happy birthday to my Dad ♥

... and that's all I will take time to say...

daybook 4/4/2011

 

 

FOR TODAY  

Monday, April 4, 2011

Outside my window...

“Tut, tut, it looks like rain.”  (or snow?) 

Blustery, cloudy and cold (40F) ~ Big change after yesterday’s windy, sunny and hot (85F).  But the green grass grew yesterday!

Edit:  Now that it’s 4pm, the temp says 50F (10C) and the sun is trying to shine in the now  cloudy but blue sky ~ still windy… of course.

 

I am thinking...

The Popper’s 9th birthday leads me to think about next week’s birthdays ~ my dad will be 79 and my mom-in-law 89  (Lord willing, next year we will be celebrating decade mile markers with them all!)

 

I am thankful …

…our order of apples from Azure Standard has lasted almost 3 weeks

…for good health (must be all those apples!)

…for another healthy heifer calf we’ve named Truffle (her mama is Mocha)

… amazon gift cards via swagbucks and my new OXO salad spinner that has my kids fighting for the privilege of washing and drying lettuce

 

I am praying for...

... the Rettigs and the church in Prague ~ Ivana, Eva, Masha & Dimitri

… the sale of my mother-in-law’s home

… Amber’s dad

… Diane and family

… Grant S.

… the broken marriages of J & S and R & K

… the W family

… Cinnamon ~ her Army hubby is in Afghanistan, her Marine son in Japan

… Amy W., a young wife/mom with cancer

… Angela & Jared and their newborn twins

… Sarita & Jeff need a replacement van and visas

… my dad, scheduled for shoulder surgery April 5 ~tomorrow

 

From the learning rooms...

It’s the ACT for the three Big Kids this Saturday ~ I need to find another good calculator for one of them.  Yikes ~ we will have to be out the door by 7:30am!  The public library is having their spring book sale this weekend… Can you guess where I will be waiting for my test-takers?  ;-)

I need to order Basic Skills tests for the Youngers ~ When do I want to schedule that?  Maybe it would be better before they actually finish with the regular school work?  Do you love it when I think out loud via my fingers??

The younger kids have only 6 weeks of their Bible geography left ~ and they are finishing the last unit of elementary human anatomy!  woot woot!  They have also been earning prizes from their dad when thy finish their weekly school assignments on time  :-) 

 

From the kitchen...

Since the leaders served Chinese food at Kids 4 Truth last week, and the rest of us got to sample the leftovers, I had to put my version of “authentic” eggrolls on our menu.  They won’t taste the same without the pot of hot oil to deep fry them, but I’ll do my best with what I’ve got.  Which would mean I should finish this up and get at it!

Other options:  taco salad, turkey taquitos, goulash, something with yesterday’s  leftover beef roast (soup?)

 

I am creating...

I need to get back to the flannel blankets and photo books (!) ~ after I finish some more quarterly treasurer duties ~ Yee ha!

 

I am going...

to have a clean desk again…someday.  Just not today.

I am reading...

a book loaned to me by Christine ~ Thank you!

Thanks to My Mother by Schoschana Rabinovici

(translated by James Skofield)

Rabinovici recounts in exacting detail how the Holocaust decimated her large, extended Lithuanian family. She was only eight years old when Hitler's army invaded Vilnius, a once-vibrant center of Jewish learning and culture. Staying one step ahead of the Nazis and their Lithuanian and Polish sympathizers, her family migrated from one house to another until they were caught and herded with 10,000 other Jews into a barbed-wire ghetto where they endured starvation, sickness, torture, and bitter cold. From the ghetto prison, the surviving members of her family were transported to a labor camp after narrowly avoiding being sent to a concentration camp and certain, immediate murder. Only three family members survived the ordeal. One was her mother, who through cunning, courage, and will saved the author from death countless times. Although the narrative is written in a controlled, even tone, the harrowing experiences described here are hard to forget.

(from the School Library Journal via Amazon)

 

I am hoping...

we make a close-enough guess on numbers for our first graduation open house  :o   I did find some cute paper plates etc last week  :-)

 

I am hearing...

one of Tim’s favorite CDs via Rhapsody ~

 

The dryer has buzzed to say it’s done

The Popper talking/singing around her runny/stuffed up nose  :-\  (allergies?)

 

Around the house...

I did actually do some dusting last week, Felicity  :-)  And cleaned the floors and our master bath.  But you know how it is…

 

One of my favorite things...

my new OXO salad spinner  :-)

 

Pondering these words...

I will fear no evil: for thou art with me;

thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

Psalm 23:4b

 

A few plans for the rest of the week:

It’s time for another Azure Standard order!  Photo books, flannel…

 

Here is a picture for thought...

 

The Popper would like to play the violin too  :-)

 

  ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Take heed to the ministry which thou hast received in the Lord,

that thou fulfil it.

Colossians 4:17

 

~ Find more Daybooks at Peggy's ~

 

10:30pm Edit: 

Just had to come back and give myself an “Atta Girl” or two  :-)

I have ordered the ITBS from BJU and another supply of apples etc from Azure Standard. 

And, best of all, my hubby declared my egg rolls ***BETTER*** than the yummy ones we had last week at church.  Life is good.  Good night!

soft molasses cookies

from Country Woman magazine, July-August 1989 ~ recipe submitted by LaVonne Hegland ~ first tasted in Grandma F’s kitchen  :-)

(photos & baking by Miss Artist)

SOFT MOLASSES COOKIES



1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening (aka Crisco, which I don’t buy; so we use more butter!)

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup molasses

2 eggs, lightly beaten

4 cups flour (I would use at least half fresh whole wheat flour ~ I’m not sure what Miss Artist does)

1/2 tsp salt

2 1/4 tsp baking soda

2 1/4 tsp ginger

1 1/2 tsp ground cloves

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon



Cream butter and sugar. Add molasses and eggs, and mix well.

In another bowl combine remaining dry ingredients and mix with whisk. Gradually add to creamed mixture.



Roll dough into 1 1/2 inch balls, then roll (or dip tops) in granulated sugar. Place 2 1/2 inches apart on greased cookie sheets.

Bake at 350F for ~11 minutes. Do not overbake. Cool on wire rack.



Store tightly covered to maintain softness (add a slice of raw apple for additional moisture).

Yield: 3 dozen

Make sure you have a full gallon of milk on hand before you bake these!

try, try again :-)

 

But this time I’ll add picture.

At the big farm, they are remodeling on a LARGE scale…

You just pick up the dryer bin and move it over there, thank you.

 

 

 

A Cry from the Streets

A Cry from the Streets: Rescuing Brazil's Forgotten Children

In the dark world of the Brazilian streets, children, toddlers and teenagers search trash cans for food, steal knives to protect themselves at night, and live in fear of being beaten or even killed by the police. For these desperately needy children, nothing was free - until they encountered the love of Jesus through the compassion of Jeannette and Johan Lukasse.

 

When this young Dutch couple asked God if He could use them to do something about the immense suffering they saw in the world, He led them on a winding path from their home in the Netherlands to the coast of Greece and eventually to the streets of Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Their calling was clear: millions of orphaned and abandoned children were living and dying on the streets, caught in the deadly grip of drugs, violence, prostitution, and abuse.

 

What followed the Lukasses' step of faith is a stunning example of how God miraculously uses the surrendered lives of believers to transform the lives of others with His hope and healing.

 

 

The book is available from YWAM Publishing. 

(And the blurb is copied from their website)

 

 

spring break house work

Cleaning up the “front lawn”
 

Adding more insulation to the attic…(resting/snacking before they put up the last of the bags)
 


putting new treads and risers on the back stairs…

           

        
     



burning off the weeds (with care not to torch my baby maple tree!)
 

  

putting a wall under the stairs between the freezer/pantry room and the ‘furnace’ room

   

  

earning major brownie points by cleaning my windows!  (practicing for a future business opportunity)
         

…and generally enjoying our time together

   
 

Thank you, Kayleb & Jeremy!

daybook 3/29/2011

 

 

FOR TODAY  

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Outside my window...

~ the early morning snow has melted ~ the pasture is looking greener!

~ the guys have worked hard clearing the land that should be our lawn this year  :-)

 

I am thinking...

I need to call Mr. Insurance Agent, whether I want to or not.  Maybe I will shoot him another e-mail? (Okay, done! …and he just called me back.  He was able to date the updated policy back to January!  woot woot!  PTL!)

 

I am thankful …

for the snow ~ Tim seeded the hayfields on Saturday, so the moisture was needed ~ and I can also be thankful it has melted into the ground

for another heifer calf born on the Cattleman’s birthday (Sunday) ~ Taquita (fem. form of taquito? ~ Her mama’s name is Fajita)

 

I am praying for...

... the Rettigs and the church in Prague

… the sale of my mother-in-law’s home

… Amber’s dad

… Diane and family

… Grant S.

… the broken marriages of J & S and R & K

… the W family

… Cinnamon, still missing her deployed hubby (& her son is a US Marine assisting in Japan)

… my dad, scheduled for shoulder surgery next week

… Hiromi, her family, others in Japan

… Amy W. ~ started chemo last Friday

… Marcia R’s mom, Margaret ~ medication decision

… Michelle ~ health need

… Angela & her newborn twins ~ especially Lincoln, who had a very rough delivery and is in NICU

… youth and adults preparing for their mission trip to Brazil

… healthy, live calves

… decisions we need to make

 

From the learning rooms...

We are a bit lethargic today~ too much birthday cake perhaps?

Ancient Rome, library research papers, and more…  I think we are scheduled to hear stories from the speech students on Friday night!  :-)

Thinking about books to order for next year.  Praising the Lord for the ones I’ve found used at the HSLDA Market!

 

From the kitchen...

Options:  beef burritos, turkey taquitos, cheeseburger soup, goulash, VandeKamps  ;-)

I need to bake bread (but I’m sitting here instead ~ lazy day!)

 

I am creating...

I found another “FREE” photo book offer, this time at SmileBooks ~

(http://www.smilebooks.com/)  The hyperlink wouldn’t work –?-

I have not yet ordered the book I worked on at Shutterfly ~ I was hoping Miss Music Box would finish her Prague book first, so I could combine the order… 

 

I am going...

to wear RED tomorrow night to church ~ We are looking forward to seeing the A family in China via skype!  (and looking fwd to seeing them in person here in June!)

 

(Side note:  I was not the patient at the orthodontist last week ~ So far, just Miss MB has braces… and she should be done soon.  I was hoping she’d be done before senior pictures, but alas… not so.)

 

I am reading...

my Bible, Large Family Logistics, The Story of the Romans, and I might start A Cry from the Streets

 

 

I am hoping...

>>  one of the other heifers might adopt Valerie

>>  to get more sleep this week!

 

I am hearing...

the Popper asking for help with spelling as she writes a letter to her cousins

 

Around the house...

I still need to dust, vac, and mop  :p

Yesterday (& the weekend… & last week’s late nights) sorta wore me out!

 

One of my favorite things...

hearing robins and cardinals sing ~ even when it’s freezing!

 

Pondering these words...

The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.

The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.

The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.

More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.

Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward.

Psalm 19:7-11

 

A few plans for the rest of the week:

my TO DO List and EOM accounting

 

Here is a picture for thought...

Very cheesy (smile & pizza), yes?

 

And the birthday buddies  :-)

(Sunday & Monday)

           

 

Take heed to the ministry which thou hast received in the Lord,

that thou fulfil it.

Colossians 4:17

 

~ Find more Daybooks at Peggy's ~