daybook 9/27/2011

 

 

FOR TODAY  

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

 

Outside my window...

Lots of clouds leftover from yesterday’s rainy afternoon with a little sunshine… I think the sunshine will win the day!  Just 60F (16C) so far, but it’s early still.

The green of the nearest hayfield is a nice contrast to the empty cornfield, ripened soybeans, and brownish ‘lawn’

 

I am thinking…

As I read a newsbite about a couple being charged with manslaughter for their newborn son (They didn’t allow medical treatment for a bacterial infection)… I think the inconsistency ought to be obvious and heinous to all.  It would have been perfectly ‘legal’ for them to have aborted that same child the day before his premature birth.

 

I am thankful to God …

for His promises of grace and mercy ~

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

2 Corinthians 5:17

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

Galatians 2:20

 

I am praying for...

… Hiromi in Japan (near the Fukushima nuclear plant) 

... the Rettigs & the church in Prague

… the sale of my mother-in-law’s home

… Cinnamon ~ her Marine son is in Afghanistan

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

… Sarita & Jeff need visas for their return to Israel ~ praying they will be unusually favorable to approve visas for the children too.

… the A Family, on furlough from their field of ministry – Baby #6 due to arrive in the next few weeks, hopefully while they are with family in Indiana!

… Lea’s dad ~ in the midst of a serious health crisis

… friends in the midst of trials ~ M, H

… for direction for our church, for our family

… Laura

… and especially marriages ~ meant to last a lifetime

If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

John 15:7

 

From the learning rooms...

some of the Popper’s current books:

     

               an older edition of 

  

  (K4T Detectives Book 1)

This year in Kids 4 Truth, they will study

• God’s Word – The Bible
• The Greatness of God
• The Goodness of God
• The Trinity
• God’s Creation
• God’s View of You

and for her ultimate good…

   

From the kitchen...

Saturday was a bit of a Czech celebration at our house.  Kate has been wanting to cook up a bunch of recipes, such as…

kolaches

  

  

(topped with cottage cheese mixture, poppy seeds, cabbage, and cream cheese)

 

honey cake

(which turned out a bit different than what they ate in Prague last year)

 

fried chicken cutlets and cabbage soup

  

 

and potato salad

    

 

Sunday evening Tim treated us to another memory of Prague ~ Magnum bars!  y>u>m>

 

And yesterday I went a bit further south with gyros, tzatziki sauce, hummus with pita chips… and took it to Tim & Chris in the field (sorry, no pics except today’s of the leftover hummus)

So this week’s “menu” includes leftovers of all the above  : )

fyi, the hummus recipe is from Jane ~ See it here.  Instead of tahini, I buy sesame seeds in the spice section of the grocery store and grind them in a coffee grinder.  If you price a bottle of tahini, you’ll see why.

 

I am creating...

this blog post… in four hours or less - ha

Wanna see the girls’ flower creations?

       

 

 

  

 

I am going...

to attend to my new pile of ironing… today!

 

I am reading...

(aloud to the kids) 

 

and I skimmed through this one on Sunday ~

Here’s a pertinent one ~

Question 13:  How does Social Security really work?

The Myth:  Social Security operates like an insurance program: individuals pay a premium into a fund and are thereby entitled to receive benefits in the future.  This is just as President Franklin Roosevelt sold the program to the American people.

& The Truth:  As the U.S. government has conceded only when forced to before the Supreme Court, the Social Security payments an individual makes are not an “insurance premium” but a tax, which does not give the individual the right to any benefit or earmark funds for him.  The individual receives nothing but a promise “to tax your children to take care of you in your old age.”

 

I am hoping...  

He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. 

Even so, come, Lord Jesus.  Rev. 22:20

What comes from heaven in a promise should be sent back to heaven in a prayer, “Come, Lord Jesus, put an end to this state of sin, sorrow, and temptation; gather thy people out of this present evil world, and take them up to heaven, that state of perfect purity, peace, and joy, and so finish thy great design, and fulfil all that word in which thou hast caused thy people to hope.”

~ Matthew Henry

 

Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ… Titus 2:13

 

I am hearing...

curtain rings clinking in the dryer, the washer draining, Mrs. Ludington talking via A Beka dvd for grade four

 

Around the house...

freezers to defrost {still}

the floors look pretty good though since the Computer Geek used his strong back to mop them the other day  : )

 

One of my favorite things...

clean floors!  ;D

   

Pondering these words...

Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.  For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.  And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.  If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

Galatians 5:1, 13-14, 16, 22-25

 

A few plans for the rest of the week:

Wednesday eve ~ church

Thursday ~ violin lesson (an hour of quiet reading for me)

Friday ~ piano lessons (groceries shopping) and birthday parties!

 

Here is a are a few pictures for thought...

     

               

           

       

Miss Artist needs her own camera, yah?

 

  ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

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 ~

daybook 9/20/2011

 

 

FOR TODAY  

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

 

Outside my window...

it is a breezy, mostly sunny (now), lovely fall day ~ 75F (24C)

Someone should be out running with Luci!

 

I am thinking…

someone I know will get a kick out of an upcoming date – November 2 – when you write it with numerals.  11/02/2011.  See the pattern?  Random, I know  ;-)

 

I am thankful to God …

for my husband.  Too many families are in a mess.  There but for the grace of God…

 

I am praying for...

… a friend of Conny’s ~ Lilah is a newborn baby with spina bifida ~ Last report she is doing well  : )

… Hiromi in Japan (near the Fukushima nuclear plant) 

… Ethan and his twin sister.  See Sara’s blog.  Such a sweet testimony of God’s goodness, and such a need for His provision of health.  Recently huge blessings of answers to prayer!  The bone marrow transplant has been put off because he doesn’t need it now!

... the Rettigs & the church in Prague

… the sale of my mother-in-law’s home

… Cinnamon ~ her Army hubby is HOME from Afghanistan, her Marine son is IN Afghanistan!

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

… Sarita & Jeff need visas for their return to Israel

… the A Family, on furlough from their field of ministry – Baby #6 due to arrive in the next few weeks, hopefully while they are with family in Indiana!

… Lea’s dad ~ in the midst of a serious health crisis

… friends in the midst of trials ~ M, H

… for direction for our church, for our family

… Laura

… and especially marriages ~ meant to last a lifetime

If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

John 15:7

 

From the learning rooms...

These just arrived in the mail today for Miss Artist:  Body of Evidence with Dr. David Menton.

 

What we eat, what we drink, how we live; at the heart of many of the bad health choices we make is a serious ignorance of the earthen vessels we call our bodies. Body of Evidence, a 16-part series on 8 DVDs, is the easiest, most complete approach to giving our children an in-depth look at one of God’s marvelous creations: ourselves.

Available from Timberdoodle where you can watch a sample video clip.  Also at Amazon.  No, this is not a paid commercial.  I haven’t even watched any of it, but it looks good!  : )

 

From the kitchen...

This week seems to be running in a Plan B mode  :p  Soooo tonight might be tacos since there’s ground beef thawing on the counter.

I should be (will be!) putting away the pile of garden peppers today.

 

To be honest, I’ve been avoiding my kitchen since Saturday’s marathon potato-cooking.

 

Knowing these sweet potatoes and squash await me in the garage:

    

Check out the size of some of them!

We also cooked up the Cowgirl’s pumpkins ~ a small crop  :D

…some of which became pumpkin bread for today’s breakfast ~ yum! 

 

I am creating...

Miss Artist has been creating…

  

 

I am going...

to stay at home all day… one of these days.  I hope.

 

I am reading...

I finished Choosing Forgiveness on Sunday ~ Yay, me!

This week we’ll be starting one of my favorite books – Isaiah – in our chronological Bible reading.

 

I am hoping...  

They were still working on the combine and the grain system today ~ Hoping it’s all running smoothly soooooon!

 

I am hearing...

the dryer.  Some of the kids are out with Luci now…

 

Around the house...

freezers to defrost

rocks, shells and sand from Brazil to find a new home in a display jar

 

One of my favorite things...

a handful of dark chocolate and almonds

  

  Why haven’t I thought before to order Doves from Amazon??  A four-pack, oh my.

 

Pondering these words...

Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy.  Micah 7:18

 

A few plans for the rest of the week:

Wednesday eve ~ church – K4T starts this week

Thursday ~ violin lesson (an hour of quiet reading for me)

Friday ~ piano lessons (groceries shopping)

 

Here is a are a few pictures for thought...

Last week’s strawberry mini-cupcakes crafted by my girls for a send-off at youth group ~

Bon voyage   auf Wiedersehen, Laura!

 

This week one of our many favorite nephews is having his Golden Birthday ~ Kayleb will be 22 on September 22, 2011.  So we sent off a care package yesterday… with 22 packages inside for him!  :D

        

 

 

  ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

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 ~

daybook 9/14/2011

 

 

 

FOR TODAY  

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

 

Outside my window...

mostly cloudy with the sun trying to shine ~ We had a very brief rain shower this morning, just enough to wake me up and remind me the bicycles were outside.

 

I am thinking…

I must do something with the flowers on the front porch before it FREEZES tonight!  We’ve had a couple 90F highs this week, but today’s low is forecast to be 30F.  You’d call that a change in the weather.

 

I am thankful to God …

for swagbucks ~ I took $30 off yesterday’s Amazon order.  And I still have several more gift cards to use another day.   : )

for His work of grace and mercy in my life ~ “For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”  2 Corinthians 4:6

 

I am praying for...

… a friend of Conny’s ~ Lilah is a newborn baby with spina bifida ~ Last report she is doing well  : )

… Hiromi in Japan (near the Fukushima nuclear plant) 

… Ethan and his twin sister.  See Sara’s blog.  Such a sweet testimony of God’s goodness, and such a need for His provision of health.  Recently huge blessings of answers to prayer!  The bone marrow transplant has been put off because he doesn’t need it now!

... the Rettigs & the church in Prague ~ another Bible Night this Sunday, September 18 in Vlassim!  And looking at a new location for their Prague church to meet.

… the sale of my mother-in-law’s home

… Cinnamon ~ her Army hubby is HOME from Afghanistan, her Marine son is IN Afghanistan!

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

… Sarita & Jeff need visas for their return to Israel

… the A Family, on furlough from their field of ministry

… Lea’s dad ~ in the midst of a serious health crisis

… for direction for our church, for our family

… Laura

… and especially marriages ~ meant to last a lifetime

If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

John 15:7

 

From the learning rooms...

I need to sit down and work with the Popper, especially in this book:

  

 

Miss Music Box (Kate) finished her paper for English ~ just British Literature to finish now.  : )  She plans to join the Cowgirl for Spanish 2 lessons while she’s home this year.  They finished Spanish 1 last week with flying colors.  Miss Artist also finished her paper and grammar and has moved on to the New Year!  : )  She’s a happy camper to be caught up again -- and allowed some email/internet privileges.  She would rather study herbs instead of grammar.  The Computer Geek has chosen to study Greek this year, and Miss A will join him (as soon as our Amazon order comes).

 

 

From the kitchen...

Well, this post should give you an idea what’s been going on in our kitchen. 

We enjoyed leftover chimichangas last night.  Tonight’s plan includes spaghetti.  I bought turkey tenderloins on sale yesterday ~ they need marinade before they hit the grill later this week.

I should be baking bread this morning (which would mean hot, fresh bread for lunch!)  But running the grain mill right now would make it a challenge to hear Mrs. McLamb as she teaches Spanish 2 via DVD on the TV.

And there is still a pile of apples from my visit to the Berry Patch last week.  I picked some from the wrong tree (a bit green), so they need to get sliced or chopped for future baking.

Last week’s omelet prepared and enjoyed by the Popper…

             

 

I am creating...

not much this week.  Should be dealing with all the garden produce such as the wheelbarrow of potatoes.  Need to look up Laura’s method for making hash browns.  Aha!  Here it is  : )

 

I am going...

to not sit at the computer all day today.  Really.  {I don’t usually, it just often feels like it at the end of the day.}

to do laundry, bake bread, chop apples, pitch the rotten tomatoes, sort the potatoes, and not eat any more cake.

 

I am {supposed to be} reading...

for a summer Sunday school class ~ Choosing Forgiveness by Nancy Leigh DeMoss ~ Yeah, it’s past time to be done with this one!  ;-)

 

Sooooo I should make a commitment to take this with me tomorrow to read while Kate has her violin lesson, right?

 

I am hoping...

the combine and the new grain system will both be up and running next week when they intend to begin the harvest.

 

I am hearing...

espanol

 

Around the house...

unfinished landscaping projects

 

One of my favorite things...

birthday parties with our goofy kids  :D

  

 

Pondering these words...

'Mommy, if I ever win an award for anything, I want it to be for having the biggest smile of any kid that ever had cancer!’     ~Mercede

 

A few plans for the rest of the week:

Wednesday eve ~ church

Thursday ~ violin lesson (an hour of quiet reading for me)

Friday ~ piano lessons (and even more groceries)

Constitution Day is September 17.  They are having a celebration at Hillsdale College tomorrow (Thursday) that anyone can watch online.  We also signed up Kate for this class ~ Intro to the Constitution.  I think you can still sign up ~ It includes five weeks of online presentations.

 

 

Here is a are a few pictures for thought...

Luci Lou ~ Tim even bought her a bone when he was at Menards the other day  ;-)

      

 

  ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

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 ~

plethora of pictures

 

237 to be exact.  Downloading from the card to my computer.  Maybe I should have deleted a few first?

Oh dear, there are videos too.  Yes, it’s “my” camera, but… [delete] [delete]  Now there are only 116 in this collection of the Popper cooking an omelet, Luci, and the birthday festivities.

I’ll save the others for other posts… For now I’ll share more birthday pictures!

Life has been just a bit TOO crazy for me.  New normal, but yikes.  I’m just not organized enough to get it ALL done ALL the time.  Sooooo, this historic 18th birthday of our firstborn rather snuck up on me.

I called a friend on Saturday to ask what to do to make it special??  {{!Help!}}  I’d already done my shopping for the week… twice.  And Tim and all the kids were along for Saturday’s chiropractor appointment.  {no more shopping}  But that was fun because we also met up with my parents at Dr. Haan’s and decided to go to lunch at Hickory Park, a wonderful and fun restaurant that is usually incredibly busy.  But the Iowa-Iowa State football game was in process… in Ames.  So we had no wait, and the waitresses kept us informed of the score.  And we were gone before the game was over and the traffic turned crazy.  {Triple overtime, by the way, with the ISU Cyclones victorious – Yes!!}  ANyWay, back to the birthday theme:  Hickory Park sings and gives free ice cream to the birthday person  :D  Happy Day!

Since my friend had given me the best doable idea, the Cowgirl and I set off for the local stores after we got home from Ames.  That would be a small outlet mall {with a kitchen store!} and Dollar General.  And the grocery store  : )  We were in pursuit of eighteen gifts for our birthday girl!  We knew she wanted a tart pan ~ Thankfully the kitchen store had a nice one in stock.  Then it was off to DG for the cheap silly stuff  ;-)

 

I had also asked Kate what she wanted to eat for her birthday dinner??  She wanted to make cheesecake.  And chimichangas.

Monday morning she decided she couldn’t make cheesecake …because it should have been made on Sunday.  Plan B:  honey cake that she enjoyed last year in Prague.  Hmmm, reading the recipe we learned that it was supposed to sit for six hours after icing it.  (It was now early afternoon, and even the expected late supper would be pushing it.)  Soooo, what do you want??  Something new and different?  {yes}  While she continued to work on her research paper for English, I searched allrecipes.com and found an interesting chocolate cake ~ “extreme chocolate cake.”  (I knew she wanted something chocolate, and cream cheese added would be good.  But those recipes all started with a boxed cake mix…)  Then I remembered her favorite site called Smitten Kitchen.  Aha.  Then I saw “chocolate peanut butter cake” in the list.  And I knew.  If possible, this was what I must make for Kate.

Intense chocolate cake.  Peanut butter frosting {with cream cheese in it!} and a chocolate peanut butter glaze.

  

  

  

 

I also decided to check allrecipes for a recipe for the chimichangas.  I’ve been making them as taught by a friend for many, many years.  But I was curious what someone else would describe as the ‘right way.’  : )  And I found a winner.  Chicken Chimichangas with Sour Cream Sauce.

         

 

I’m sure you’re curious about the pile of eighteen gifts too, aren’t you??

            

Some of her favorite food-like products, gum, tic tacs, Reese’s peanut butter cups (in the jar), notepaper, pens, stapler, mirror, mug, clear band-aids, mug, candle, toothbrush, and -of course- the tart pan.  :D