A Pitiful Lot

Ugh.

Stuffed up nose, sore throat, headache.... just overall ick. Matt's got it, too. And E. The Boy is safe and sound with The Girl since she's back in town. So, it's just Mary and the puppies who haven't yet succumbed. We're a pitiful lot! :-)

But, in my stopped-up-ness, I've found a few videos to share with you that made smile! Be well, bloggy friends!

Stop motion mural painting from flossy-p on Vimeo.

Zellers Alphabet Ad

Father and son painting the alphabet together. Cute.

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Home is Where the Heart Is

Playing with some doodles and Photoshop. :-)

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Simple

For Today,
April 27th, 2010

Outside my window ... green pine needles glowing in the sunshine and dancing in the wind!

I am wearing ... my new favorite pair of blue jeans! Gosh, did I need another pair!

I am going... to do a major clean-out of my closet. A friend I bumped into this weekend said she got rid of all those too-small clothes she had been hanging on to. She said they were hanging there mocking her. I liked that. Yes, they're mocking me and OUT they are going!

I am reading ... A Homemade Life, Red Bird (poems), Lies Women Believe, and The Great Gatsby. Bible Reading- Oh, man, why do I do this? Somehow I've drifted from my reading plan and can't seem to get it back going. How does this happen? Lord, I'm so prone to wander... so easily side-tracked, so easily too "busy." But I grabbed my Bible on the way out the door this morning and hope to find a quiet hour or two somewhere (NOT at home where I'm too tempted to do other things!) and get caught up. So, I'm still in 1 Samuel, 1 Chronicles and Matthew.

I am listening to ... The Condition by Jennifer Haigh. It's ok. I've been tempted to turn it off a few times, but feel like I've got too much time invested in it now. We shall see...

I am creating ... hand-lettering. I've spent a little time perusing some typography blogs and am dying to put together some words of my own.

Around the house ... lucky thing yesterday was the first day of spring! NOW I can do some badly needed spring cleaning... Whew! Didn't want to get started too early! ;-p

A few plans for the rest of the week ... not much...and hoping for a very quiet and stay-at-home weekend!

A photo to share with you... I came across this bookshelf and had to share it with you. As a math person and a book-lover, I find it perrrrfect. The idea is to prioritize your bookshelf with the most important item in the inner parenthesis. So, my question to you: If your life were an equation bookshelf, what is in your parenthesis? Hmmm.... (Designed by estudio breder.)


For more Simple entries, visit The Simple Woman's Daybook. Blessings, bloggy friends~

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Hand-Lettering

I love hand-lettering. Found this artist and loved her "A" so I tried my hand at it. Then made my own "B". After six or seven versions, I think this is the one I like the best. Not super happy with it, but...

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Seven on Sunday

Seven photos from the weekend! :-)

1. Matt in my office on Friday. Ready for the weekend!


2. Friends.


3. A fund-raiser dinner for Mary's drama club before the play Friday night. The food was superb at Wolcott's.


4. Mary jumping off the stage after the play - a wonderful performance of Pilgrim's Progress!

5. A beautiful little pottery studio and gallery visited on Saturday morning. She also makes handmade books... I hope to take a class from her soon.

6. Garden angels... and through the window you can see some of her handmade books.

7. The chickens that provide the potter with inspiration for her wonderful chicken planters.

Happy Sabbath, bloggy friends!

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Book Review - Strength in What Remains (Audio)

Strength in What Remains by Tracy Kidder, Audio CD, Publisher: Random House Audio; Unabridged edition (August 25, 2009), ISBN-10: 073938337X

Rating: 4.5 of 5 STARS
Source: Public Library

This is simply a great book. Pulitzer Prize winner Tracy Kidder tells us the story of Deo, a young Burundian medical student, who escapes the violence of the Burundi/Rwandan genocide to New York in the mid 1990's. With $200 in his pocket, unable to speak any English, and no friends or contacts, he stumbles his way through the city, trying to find a way to survive. Sleeping in Central Park, delivering groceries for $15 a day, and suffering terrible flashbacks of the horrors he had witnessed, somehow Deo manages to attend Columbia University and become a U.S. citizen. Well, it's not as simple as that. There's a lot in between. He meets people along the way who selflessly help him, give him housing, and help pay his expenses.

It's not only the story of Deo in New York. Kidder gives us the back-story - the story of the Tutsis and Hutus. I watched Hotel Rwanda a few years ago and was completed staggered by it. I remember thinking, "Where was I when this was happening? Why didn't I know?" It was the same as I listened to this book. How could I not have known this massacre was happening? In 1994, I had a 7 year-old son and 1 year-old daughter and had just moved from Louisiana to North Carolina to start a new career. I can't imagine my life was going on normally while hundreds of thousands of people were dying. I don't know. It's just stunning to me that these two groups of people hated each other so.

Tracy Kidder reads the book himself. It's not the best audio I've listened to, but Kidder does a good job overall. He definitely didn't detract from the story, but I think someone else could have given a little more inflection and dramatization to the voices.

Overall, it's a definite "must-listen." :-) Enjoy!

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What Exactly IS This?

I've been thinking that my blog is pretty confusing. What exactly is Upsidedown B about? I have some favorite blogs I like to visit that have a very distinctive purpose: theology, art, creativity, books, cooking, writing.... They seem so... so... coherent. And mine? Well, there's a little bit of everything. You can find:

ponderings on God,
babbling about family life,
sharing of attempts at writing and drawing,
a sprinkling of recipes, and (of course!)
book reviews.

It seems like quite a smorgasbord and I considered that if I were going to keep writing here I should focus in a little more tightly on something. I should have a point, a *theme*, for Pete's sake! Right?

But.

Sitting at the coffee shop last week, I came across this quote from Vincent van Gogh on the cover page of Mary Oliver's newest collection of poems:

"But I always think that the best way to know God is to love many things."

"Yes!" my heart said. This made me think of the Shorter Catechism that my kids have learned through the years and its very first question:


Q: What is the chief end of man?
A: Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.

And how shall we glorify God and enjoy Him?

I think it's to seek our whole life to know Him more and more... to know Him through Christ first and most of all.

But I also think part of the answer is to know Him through studying His history, through understanding His Creation, through being in (but not of) this world, through fellowshipping with His people, and through seeking earnestly His Truth and Beauty.

That seems a whole lot like what Vincent was talking about. God is the Owner and Master of all things, and the more we know and the more we love, the more I think we can glorify Him and enjoy Him forever.

So, I guess for now, I'll keep writing the way I do... on whatever topic happens to strike my fancy, with waxing and waning enthusiasms, but with a heart that is seeking to know my God.

May you love many things... for His glory!

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40 Days

I've fallen about a week behind in my Bible reading plan that will get me through both the Old and New Testaments in 2010. In doing some catch-up work this morning, it struck me in 1 Samuel chapter 17 that, yet again, something happened over the course of 40 days. That prompted me to think about all the other "40 days" I've read about so far and to search for the ones that I've yet to get to. Here's the list:

Having to do with Noah: Genesis 7:4, Genesis 7:12, Genesis 7:17, Genesis 8:6
Having to do with Jacob/Joseph: Genesis 50:3
Having to do with Moses: Exodus 24:18, Exodus 34:28, Numbers 13:25 (also involves Caleb and Joshua), Numbers 14:34, Deuteronomy 9:9, Deuteronomy 9:11, Deuteronomy 9:18, Deuteronomy 9:25, Deuteronomy 10:10
Having to do with David: 1 Samuel 17:16
Having to do with Elijah: 1 Kings 19:8
Having to do with Ezekiel: Ezekiel 4:6
Having to do with Jonah: Jonah 3:4
Having to do with Jesus: Matthew 4:2, Mark 1:13, Luke 4:2, Acts 1:3

Hmm... Just seems interesting to me and might be a good place to settle for a personal Bible study for a few weeks.

Have a wonderful Wednesday out there!

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Simple

For Today,
April 20th, 2010

Outside my window ... a cold, black, spring morning sky.

I am wearing ... my favorite pj's and wishing I could stay in them all day. But, alas, it's not to be!

I am going... to have a super busy day today: take M to school, a morning chock-full at work, back to M's school, then a meeting at the church for follow-up with our web team. Sigh. Hope to get a walk in this evening.

I am reading ... A Homemade Life (yep, still reading a chapter here and there), Reaching Out without Dumbing Down, Red Bird (poems), and Lies Women Believe. Bible Reading- falling behind for the first time this year!! Ack! But promising myself to get caught back up - still in 1 Samuel and added 1 Chronicles and Matthew.

I am listening to ... Strength in What Remains: A Journey of Remembrance and Forgiveness by Tracy Kidder. Oh, so good! Almost finished with it so more on that with a review later.

I am creating ... still nothing, notta, zippo. Although I slipped an hour in yesterday on the deck of the local coffee house with my sketch book and did some scribble-scrabble.

Words that I am pondering ... From Mary Oliver's poem "Red Bird":

Still, for whatever reason -
perhaps because the winter is so long
and the sky so black-blue,

or perhaps because the heart narrows
as often as it opens -
I am grateful

From the learning rooms ... I'm meeting with the teacher M's slated to have next year for 6th grade. It's the first time in her little life that she'll have a teacher I either wasn't involved in hiring or was good friends with beforehand. I'm looking forward to sitting in on her class and getting to know her. I've heard she's a wonderful teacher.

From the kitchen ... found a yummy coffee cake and an assortment of cookies on my counter yesterday. The Baking Fairy struck again! She seems to always show up just when The Boy gets back from Lynchberg.... Hmmm....

Around the house ... the yard is in bad need of some work. I had it in pretty good shape three weeks ago and it needs a day's worth of attention again, I'm afraid. Those dog-gone pine cones just won't stay up in the trees!

A few plans for the rest of the week ... order this book. A friend has asked me to join her in a Classical Conversations book club this summer (yes, another one!) and I think I'll give it a try. The other three books for the summer are this (the geek in me can't wait on this one!) and this (curious choice, but looks super good to me!) and this (a fav that it's time to reread!)

One of my favorite things ... coffee. And chocolate. Coffe AND chocolate together! :-)

A photo to share with you... Molly Pockets got a hair cut! :-)

For more Simple entries, visit The Simple Woman's Daybook. Blessings, bloggy friends~

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Seven on Sunday

1. Powerful worship, great sermon, good lunch, wonderful nap, long walk. A happy Sabbath!

2. I did it. I submitted six poems this week to Cave Wall. I have little expectations, but the most important thing is I actually took the step, sorted through my poems, did a little editing, and sent them off. Cave Wall also accepts black and white drawing submissions. Hmmm... Wonder if I'll ever get brave enough to submit my doodles?!

3. I've been looking at this Christian publication online... Think I'll order the latest edition and browse before deciding to submit something.

4. Came across this online pen and ink online tutorial. I would LOVE to be able to do this one day!

5. A friend surprised me with Margaret Atwood's new book yesterday! Yeah for friends who give me books!

6. Loving these little books... might try to make some myself. :-)

7. Another friend cleaned out her closet this weekend and gave me her hand-me-downs. Do you remember when you were a kid and got hand-me-downs? I do. I think I had a cousin who would send me her old things. It's a good memory for me. Trying everything on... making a "keep" pile and a "get rid of" pile. So - yeah for friends who give me clothes!

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Treasure

Yesterday I had a half-hour and a dollar or two to spare, so I dropped by our local used book store to browse before picking up Mary from school... and I found a treasure. It was a slim little yellow volume hidden in a cardboard box in the back room of their annex with other books categorized as "Religious." The title caught my eye first: Split Milk: Litanies for Living by Kay Smallzried.

Hardcover: 85 pages
Publisher: Oxford University Press (1964)
Language: English
ASIN: B0007E1YH2

I can't really find anything much about the book or the author. I believe she may be Episcopalian because the only other literary reference I found on her was as the editor to A Practical Church Dictionary by James Malloch who was an Episcopalian priest.

The book categorizes the litanies into seven sections: Attitudes of Mind, Of the Society in Which We Live, The Seven Ages of Man, Crisis, The Seven Capital Sins, Of Love, and Aspects of Truth. The last page is an index for use of the litanies with the church calendar.

From the (very) short preface: The litanies in this book were written over a three-year period and half of them have been used either publicly, privately, or both. Many friends encouraged me and suggested topics. It's signed Kay Smallzried, Mamaroneck, N.Y., September 1963.

From the litany "The Capital Sin of Pride:"

How brilliant a sin is pride when see in others,
How little recognized within ourselves.
It veils itself in arrogance of speech;
It builds support for a rigid frame of mind;
It multiplies excuses for our errors;
It dissipates our prayers in stylized chatter;
It chains us to the devil's inclinations;
And though these chains be light and long,
They keep us from the freedom
Of Your Love.
Lord, absolve us from the sin of pride.

Yet, puppet-like we sit upon pride's lap,
Giving the name of grief to discontent,
Giving the name of wit to impudence,
Giving the name of righteousness to fear,
Giving the name of justice to desire,
Giving the name of courage to haste,
Giving the name of wisdom to hesitation,
Giving the name of truth to information.
And we feel that when pride speaks through us,
No man may call us fool.
Lord, absolve us from the sin of pride.

And so goes the rest of the book. Beautiful.

But there's more to treasure than just the printed words. All through the book are handwritten notes by its previous owner, Hazel Redrup, who wrote in the front cover "This book is precious to me!" and dated it Valentines, 1965. There are sermon notes, blocks of Scripture, quotes (one even from C.S. Lewis), and references to other books.

I wonder about the hands that held this book, read its words, and found blessings within. I wonder about the woman who wrote on the pages of the litany titled "Old Age: "Yes! It is Jesus, the Christ, that gives touches of color to the line drawings of the women of the New Testament."

I will keep and treasure your book, Hazle Redrup. Thank you.

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Book Review: The Glass Castle

The Glass Castle: A Memoir, by Jeannette Walls, Paperback: 288 pages, Publisher: Scribner;
1 edition (January 9, 2006), ISBN-10: 074324754X

Source: Farming of Books Book Club and on my General Non-Fiction TBR List
Rating: 4.5 of 5 STARS

It seems like everyone has read this book! I remember when a friend first told me about it years ago and had loaned me a copy. I was on a road trip somewhere with a bunch of gals and had brought it with me. (Along with a whole bag of other books. My theory is when traveling you can never have too many books or underwear so I always have plenty of both!) Another friend hadn't brought anything with her to read and I let her have The Glass Castle. She gulped it down and insisted I read it as soon as possible. But, for whatever reason, I never did and eventually returned it to its owner.

I picked up a copy at a used book store a couple of years ago and put it on my TBR list for General Non-Fiction. And now I've finally read it... I inhaled it, too. For me, anyway. I'm usually a pretty slow reader. I read it last weekend while we were driving to and from D.C. and in little snippets in the hotel lobby waiting for E and Matt to join me for breakfast each morning. It was our book club's pick for the month of April and we discussed it this past Thursday. We gave it a rating of 4.6 as a group.

Jeannette Walls story totally captivated me. So, why not a 5 star rating? Well, I didn't mark one single page as especially beautiful or truthful writing like I do in so many books. (See Good Words entries.) But, oh, the story! A vagabond family - mother, father, four children - always on the move, always on the edge of homelessness, always fighting for the next meal. But loving each other and loving the excitement of life. True - the father was an alcoholic. True - the mother was either totally selfish or mentally ill. True - the children were really the parents of the family. True - the children suffered at the hands of their inept parents. But, they all loved each other.

In telling her story, Jeannette Walls never condemns her parents for their choices and how they affected her. That made a big impact on me. I spent so many years (especially in my twenties!) blaming my parents for things I didn't like about myself until I finally realized it was my own sinful nature that made me the way I was and no amount of blame-placing on my parents was going to change me. The only thing that could ever change me was God. That was a long road for me. It seems Jeannette Walls skipped that phase.

Also, the last half of the book is set in West Virginia and is a powerful description of the poverty that so many live in there. One of my best friends hales from West Virginia and grew up in extreme poverty. I know her story and I've visited her hometown with her twice. I remember when she read this book she said, "This was my life." Now reading it, I understand a little more. And my heart hurts for the little girl that grew up in such poverty in the "holler." And now even more, I admire the woman she is now... the one who "got out," went to college, moved to NC to live a different life... and went on to graduate from Duke with her masters a couple of years ago. Oddly enough, like Jeannette Walls, I've never heard her condemn her parents either. She's often told me they did the best they could. And that seems to be enough for her.

So, I definitely recommend this one to you. It's a quick read. I wouldn't say easy, necessarily. You'll be heartbroken for the children and outraged at the parents. But it's a fascinating story and one I'm glad I read.

Have a great Saturday, bloggy friends!

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Strength in What Remains

Well, I couldn't stick with Sundays at Tiffany's after all. A little too far-fetched for me.

So, I popped in Tracy Kidder's latest, Strength in What Remains and I am mesmerized! Mr. Kidder reads it himself and, though a bit deadpan, I find him very easy to listen to. It's the story of a young African medical student who escaped from civil war and genocide in the early 90's to New York and how he not only survived, but went to Columbia, got a medical degree, and became an American citizen. I'm at the point where he is sleeping in Central Park and working for $15 a day delivering groceries. Here are a couple of excerpts I already wanted to share:

Looking back, Deo felt she was both beloved and ridiculed by neighbors, because she was always giving things away, such as milk and especially salt, the sine qua non of the local cuisine, sold by the pinch in the markets. To have to beg or borrow salt was utterly demeaning. To curse someone doubly, one would say, "May you spill borrowed salt" - may you lose what you humiliated yourself to obtain.

(There's a running thread through the book so far about salt and the humiliation of being so poor as to have to beg for it.)

To tell them that he was really sleeping in the park would be inconsiderate, and as shameful an act as crying aloud when he'd stubbed his toes at night as a child. There were things about you that other people wouldn't want to hear and things you wouldn't want them to know. Often they were the same things. he thought of them as "things I keep for myself."

(Oh, man, don't we have those things, too!)

More to come I'm sure, bloggy friends, on this one... This might be another one I've checked out at the library and will have to buy because I like it so much. :-)

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Simple

Outside my window ... a light blue morning sky that promises to deepen to a brilliant Carolina blue.

I am wearing ... my hot pink sandals today. Makes me smile!

I am going ... to go through my poetry and hopefully submit some poems here by the 15th. Maybe.

I am reading ... Lies Women Believe, A Homemade Life, Word Painting. In the Bible, 1 Samuel and 2 Corinthians.

I am listening to ... Sundays at Tiffany's by James Patterson. I remember reading Along Came a Spider by him years ago and it scared me half to death and I said I wasn't go to read anything else by him. But I picked Sundays up at the library yesterday because it seemed to be totally different. A little too different, though. I'm going to finish out the first CD, but if it doesn't get better I'll have to ditch it.

I am creating ... nothing, notta, zippo. But I'm thinking about it! Time to pull out paper and pen and doodle away!

I am remembering ... the wonderful time we had this weekend in D.C. with E.

Counting my blessings ... for a body that *pretty much* cooperates. I went walking yesterday at lunch with work friends for a brisk 2 miles and then again yesterday evening at home with a friend for a more leisurely 2 miles. I'm sore this morning, but overall feel pretty good.

Words that I am pondering ... these words from Lies Women Believe on lie #8: I Need to Learn to Love Myself:

"We are constantly looking out for ourselves, deeply sensitive to our own feelings and needs, always conscious of how things and people affect us. The reason some of us get hurt so easily is not because we hate ourselves but because we love ourselves! We want to be accepted, cherished, and treated well. If we did not care so much about ourselves, we would not be so concerned about being rejected, neglected, or mistreated.

The fact is, we do not hate ourselves, nor do we need to learn to love ourselves. We need to learn how to deny ourselves, so we can do that which does not come naturally - to truly love God and others. Our malady is not "low self-esteem," nor is it how we view ourselves; rather it is our low view of God. Our problem isn't so much a "poor self-image" as it is a "poor God-image." Our need is not to love ourselves more but to receive His incredible love for us and to accept His design and purpose for our lives.

Once we have received His love, we will not have to compare ourselves to others; we will not focus on "self" at all. Instead, we will become channels of His love to others."

Ouch.

From the learning rooms ... working with M on FRACTIONS! Ugh.

From the kitchen ... nothing too exciting, but I'm thinking of making my mom's shepard's pie recipe tonight:

1 to 2 pounds ground meat
1 onion, diced
2 to 3 cans diced tomatoes, pre-seasoned
1 can green beans, drained
7 to 8 potatoes, peeled, boiled, mashed with milk, salt, and plenty of butter
Salt, pepper, oregano, any other seasonings you'd like to throw in
Cheddar cheese

Brown ground meat with onion. Drain. Add tomatoes...3 cans is you like your pie runny, two if not. Add drained green beans. Let simmer for 10 minutes or so. Place in casserole dish. Top with mashed potatoes and cheese. Pop in oven at 350 F and cook for 25 minutes. Serve with salad.

Yum! The real-deal Comfort Food!

Around the house ... the pollen seems to have subsided after a good rain so it's time to clean off the porch yet again, I think.

A few plans for the rest of the week ... today I'm going to a reading by this author at our local indie book store, Wednesday night Bible Study, Thursday night is book club meeting to discuss this book (really liked it!), maybe dinner with friends on Saturday night, and church on Sunday. Work, house cleaning and laundry all in between, of course!

One of my favorite things ... playing online Scrabble with my Dad way down in Louisiana. We probably go back and forth with at least six or seven plays a day. He's pretty good. :-)

A photo to share with you... me and Matt at Bald Head Island about five years ago. :-) Heading back that way in June and can't wait!!

For more Simple entries, visit the Simple Woman's Daybook here.

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Sigh

The team I have been working with to put together a new website for our church launched it yesterday. Wow. It was a lot of work.... much more than anticipated when we first started working on this. But, it was a good experience... I LEARNED so much! And I've really grown to LOVE our little group who worked to get this site up and running. So... mosey on over if you get the chance! You can find it here.

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Seven on Saturday

Hello, bloggy friends! Here's a super-quick seven:

1. We're in D.C. with Ellen who wanted to go look at American University and just hang out. She not sure if she can get in. We're not sure if she did how we would pay for it. So.... it's a very preliminary visit, but it's good for her to have something concrete in her head as she thinks about options.

2. We're staying here. Nice.

3. We ate here Friday night.

4. We ate here for lunch just off campus.

5. We ate here for dinner just a bit ago.

6. Matt and E are cruising around on the Mall and I'm chillin' in the room.

7. We're going shopping here on the way home tomorrow.

So enjoying some time with the middle child!

Happy Saturday!

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Book Review: The History of Love

The History of Love by Nicole Krauss, Paperback: 252 pages, Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company; 1 edition (May 17, 2006), ISBN-10: 0393328627

Source: Can't recall... but I'm sure I picked it up at a used book store somewhere.
Rating: 5 of 5 STARS

I loved this book. Loved the story, loved the characters, loved the writing. It's a book about a book and you can't get any better than that, in my book. (Sorry, couldn't help it.)

Krauss takes us from Nazi-occupied Poland to present day New York in lovely, engaging, and unique prose. The two main characters are as opposite as you can imagine, at first glance anyway. Leo Gursky is a Polish immigrant and survivor of WWII. He's a retired locksmith terrified of dying alone in his cluttered apartment.

He's also a writer.

Then there's Alma Singer, a fourteen-year-old girl who misses her dead father and fears for her mother's depression. Oh, and then there's her 10 year-old little brother, Bird, who thinks he's the Messiah.

She's also a writer.

Besides writing they also have this in common: loneliness.

That's all I'm going to tell you, except I highly recommend this one. And I'll give you a couple of excerpts to whet your appetite:

Bruno, my old faithful. I haven't sufficiently described him. Is it enough to say he is indescribable? No. Better to try and fail than not to try at all. The soft down of your white hair lightly playing about your scalp like a half-blown dandelion. Many times, Bruno, I have been tempted to blow on your head and make a wish. Only a last scrap of decorum keeps me from it. (page 6)

There were pens, and a blue glass vase, an ashtray from the Dolder Grand in Zurich, the rusted arrow of a weather vane, a little brass hourglass, sand dollars on the windowsill, a pair of binoculars, an empty wind bottle that served as a candle holder, wax melted down the neck. I touched this thing and that. At the end, all that's left of you are your possessions. Perhaps that's why I've never been able to throw anything away. Perhaps that's why I hoarded the world: with the hope that when I died, the sum total of my things would suggest a life larger than the one I lived. (page 165)

Oh. And here's a short little clip of the author. I find her very interesting. I don't believe she has another book out, but if she writes it, I will read!

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Simple

For Today,
April 6th, 2010

Outside my window... billowy, graceful, yellow clouds of... POLLEN!! Yikes. It amazes me every year when this happens here in the Sandhills even though this has been home for over 16 years! Overnight there are incredible amounts of pollen. Everywhere. I mean everywhere.

I am pondering... Psalm 50:23:

"The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me;
to one who orders his way rightly
I will show the salvation of God!”

What does it mean for one to "order his way rightly?" Hmmm...

I am thankful for... Christ, our risen Lord!

From the learning rooms... a friend asked me yesterday what we were going to do with our kids when they hit 9th grade. The classical Christian school they attend now will most likely not have a high school by the time our kids get to that age. Granted, they are only in the 5th grade now, but it's never too early to plan! She thought we would have enough parents to put together a pretty good home school co-op and plus, we live in the same town as the headquarters of Classical Conversations. With that resource and all the parents chipping in with their areas of expertise, we might just be able to put something together. Hmmmm....

From the kitchen... Well, the tuna corks (Bouchon au Thons) were a great hit at Easter. A definite do-again. The new potato salad recipe using ranch dressing went over well, but I made waaay too much of it. (Can you freeze potato salad?) Alas, I was disappointed in the Blueberry Raspberry Pound Cake. I think I tried to take it out of the cake pan too soon and it fell apart. Or maybe I didn't cook it enough. Dunno. Tasted ok, but was a super ugly mess. I didn't get around to making the chocolate cupcakes, but hope to try them out this coming weekend.

I am wearing... my favorite jeans (aka, the only ones that fit!) and my favorite black t-shirt. I never wore black when I was younger. Hated the color as a matter of fact. Now I would be happy to wear it everyday.

I am creating... well, Mary and I made our coffee filter flowers and today we're going to make rose petal perfume from this book. I'll let you know how it goes. Love my crafty girl!

I am going... to DC this weekend with Matt and E to visit the city and walk around some campuses of schools she might be interested in. Nothing too serious, just some time away looking around.

I am reading... World Magazine, April 10, 2010 edition. A friend got a subscription as a birthday present for E. I'd forgotten how much I enjoy it. Also - A Homemade Life, Lies Women Believe (for a weekly Bible study I've joined), and Story: Recapturing the Mystery. In my Bible reading I'm in 2 Corinthians and Ruth and of course, the Psalms.

I am hoping... for a peaceful, productive, spirit-filled, healthy week!

I am hearing... really cool jazzy music from Walter Jr's new CD, Standing on the Word. Think I'll have to order this. Oh my goodness, I like this! Read the review from World Magazine.

Around the house... Matt painted three ceilings downstairs that were in terrible shape. They look so very clean and white! I've finally got the hardware issues with my kitchen drawers figured out and bought four different knobs from Anthropologie last week.

One of my favorite things... sweet iced tea. I never make it except for holidays because even the smell of it makes Matt sick. But I brewed some up for Easter Sunday and sipped on the remnants all day yesterday.

Realizing that... I have completely lost the ability to do the big-mall-shopping-thing anymore. I took M shopping a couple of weeks ago for badly needed spring clothes and was ASTOUNDED by the prices. I mean, really. Come on. A pair of shorts (and I do use "shorts" in every sense of the word) at Gap.... $59.50!?! Sigh.

A few plans for the rest of the week: walk, walk, and then walk some more! Gotta get that habit going again. It's amazing the difference in how I feel when I'm not walking.

For more "Simple" entries, visit The Simple Woman's Daybook. Have a simply wonderful day, bloggy friends!

CONTINUE READING...

Stations of the Cross - Day 14

The last station, 14, is "Jesus is Buried."

Accept each moment as it comes to you,
with faith and trust
that all that happens has my mark on it.
A simple fiat, this is all it takes;
a breathing in your heart,“I will it, Lord.”

So seek me not in far-off places.
I am close at hand.
Your workbench, office, kitchen,
these are altars
where you offer love.
And I am with you there.


(From Everyone’s Way of the Cross by Clarence Enzler)

Matthew 28:16-20
16Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

He is risen, bloggy friends! He is risen, indeed! Happy Easter~

CONTINUE READING...

Stations of the Cross - Day 13

Happy Easter-Eve, bloggy friends. Today's station is "Jesus is Buried."

This is a hard prayer for me today:

I beg you, Lord,
help me accept the partings that must
come –from friends who go away,
my children leaving home,
and most of all,
my dear ones
when you shall call them to yourself.

Then, give me grace to say:
“As it has pleased you, Lord,to take them home,
I bow to your most holy will.
And if by just one word
I might restore their lives
against your will,
I would not speak.”

Grant them eternal joy.

(From Everyone’s Way of the Cross by Clarence Enzler)

Mark 15:42-47
42It was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath). So as evening approached, 43Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus' body. 44Pilate was surprised to hear that he was already dead. Summoning the centurion, he asked him if Jesus had already died. 45When he learned from the centurion that it was so, he gave the body to Joseph. 46So Joseph bought some linen cloth, took down the body, wrapped it in the linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. 47Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Jesus saw where he was laid.

CONTINUE READING...

Seven on Saturday

Oh my. It has been a while since I've written a Seven post. And as I sit here on my porch listening to the birds sing, I can't believe I'm taking the time to do this. Things have been so very, very busy and I can't put my finger on exactly why. Anyway - here goes... hopefully quickly!

1. Somehow a quiet Easter lunch has morphed into seventeen people being at my house tomorrow. Quite an eclectic group, too. New-friends, old-friends, work-friends, future-family-friends.... Oh! and even boy-friends! Yikes! Now I'm worried

2. My house will not seat that many people at official tables. Oh, well. Laps will work well enough, I hope!

3. What will I feed all these people, you ask? Still working on that, but I'm reading A Homemade Life and am trying out a few of Molly Wizenberg's recipes: Burg's Potato Salad (tucked away in the refrigerator as I type... preliminary taste tests say it's fantastic, but I'll let you know after the mandatory overnight steep), Bouchons Au Thon (little tuna-from-a-can souffles... *f*a*n*t*a*s*t*i*c*), Blueberry Raspberry Pound Cake (happily baking in the oven right now), and finally Chocolate Cupcakes with Bittersweet Glaze (yet to mix these sweeties up, but will let you know.) In addition to these newbies I've mixed up a simple fruit salad and bought a pre-cooked spiral ham. A friend (dear, dear sweet friend!) is bring deviled eggs and a seven layer salad. Another friend is bringing rolls and veggies with dip. Oh - and E had to have her Kraft mac & cheese, but since it's a holiday she's requested the *fancy* Velveeta and Cheese version. :-)

4. I'm reading in the book of Judges this week and it's struck me how much I love to read the stories of the Bible, how much they capture my imagination. Gideon, can you believe him? And Samson and Deborah and foolish Jephthah. I'm so glad God decided to tell us about Himself with stories.

5. I've fallen in love with all the little cacti at Lowe's and couldn't help but get a few for my porch. This one is my favorite:

6. Mary and I got all crafty yesterday and made coffee-filter flowers. We whipped up three and hung them on twine for a garland. It is proudly hanging in the corner of the porch where this teeny clip-on bird found a home.

7. There.is.pollen.everywhere... Spring has sprung in the Sandhills of NC!

CONTINUE READING...

Stations of the Cross - Day 12

Today's station is "Jesus Dies."

I offer you my death
with all its pains,
accepting now
the time and kind of death in store for me.
Not by a single instant
would I lengthen my life’s span.


(From Everyone’s Way of the Cross by Clarence Enzler)

Psalm 39:4-7
4 "Show me, O LORD, my life's end
and the number of my days;
let me know how fleeting is my life.
5 You have made my days a mere handbreadth;
the span of my years is as nothing before you.
Each man's life is but a breath.
Selah
6 Man is a mere phantom as he goes to and fro:
He bustles about, but only in vain;
he heaps up wealth, not knowing who will get it.
7 "But now, Lord, what do I look for?
My hope is in you.

CONTINUE READING...