I am continually being fooled by frozen broccoli. I buy chopped- too small and more stems. I buy spears- way too big. What's correct? Is it florets?
I refuse to pass bicyclists on or just before hills. I don't care if you honk at me. And I will say out loud (not yelling, mind you, just a normal voice) what an idiot you are when you honk (though I do not use poor language to do this). Sorry folks, the opinion of random motorists is not worth a head-on collision. Take a chill pill and enjoy the scenery for a minute.
I think it's hilarious and a little awful when one of my friends answers a Facebook poll about "Yes, I want to remain on your friends list." Um, did you look at who wrote that poll question? Are you friends with them? What about the 13, 456 other people who also answered the poll question? Do you think they all know the original author? Why are these polls still floating around?
I recently finished The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. I picked it up before we went on vacation based on a recommendation on Ungrind.
It is set shortly after World War II in Europe. It is a light novel,
but it touches on heavier subjects. The story is told in the form of
letters, which could bother some readers. It didn't take me long to get
into the story so that this didn't matter, and I was reading as I would
read any other novel. I enjoyed the characters and the way the authors
formed them through what could be a difficult medium (letters). The book is certainly a product of the 21st century in a few cultural aspects, but I
do feel I can recommend it. A discerning reader can enjoy it for what it is: an enjoyable, historical fiction
(but not too heavy) novel.
Showing posts with label Life. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Life. Show all posts
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Western Trip, part I: All Creatures Great and Small
We just returned from a trip out West a couple weeks ago. We were away for 15 days. We visited 5 national parks. We took 4200 pictures. I have been working on a post about the trip practically since we got back. It is proving harder to write and longer than I expected. I also wanted to include pictures, which means that we need to sort them out and match them up with the appropriate parts of the trip. We're still working on that. Since the post was getting so long I decided to break it up. Here is part I.
My husband likes lists. Thus we had several of them going during the trip. One of them included our running tally of the animals we had seen while hiking, driving, walking throughout the trip.
These included:
There were others as well: magpies, various water birds, ground squirrels, chipmunks, wood ducks
(mama and babies) and I'm probably missing a few. The variety of Creation is astounding, as we were reminded every time we turned around. More pictures to follow.
My husband likes lists. Thus we had several of them going during the trip. One of them included our running tally of the animals we had seen while hiking, driving, walking throughout the trip.
These included:
 |
| Damselflies |
 |
| Lizards |
 |
| Dragonflies |
 | |
| Ravens |
 |
| Angus cattle (ok, that's not so different from home) |
 |
| Marmots |
 |
| A moose cow |
 |
| Chipmunk or ground squirrel...not sure which |
 |
| Bison (in the front yard of the Yellowstone Lake Inn, no less) |
 |
| Bighorn sheep ewes and lambs |
 |
| Elk |
 |
| Black bear (this isn't the best picture, but we were driving by literally about 2 feet away and I had to be quick) |
 |
| Pronghorn antelope |
 |
| More elk (this was a herd of mamas and babies just hanging out in the field near the Roosevelt Arch as we drove out of Yellowstone...next to the pronghorns) |
 |
| Mountain goats (in the road as we drove the Going to the Sun Road through Glacier National Park) |
 |
| Bighorn sheep |
 |
| More goats (at Logan Pass in Glacier N.P.) |
Monday, June 25, 2012
One of those days
Have you ever had one of those days or weeks? I'm sure you have. You know...
You didn't time the errands quite right, so you didn't get them all done. You lost your list along the way, which means you forgot things. You forgot to bring the item to be returned and the dimensions for the air filter that really should have been replaced when you turned on the air conditioning for the first time this year. Thus an extra trip (or two, in this case) is required.
A drinking glass goes off the counter-top at the ends of your fingertips. These things really do happen in slow motion sometimes, oddly enough. Glass everywhere, even down the stairs on the carpet, requires sweeping and vacuuming while yelling at the pets to get out of the way and leave the room. They think there's something wrong/interesting going on and want to come see.
There are vegetable side leftovers in the fridge that you forgot to make sure were finished and now they might be past finishing. It was good too.
You realize you forgot a bag at Wal-mart the week before. But for once you threw away the receipt instead of keeping it for a few days. Hopefully it was just a bag of sugar and not the more expensive item that you thought about buying and think you didn't, but you aren't quite positive.
Then there's that container of cottage cheese that you forgot about in the fridge, but it really hasn't been that long. You open it, peel back the plastic, and there's some nice blue mold on top. Yes, the "best by" date was yesterday, but should it go that quickly? Also it couldn't have been that long since it was purchased, at least not long enough for mold under the seal. The trouble is that you threw away the receipt. So much for an easy breakfast this morning.
Lots of little annoyances. Easy to gripe and grumble about at the time (especially when there's a heat wave and you don't have air conditioning in the car while running errands). But at the same time it takes effort to remember them. Because there are lots of good things to drown out the grumbling
Big things like food, shelter, air conditioning in the house, money and gas to run necessary errands. Time with friends, time and books to read.
Little things like...
Calculating the cost per serving on a (healthy) meal just for fun, and not because it's absolutely positively necessary that it came in below a dollar (though it did).
A more relaxing weekend before things gear up again.
A small-ish town to walk through in the morning before it gets too hot.
Lunch out with my husband on that last (hopefully!) errand and the "Uptown" salad.
Blueberries for a great price and a bowl of fruit for breakfast, a camera to take silly pictures of bowls of fruit (and of good times with friends), a cup of coffee in the morning, supper on the deck.
And there are so many more. As today's sermon served to remind: "In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33). I don't think He was talking about forgetting things at the store. Here's to remembering the blessings and not the little gripes that are just an inevitable part of life in this world, after all, and don't really matter in the grand scheme of things.
You didn't time the errands quite right, so you didn't get them all done. You lost your list along the way, which means you forgot things. You forgot to bring the item to be returned and the dimensions for the air filter that really should have been replaced when you turned on the air conditioning for the first time this year. Thus an extra trip (or two, in this case) is required.
A drinking glass goes off the counter-top at the ends of your fingertips. These things really do happen in slow motion sometimes, oddly enough. Glass everywhere, even down the stairs on the carpet, requires sweeping and vacuuming while yelling at the pets to get out of the way and leave the room. They think there's something wrong/interesting going on and want to come see.
There are vegetable side leftovers in the fridge that you forgot to make sure were finished and now they might be past finishing. It was good too.
You realize you forgot a bag at Wal-mart the week before. But for once you threw away the receipt instead of keeping it for a few days. Hopefully it was just a bag of sugar and not the more expensive item that you thought about buying and think you didn't, but you aren't quite positive.
Then there's that container of cottage cheese that you forgot about in the fridge, but it really hasn't been that long. You open it, peel back the plastic, and there's some nice blue mold on top. Yes, the "best by" date was yesterday, but should it go that quickly? Also it couldn't have been that long since it was purchased, at least not long enough for mold under the seal. The trouble is that you threw away the receipt. So much for an easy breakfast this morning.
Lots of little annoyances. Easy to gripe and grumble about at the time (especially when there's a heat wave and you don't have air conditioning in the car while running errands). But at the same time it takes effort to remember them. Because there are lots of good things to drown out the grumbling
Big things like food, shelter, air conditioning in the house, money and gas to run necessary errands. Time with friends, time and books to read.
Little things like...
Calculating the cost per serving on a (healthy) meal just for fun, and not because it's absolutely positively necessary that it came in below a dollar (though it did).
A more relaxing weekend before things gear up again.
A small-ish town to walk through in the morning before it gets too hot.
Lunch out with my husband on that last (hopefully!) errand and the "Uptown" salad.
Blueberries for a great price and a bowl of fruit for breakfast, a camera to take silly pictures of bowls of fruit (and of good times with friends), a cup of coffee in the morning, supper on the deck.
And there are so many more. As today's sermon served to remind: "In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33). I don't think He was talking about forgetting things at the store. Here's to remembering the blessings and not the little gripes that are just an inevitable part of life in this world, after all, and don't really matter in the grand scheme of things.
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
The whirlwind
The last few weeks and months have been so busy with schedules, family things, traveling, teaching, working... It is finally sinking in that I can stop and catch my breath, even if it is just for a few days. There's more on the near horizon (a.k.a. this coming weekend), and the calendar is far from empty, but for right now I can sit a bit.
Teaching is over for the year. For the last day of class I "made" brownies (from a box mix) with cream cheese frosting (from a can). I was trying to make them slightly relevant, hence the red, white and blue pretzel m&ms. We had a "guest speaker" and I think the kids enjoyed it. It's been a good year. I do need to jump into planning lessons for next year before the time gets away from me, but I think first I should take a break. It's probably best for me and for future lessons if I step away for a little bit (especially since the thought of beginning again is pretty intimidating at the moment).
Grading- In the words of Uncle Ben (I think?) from Spider Man 1: "With great power comes great responsibility" (and of course there's James 3:1). I have certainly been conscious of this as I have been grading research papers and final exams. It's finally done. Final grades mailed last week. Whew.
Muffins- Sometimes you just need to do a little baking. My take-off on Leah's white chocolate almond muffins are pretty much my favorite muffin. I use regular whole wheat flour, 1/3 cup each brown and white sugar, and regular (not Greek) plain nonfat yogurt. I add chopped almonds, semisweet chocolate chips instead of white, and dried cranberries. Nuts, dark chocolate and dried cranberries might be my favorite combination. (Now that I think about it, I could use chopped fresh cranberries too...the tartness might be a good contrast. Plus, it could mean less sugar?)
I was very pleased with my canned stewed apples, and I think if I do any canning the year is will be more of that. The canned peaches didn't turn out as well as I wanted. They just don't have as much flavor as the ones I froze. This summer I'll only buy an amount I can fit in my freezer. I do like the peaches pureed into a smoothie/thick juice drink with watermelon. I have a feeling I'll be doing this a lot this summer. Another of my canned goods we haven't really gotten into much is the apple butter. It isn't something we use very often in general. We don't eat much toast/bread, and when we do I'm the only one who puts that kind of thing on it, and then only rarely. I didn't make much, but I think I'll use what I have to substitute for applesauce in baking. I need to make some baked oatmeal for the week. Maybe tonight when things have cooled off a little (wishful thinking, perhaps). Or I'll bake it in the crockpot.
I spied a visitor last week when I was sitting grading papers on the back deck:
And that's just a bit of recent life.
Teaching is over for the year. For the last day of class I "made" brownies (from a box mix) with cream cheese frosting (from a can). I was trying to make them slightly relevant, hence the red, white and blue pretzel m&ms. We had a "guest speaker" and I think the kids enjoyed it. It's been a good year. I do need to jump into planning lessons for next year before the time gets away from me, but I think first I should take a break. It's probably best for me and for future lessons if I step away for a little bit (especially since the thought of beginning again is pretty intimidating at the moment).
Grading- In the words of Uncle Ben (I think?) from Spider Man 1: "With great power comes great responsibility" (and of course there's James 3:1). I have certainly been conscious of this as I have been grading research papers and final exams. It's finally done. Final grades mailed last week. Whew.
Muffins- Sometimes you just need to do a little baking. My take-off on Leah's white chocolate almond muffins are pretty much my favorite muffin. I use regular whole wheat flour, 1/3 cup each brown and white sugar, and regular (not Greek) plain nonfat yogurt. I add chopped almonds, semisweet chocolate chips instead of white, and dried cranberries. Nuts, dark chocolate and dried cranberries might be my favorite combination. (Now that I think about it, I could use chopped fresh cranberries too...the tartness might be a good contrast. Plus, it could mean less sugar?)I was very pleased with my canned stewed apples, and I think if I do any canning the year is will be more of that. The canned peaches didn't turn out as well as I wanted. They just don't have as much flavor as the ones I froze. This summer I'll only buy an amount I can fit in my freezer. I do like the peaches pureed into a smoothie/thick juice drink with watermelon. I have a feeling I'll be doing this a lot this summer. Another of my canned goods we haven't really gotten into much is the apple butter. It isn't something we use very often in general. We don't eat much toast/bread, and when we do I'm the only one who puts that kind of thing on it, and then only rarely. I didn't make much, but I think I'll use what I have to substitute for applesauce in baking. I need to make some baked oatmeal for the week. Maybe tonight when things have cooled off a little (wishful thinking, perhaps). Or I'll bake it in the crockpot.
I spied a visitor last week when I was sitting grading papers on the back deck:
And that's just a bit of recent life.
Monday, May 7, 2012
Monday
Coming off a crazy weekend with practically no down time. Mostly good, but still. One of these days (maybe) life will (not) slow down.
I just ate a salad of spinach, romaine, mango, almonds, hard boiled egg and cheddar with balsamic vinaigrette. Weird yes, but it actually kind of worked.
I stopped at the grocery store for just a couple things and came home only to realize all the things we didn't have. I really needed to do major shopping trip. Oh well, not happening for a few days.
Cleaning- another thing that's not happening for a few days.
My sister had a baby. I'm bringing a meal over later. I'm cheating and using Philadelphia Cooking Creme. Sometimes it's OK to cheat. I also made no-bakes (that was "Preacher cookies" to us growing up).
Top priority this week is finishing preparing a final exam and other class materials. Just 2 more classes left of the school year! I am so ready to be done and have a break, but I also can't believe it's almost done.
Coffee this afternoon, to hopefully get over being short on sleep and meet a self-imposed deadline for today. I may or may not put mint chocolate chip ice cream, chocolate syrup, and whipped cream on top. Shh, don't tell on me.
How's Monday in your neck of the woods? (Who am I kidding? Is anyone actually reading?)
And to leave you with something actually worth reading, here are 15 Tips on Blogging from John Newton.
I bet you didn't know John Newton was a blogger!
I just ate a salad of spinach, romaine, mango, almonds, hard boiled egg and cheddar with balsamic vinaigrette. Weird yes, but it actually kind of worked.
I stopped at the grocery store for just a couple things and came home only to realize all the things we didn't have. I really needed to do major shopping trip. Oh well, not happening for a few days.
Cleaning- another thing that's not happening for a few days.
My sister had a baby. I'm bringing a meal over later. I'm cheating and using Philadelphia Cooking Creme. Sometimes it's OK to cheat. I also made no-bakes (that was "Preacher cookies" to us growing up).
Top priority this week is finishing preparing a final exam and other class materials. Just 2 more classes left of the school year! I am so ready to be done and have a break, but I also can't believe it's almost done.
Coffee this afternoon, to hopefully get over being short on sleep and meet a self-imposed deadline for today. I may or may not put mint chocolate chip ice cream, chocolate syrup, and whipped cream on top. Shh, don't tell on me.
How's Monday in your neck of the woods? (Who am I kidding? Is anyone actually reading?)
And to leave you with something actually worth reading, here are 15 Tips on Blogging from John Newton.
I bet you didn't know John Newton was a blogger!
Monday, April 9, 2012
Life, randomness, and meals this week
I have a new nephew! How cool is that?!
Today could be considered a typical Monday. Here's hoping Tuesday is much better.
It's amazing how much a particular song or type of music can bring back memories of particular times. When I hear songs from Rascal Flatt's first album, I am still brought back to summer mornings spent compiling the 4-H club's historian's book (aka scrapbook) for the fair (and that was quite a few years ago). At the moment I'm listening to Sister Hazel's music, and it's bringing me back to studying in college. Of course, the fact that I'm listening as I'm working on lesson plans relating to Constitutional concerns surrounding the War Between the States is helping with those memories.
Meal planning:
Ravioli (frozen) and pasta sauce-with kale either on the side or in the pasta: I can't decide if pasta sauce on kale would be weird or yummy. Thoughts?
Ham and cabbage (aka Easter leftovers) probably with kale, possibly with leftover bread or sweet potatoes, or something.
Ham, asparagus and pasta: I had a coupon for some of this stuff so I bought it on a whim. I think this will be a good way to try it out.
Lunches- leftovers
Breakfasts- hard boiled eggs
P.S. I didn't find a sale good enough (plus the potatoes didn't look very good) to restock my sweet potato supply. I have one sweet potato left in my Thanksgiving stash in a paper bag in the pantry.
P.P.S. In case you haven't noticed a trend, I've been cooking a lot of kale. There is a post in the works about that, which I may or may not end up posting.
Today could be considered a typical Monday. Here's hoping Tuesday is much better.
It's amazing how much a particular song or type of music can bring back memories of particular times. When I hear songs from Rascal Flatt's first album, I am still brought back to summer mornings spent compiling the 4-H club's historian's book (aka scrapbook) for the fair (and that was quite a few years ago). At the moment I'm listening to Sister Hazel's music, and it's bringing me back to studying in college. Of course, the fact that I'm listening as I'm working on lesson plans relating to Constitutional concerns surrounding the War Between the States is helping with those memories.
Meal planning:
Ravioli (frozen) and pasta sauce-with kale either on the side or in the pasta: I can't decide if pasta sauce on kale would be weird or yummy. Thoughts?
Ham and cabbage (aka Easter leftovers) probably with kale, possibly with leftover bread or sweet potatoes, or something.
Ham, asparagus and pasta: I had a coupon for some of this stuff so I bought it on a whim. I think this will be a good way to try it out.
Lunches- leftovers
Breakfasts- hard boiled eggs
P.S. I didn't find a sale good enough (plus the potatoes didn't look very good) to restock my sweet potato supply. I have one sweet potato left in my Thanksgiving stash in a paper bag in the pantry.
P.P.S. In case you haven't noticed a trend, I've been cooking a lot of kale. There is a post in the works about that, which I may or may not end up posting.
Friday, March 30, 2012
Happy Friday!
1. I've been cleaning and the house (part of it, that is) feels nice and clean. This is traumatizing to the dog. The vacuum cleaner is scary. So is the mop.
2. I've also been cooking- I made my mother-in-law's grits and sausage breakfast casserole, and the house smells amazing. Cheese grits are the best. The dog was feeling insecure and thus getting underfoot the entire time I was cooking.
3. As if he wasn't already having a bad day, we also encountered a dog off leash on our walk (a dog on leash too, but that's Biscuit's problem, not the other dog's). This is scary, especially when said dog follows us. I know he's completely harmless, but Biscuit apparently doesn't and feels insecure because he's on a leash and can't defend himself. I can't really blame him, considering he's been "attacked" by 2 different dogs (off leash) in the neighborhood who had very questionable intentions. Word to the wise- a townhouse neighborhood is not the place to let your dog run off leash.
4. I just went to the grocery store to forget...I mean pick up...a couple of things. I'm have a few ladies over for brunch tomorrow. It should be a nice time.
5. Tax season is so close to being done I can almost taste it. Unfortunately, it always seems as if the closer it gets to the end the slower it goes.
6. My students are on spring break this week, which means a bit of a break for me as well. It feels good.
7. Two of my students also placed in an essay contest for John Stossel's educational program, Stossel in the Classroom. In case I haven't mentioned this before, my students are all wonderful.
8. This song is awesome. The down side is I'm never going to be able to listen to the original version with a straight face again. But I can live with that.
9. Our grass was finally mowed! It's covered by our homeowners' association dues and the back yard was beginning to look like a jungle...
10. My oldest niece turned 4 this week. I need to post this and go wrap a present!
So how is your Friday going?
2. I've also been cooking- I made my mother-in-law's grits and sausage breakfast casserole, and the house smells amazing. Cheese grits are the best. The dog was feeling insecure and thus getting underfoot the entire time I was cooking.
3. As if he wasn't already having a bad day, we also encountered a dog off leash on our walk (a dog on leash too, but that's Biscuit's problem, not the other dog's). This is scary, especially when said dog follows us. I know he's completely harmless, but Biscuit apparently doesn't and feels insecure because he's on a leash and can't defend himself. I can't really blame him, considering he's been "attacked" by 2 different dogs (off leash) in the neighborhood who had very questionable intentions. Word to the wise- a townhouse neighborhood is not the place to let your dog run off leash.
4. I just went to the grocery store to forget...I mean pick up...a couple of things. I'm have a few ladies over for brunch tomorrow. It should be a nice time.
5. Tax season is so close to being done I can almost taste it. Unfortunately, it always seems as if the closer it gets to the end the slower it goes.
6. My students are on spring break this week, which means a bit of a break for me as well. It feels good.
7. Two of my students also placed in an essay contest for John Stossel's educational program, Stossel in the Classroom. In case I haven't mentioned this before, my students are all wonderful.
8. This song is awesome. The down side is I'm never going to be able to listen to the original version with a straight face again. But I can live with that.
9. Our grass was finally mowed! It's covered by our homeowners' association dues and the back yard was beginning to look like a jungle...
10. My oldest niece turned 4 this week. I need to post this and go wrap a present!
So how is your Friday going?
Friday, March 23, 2012
Brief encounters with Mormons
Several years ago-
Me: "Actually, I'm a Christian"
Them: "Oh, that's ok!"
Today-
Me: "I'm a Christian"
Them: "Oh, so are we! I think you'll really like this website."
Hmmmm.
And yes, I used the "I'm in the middle of something" excuse. Catching up on Pinterest counts, right?
Me: "Actually, I'm a Christian"
Them: "Oh, that's ok!"
Today-
Me: "I'm a Christian"
Them: "Oh, so are we! I think you'll really like this website."
Hmmmm.
And yes, I used the "I'm in the middle of something" excuse. Catching up on Pinterest counts, right?
Saturday, March 10, 2012
The little things lately
1. Fresh asparagus with its purple rubber bands
2. The cat chasing his tail and making me laugh.
3. Doggy yawns
4. Pandora internet radio
5. Good, hot, soup
6. A pure, deep, blue sky on a crisp morning
7. Take-out after class, just because
8. Purple and gold crocuses-sighted while walking the dog
9. Pinterest seems to be bringing my crafty side out of hibernation. Fun, yes. But a good thing? Not sure.
10. The Piano Guys
11. Monster cookies
2. The cat chasing his tail and making me laugh.
3. Doggy yawns
4. Pandora internet radio
5. Good, hot, soup
6. A pure, deep, blue sky on a crisp morning
7. Take-out after class, just because
8. Purple and gold crocuses-sighted while walking the dog
9. Pinterest seems to be bringing my crafty side out of hibernation. Fun, yes. But a good thing? Not sure.
10. The Piano Guys
11. Monster cookies
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Status report
I just saw the first crocuses! I hope they aren't burned by frost, though it looks like they could tomorrow.
I used my new immersion blender for the first time this morning and I love it!
Supper:
- Ham~ already cooked, meal-sized amount from the freezer
- Sweet potatoes~ in the microwave. I know some people don't like to microwave things, which I don't really understand anyway, but for potatoes I just can't/won't justify running the oven for 45 minutes or so when I could cook them in less than 10 in the microwave!
- Cauliflower~ method of cooking to be determined.
We're headed to Grove City for the Vision and Values conference in April.
I ate red peppers and cauliflower yesterday afternoon, so today I can have ice cream, right?
And... I'd better get going if I'm going to meet my self-imposed class planning goal for today.
I used my new immersion blender for the first time this morning and I love it!
Supper:
- Ham~ already cooked, meal-sized amount from the freezer
- Sweet potatoes~ in the microwave. I know some people don't like to microwave things, which I don't really understand anyway, but for potatoes I just can't/won't justify running the oven for 45 minutes or so when I could cook them in less than 10 in the microwave!
- Cauliflower~ method of cooking to be determined.
We're headed to Grove City for the Vision and Values conference in April.
I ate red peppers and cauliflower yesterday afternoon, so today I can have ice cream, right?
And... I'd better get going if I'm going to meet my self-imposed class planning goal for today.
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Focus
...or the lack thereof.
I have attempted two posts this afternoon, and deleted both. We'll see how far this one gets. Today is Sanctity of Human Life Sunday, and tomorrow is the March for Life. Appropriately, but coincidentally, I just finished a novel by Karen Kingsbury, called Shades of Blue. It was typical Christian fiction in some ways, but not typical in others. It is a story about abortion and its aftermath, about grief and forgiveness. The author's original inspiration was the sad song from a few years back by Tim McGraw, "Red Ragtop." It wasn't a book that I "couldn't put down" and I found it very heavy. But it was powerful. I thought some of the characters were more believable than others, and maybe the story was slightly sugar-coated (what Christian fiction isn't?). I thought overall, however, that it was a good fictional treatment of a very difficult issue.
My mom sent me the link to the website for an upcoming documentary about another side of the abortion issue. I encourage you to watch the trailer. It is absolutely heartbreaking.
I have studying to do. We have youth group tonight. The Ravens are playing on TV. Both of us here are supporting them- me because I always do, N because they're playing the Patriots. As I said, focus isn't my strongpoint today. But at least I finished a post!
I have attempted two posts this afternoon, and deleted both. We'll see how far this one gets. Today is Sanctity of Human Life Sunday, and tomorrow is the March for Life. Appropriately, but coincidentally, I just finished a novel by Karen Kingsbury, called Shades of Blue. It was typical Christian fiction in some ways, but not typical in others. It is a story about abortion and its aftermath, about grief and forgiveness. The author's original inspiration was the sad song from a few years back by Tim McGraw, "Red Ragtop." It wasn't a book that I "couldn't put down" and I found it very heavy. But it was powerful. I thought some of the characters were more believable than others, and maybe the story was slightly sugar-coated (what Christian fiction isn't?). I thought overall, however, that it was a good fictional treatment of a very difficult issue.
My mom sent me the link to the website for an upcoming documentary about another side of the abortion issue. I encourage you to watch the trailer. It is absolutely heartbreaking.
I have studying to do. We have youth group tonight. The Ravens are playing on TV. Both of us here are supporting them- me because I always do, N because they're playing the Patriots. As I said, focus isn't my strongpoint today. But at least I finished a post!
Monday, December 5, 2011
Blessed
But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
~Romans 3: 21-26
My husband taught this passage to the middle school youth group at church last night. He did a wonderful job explaining the passage and keeping the kids engaged. They seemed attentive and I hope they took away even a little of the wonder and grace this passage shows of God's love.
I was so struck during the lesson by how blessed I truly am. I am assured of God's love and grace, as the passage describes, though I know what a sinner I am. (And may I truly live it.) I am married to an amazing man who has such a heart for teaching God's Word to these kids. And there are so many other blessings on top of that. God is good.
~Romans 3: 21-26
My husband taught this passage to the middle school youth group at church last night. He did a wonderful job explaining the passage and keeping the kids engaged. They seemed attentive and I hope they took away even a little of the wonder and grace this passage shows of God's love.
I was so struck during the lesson by how blessed I truly am. I am assured of God's love and grace, as the passage describes, though I know what a sinner I am. (And may I truly live it.) I am married to an amazing man who has such a heart for teaching God's Word to these kids. And there are so many other blessings on top of that. God is good.
Saturday, October 8, 2011
After 2 weeks of being sick
1. My husband is wonderful: cleaning toilets, cleaning up the very messy kitchen, scrounging for his own food, bringing me things so I didn't have to get up, worrying about me.
2. My family is pretty great too: soup, phone calls, e-mails. I didn't feel forgotten while I was at home alone for so long.
3. The dog is pretty good too: I would have thought he'd be bothering me for a walk every single day at least a couple times, because that's what he does normally. But he was so patient. He kept me company. He slept a lot. He played with the cat. He would watch me when I coughed with a worried look on his face. Even the day N didn't walk him in the morning he was completely content to wait until evening for a walk. He's actually pretty smart and picks up on a lot that I wouldn't have guessed.
4. My students and their parents are amazing: No complaints when I rescheduled class, only to cancel it and then also reschedule the next week's class, on a Friday afternoon no less. They prayed for me, they were concerned for me. The students kept up with their reading assignments. They came to class on a beautiful Friday afternoon and were on their best behavior while I taught with a voice so bad I was even dropping words off the ends of my sentences.
5. Two weeks off work isn't always a vacation, but I sure hope it's enough to last me a couple months because this is it. My coworkers were pretty awesome about things too, by the way. I do find it kind of ironic that this was the precise time period I had wanted to take a few days for the beach but wasn't able to take off.
6. I got my fill of TV and Netflix for a while. A little too much time on Facebook. Some light reading too.
7. Fall arrived, though the leaves haven't really started to change yet. I spent some time soaking in the sunshine on the deck and it felt good.
8. It feels good to be on the mend. I'm sleeping through the night again. I have this weekend to rest up, and then it's back to the daily grind. I'm behind. The house needs cleaning. I have a lot of work to do for class. But at the moment I'm feeling ok about everything. I need patience with myself, and I have an even bigger excuse to give it now than usual. So hopefully I will, and who knows? Maybe going forward I'll have a little more too.
2. My family is pretty great too: soup, phone calls, e-mails. I didn't feel forgotten while I was at home alone for so long.
3. The dog is pretty good too: I would have thought he'd be bothering me for a walk every single day at least a couple times, because that's what he does normally. But he was so patient. He kept me company. He slept a lot. He played with the cat. He would watch me when I coughed with a worried look on his face. Even the day N didn't walk him in the morning he was completely content to wait until evening for a walk. He's actually pretty smart and picks up on a lot that I wouldn't have guessed.
4. My students and their parents are amazing: No complaints when I rescheduled class, only to cancel it and then also reschedule the next week's class, on a Friday afternoon no less. They prayed for me, they were concerned for me. The students kept up with their reading assignments. They came to class on a beautiful Friday afternoon and were on their best behavior while I taught with a voice so bad I was even dropping words off the ends of my sentences.
5. Two weeks off work isn't always a vacation, but I sure hope it's enough to last me a couple months because this is it. My coworkers were pretty awesome about things too, by the way. I do find it kind of ironic that this was the precise time period I had wanted to take a few days for the beach but wasn't able to take off.
6. I got my fill of TV and Netflix for a while. A little too much time on Facebook. Some light reading too.
7. Fall arrived, though the leaves haven't really started to change yet. I spent some time soaking in the sunshine on the deck and it felt good.
8. It feels good to be on the mend. I'm sleeping through the night again. I have this weekend to rest up, and then it's back to the daily grind. I'm behind. The house needs cleaning. I have a lot of work to do for class. But at the moment I'm feeling ok about everything. I need patience with myself, and I have an even bigger excuse to give it now than usual. So hopefully I will, and who knows? Maybe going forward I'll have a little more too.
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