face while I chewed her out!

Fantastic Friday

Yesterday proved to be a day of days!  I had such a nice experience that I had to blog it.  First, I had my first NPU student come to my desk for Financial Aid help because my boss says that I'm officially trained. The gal's situation was easy enough for me to solve, and it was such fun to interact with a student.  Then after work, I traveled about 5 miles south to meet a gal about a television that I spotted on Craigslist.  I've been "shopping" on Craigslist for about 18 months now, but this was my first actual in-person pursuit.  I talked the gal down a bit so I saved $10 and she threw in a DVD player, and now we have ourselves a big, but working television!  The kids think that it's Christmas.  Next I changed our room around just a bit by moving a bulky night stand out and letting the girls take it to their room.  It's amazing how even the little rearranging of a room can give me a greater spring in my step!  Try it!  This next endeavor is my favorite.  I am no longer a "recipe off of the bag" chocolate chip cookie maker!  I haven't been happy with how my cookies have been turning out lately, so yesterday I tried a new recipe from my trusty First Covenant Cookbook.  I am now a Mike Buer chocolate chip cookie recipe follower!  Thanks Mike!  Everyone agrees that they are yummy!  As if the day wasn't successful enough - I ended it with a Settlers win against Dave and our friends, Oscar and Lina!  Goodnight!

Posted by: Anita