daybook 2/23/2015

 

For today… Monday, February 23, 2015

Outside my window... sunny, but a chilly THREE degrees Fahrenheit according to our local bank’s time/temp this morning.  Tim reports it is a nice day however, since there is NO wind.

Hearing... washer and dryer

Pondering... someone gave up facebook for Lent {so had a friend post something on the swap page – does that count?  .Oh.YES.}  While I don’t do that sort of Lenten observance, anyone who takes a purposeful break from facebook deserves my hearty Amen!

Praying... for diligence, balance, grace and mercy

Denise has an extremely emotionally challenging appointment today – on top of last week’s recent chemo treatments {which she is thankful to have completed this time}

Jill is released from radioactive isolation today!  Praying she can see an end of this thyroid cancer business.

Micah – oldest child of former church family – does have cancerous tumor.  He had a port put in on Friday and should begin chemo treatments tomorrow.  His mama is also carrying their fifth child.

Abby & Daniel at school. 

Abby has her week overflowing with their annual preaching conference.

 

While Kate is on the other side of the globe with our friends, the A Family {Mrs. A. is expecting new babe in early March}  We are thankful for WeChat that allows instant communication with her… for free!

My folks are travelling this week to visit good friends in the land down under.

Youth group here is preparing for annual youth church service.

Thankful... God is faithful.

{Emily Burger Designs}

Creating... bridal shower plans {also meaning I need to put together more recipe books and ‘word art’

Going... to begin taxes… soon?

Reading...

 

 

Looking forward to... harvesting some greens!

In the kitchen... spiced, salsa-ed chicken in crock-pot for tonight’s fajitas; turkey tenderloins marinating in fridge   {{clean out freezer campaign}}

Last week:  taco rice casserole, turkey barley soup, Cajun chicken pasta

Remaining leftovers:  chicken pot pie, Thai beef stew {Against All Grain recipe}

Plans/options:  spaghetti, meatloaf, chicken salad, panini, pancakes

Always:  pizza.  Always.   And green/berry smoothies of course.

{Would you believe I first met a pizza I liked as a senior in high school?!?  So, yeah, I am still making up for those lost years…}

In the learning rooms... Click to read one or both of these links regarding the “Student Success Act”  (H.R. 5)

https://whatiscommoncore.wordpress.com/2015/02/21/student-success-act-to-crush-religious-freedom-private-school-autonomy-parental-rights-no-on-hr5/

http://www.hslda.org/Legislation/National/2015/HR5/default.asp?utm_campaign=&utm_content=&utm_medium=&utm_source=&utm_term=

Around the house... must clean and must declutter.  “You can’t organize clutter”

The Mother Load... Taxes.  How could I forget about tax prep?  See Exhibit A:  “Around the house…”

Noticing that...  People do what they want to do. 

{Recent example:  Iowa’s Republican legislators}

{{{lalalalalala  <fingers in my ears>  I can’t hear you!}}}

 

Something fun to share... Ends Monday/today.   Code: FREE4ME

101 free prints at Shutterfly.

 

A favorite quote for today...

Nor silver nor gold hath obtained my redemption,
Nor riches of earth could have saved my poor soul;
The blood of the cross is my only foundation,
The death of my Savior now maketh me whole.

I am redeemed, but not with silver,
I am bought, but not with gold;
Bought with a price, the blood of Jesus,
Precious price of love untold.

"Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot" ~ I Peter 1:18-19

One of my favorite things... cyber hymnal dot org

A peek into my world...  Valentines.

I asked the Cowgirl to make the crust for a cherry pie for her dad ~ yum.  See what fun I have taking pictures here?  Goofballs, I tell ya.

 

I attempted to be sly and posed a question on the local florist’s fb page to see if she had blue delphinium in stock … So Tim was greeted at the store with, “BLUE DELPHINIUM! She likes blue delphinium.”  {Am I pathetic?  subtle for sure.}  He thought he requested RED roses as well, but the yellow was lovely with the blue and white.

 

 

~.~.~.~.~

Giving credit where credit is due:

While I am not linking up with anyone, you could read more weekly news posts at other blogs by following any of these links:

• Peggy at the Simple Woman’s Daybook

• Julie for adapting this daybook version as her own ‘Grasshopper Days’ ~ Perhaps I could call it the GHV Daybook. :)

• You can also find a similar weekly meme in Happy Homemaker Monday at Sandra’s

~.~.~.~.~

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

that thou fulfil it. Colossians 4:17

today’s main event

 

 

day {month} book 2/7/2015

 

{Kate the cake-baker makes an appearance in our kitchen!}

 

For today… Saturday, February 7, 2015

Outside my window... White snow, bright snow.  {sunshine and snow.. which is melting – current temps in low 40s} 

And happy cows of course.

Hearing...  a Chopin CD along with the rumbling dryer

Pondering... balance

Praying for...

• young Micah and his family {waiting for more details}
• Denise –  her chemo treatments did not go well this past week
• Jill – enduring weird diet in prep for radioactive iodine treatment in two weeks
• Dr. Beal – president at Ambassador who suffered a serious concussion a few weeks ago {while playing basketball with students?!}  He is still home battling headache etc.
• Abby & Daniel – both at school
• Kate – at home! temporarily, preparing to travel overseas

 

Thankful...

{ Emily Burger Designs }

Creating... care packages <3

Going... to stay at home today – while my family is out for the day helping with a church event

Reading... the good, bad, and even some ugly

• Bible:  mostly Matthew, with an occasional Psalm.  Added these while in the middle of Joshua.  I should be spending more time in my Bible reading – for so many reasons.
• I enjoy and appreciate Dr. Hieb {I even voted for her for Iowa governor last November – and I might wish she could become the ‘health czar’ for our entire country}  Anyway, you can  {CLICK}  read one of her recent articles which goes well with this quote from a facebook-based friend:  “The vaccination issue is a litmus test. If someone does not understand the threats to to personal liberty, they never understood what liberty is.” [E.S.]
• you don’t need a link to find profanity-laden nonsense

• vitriol  noun vit·ri·ol \ˈvi-trē-əl\  : harsh and angry words

To confirm what you may be assuming, I am in the non-vax crowd {which of course includes a variety of individuals along with their varying motivations, so please don’t judge others by what I say or do – and vice versa}. 

However, I am not petitioning the state to mandate that everyone else live according to my beliefs and choices.

A different subject but there was also too much vitriol related to a local issue last several months.  Why so much? 

It’s all enough to give me cause to research alternatives to blood pressure meds… [or another good reason to deactivate my facebook account]

Looking forward to... the end of the media frenzy over ebola truck stops oil spills measles mandating vaccines

fyi – I just read that the measles strain in the Disneyland cases is identified as B3.  The MMR vaccine is reported to include measles genotype A.  Does that look like an important fact?

 

Is anyone concerned about ISIS?  Boko Haram?

 

Sorry, did that turn into a vent?

 

Another thanksgiving… The House of Representatives voted to repeal Obamacare.

 

In the kitchen... I have chicken stock bubbling and granola cooling.  {No leftover strawberry cake – that was delivered to my brother’s yesterday for a dinner party.}

Recent meals:  turkey roast, lasagna, burritos, turkey packets, pizza

Upcoming:  beef roast, chicken chimichangas, chili, chicken taquitos, calzones, gyros?

Also hoping to make this vegetable stir-fry again {Against All Grain}

In the learning rooms... We briefly skimmed through the Darwin-related chapters of Seven Men Who Rule the World from the Grave; I am now reading aloud the chapter on Karl Marx.

Circuitous arguments are common fallacies, but initially they are sometimes unrecognized because the circle is too large to be observed by some minds all at one time…. The circuitous arguments on which Darwinism and other axioms of science are built have become virtually foundational in modern education.  In this, there is great peril to the culture of our time.  The modern mind must force itself to rethink what it means when it speaks of this great, all-pervading, and sure knowledge that is called science. [Breese, p. 33]

…science cannot explain the moral nature of man, and therefore refuses to recognize the depths of sin into which man has fallen.  Its sees no need for redemption but only calls for education. [p.45]

Also for history – romantic era artists such as Constable, Delacroix, Goya, and Turner; composers Beethoven, Brahms, Chopin, Liszt, Paganini, Schubert, Wagner.

Kate is hoping to learn a little Chinese.

Around the house... the usual stuff and dirt.  A large pile of classical CDs from the library…and Kate’s stuff too {some of which was supposed to stay in storage at the dorm}!

The Mother Load... today’s laundry; debone chicken; finish/bag granola for college kids; roll/cut/bake chilled sugar cookie dough; start tomorrow’s roast and prep veggies; special dessert??  The floors need vacuuming and mopping, furniture needs dusting, bathrooms need cleaning.  And then there’s last spring’s fall’s spring cleaning. 

I still want/need to seed my indoor window box with spinach, lettuce, cilantro, parsley; begin tax return prep; begin/finish a shutterfly photo book or two; learn how to register the Cowgirl for an accounting class for next fall.

But lest you think I am a do-nothing facebook bum {only} who neglects her blog for no good reason… I have hauled/mailed away our To Go Piles, baked and crafted for a benefit auction, caught up my ironing(!), ordered a variety of vitamins/supplements/oils, bought and mailed a birthday card (yes, that IS newsworthy and unusual), made countless spinach smoothies for us, and entered 3+ months of checkbook accounting into the computer.

 

Noticing that... sitting at the computer {for a long time}  is a sure way to give myself a backache

Something fun to share... Abby’s fellowship hosted the student body chapel service this week  – with a Gettysburg 1863 theme.  A couple weeks ago she was busy with her staining skills for banquet décor at church. {phone photos don’t enlarge very well}

 

A favorite quote for today... or two {more WordArt}

 

 

One of my favorite things...  Packer football.  ‘nuff said ~ till next season.

A few plans for the rest of the week...

Online Healthy Gut Summit begins on Monday – click here for daily schedule and registration – it’s FREE if you catch the lectures this week.

I’m sure sugar will be on the list of Bad Guys.  That should make birthday and Valentine’s celebrating so much more fun, don’t you think?

A peek into my world... last Sunday’s snow storm {Feb 1}

One final thought of thanksgiving… See that tractor with a bucket? and cab?  Nice for cold, windy weather and for clearing a path in our driveway.

~.~.~.~.~

Giving credit where credit is due:

While I am not linking up with anyone, you could read more weekly news posts at other blogs by following any of these links:

• Peggy at the Simple Woman’s Daybook

• Julie for adapting this daybook version as her own ‘Grasshopper Days’ ~ Perhaps I could call it the GHV Daybook. :)

• You can also find a similar weekly meme in Happy Homemaker Monday at Sandra’s

~.~.~.~.~

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

that thou fulfil it. Colossians 4:17

daybook 1/14/2015

 

For today… Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Outside my window... clouds with the sun trying to break through, sorta-white landscape [not a lot of snow that has been blown into drifts leaving bare patches], the Cattleman is hauling a load of wood while some of the cows watch.

Hearing... the Cowgirl just came inside, otherwise quiet.  They will watch their Bible class as soon as the Cattleman is finished outside.

Pondering... the first world problem of how to fix my printer.  For some reason it thinks I want everything printed in fonts too large to fit the page.  Why?

Praying... for Denise, Stef, Jill, and their families; for Tim’s niece Kim who had eye surgery last Thursday; for Kate, Abby, Daniel; for wisdom, diligence, and patience.

Thankful... Daniel arrived safely back to school in spite of missing a flight.  Inconvenient but most lessons in life are, yes?

Creating... yet another mess on my desk.  I waded through most of it, dealt with a lot of it, but it’s not finished {and to some extent never will be, but it could be better…}

Going... to make a 2014 photo book ~ Shutterfly coupon in this week’s mail {Kohl’s bill} which doesn’t expire until Feb 28

Reading... Joshua, Psalms & Matthew; A Place of Quiet Rest by Nancy Leigh DeMoss; Carson with kiddos for history and almost thru Proverbs with them.  I picked up a western by Robert Horton for escape reading – ha.

Looking forward to... a massage {I should call and schedule it!}

In the kitchen... to be determined – ack! 

Looking for a balance between family-style old favorites and new recipes that might be better for all of us.

In the learning rooms... Yes!  papers checked, assignments planned, classes resumed.  whew.

The Cowgirl finished her leftover geometry.  The Cattleman finished his physical science course, so now he just needs to focus on catching up with his sister in biology – espec since he is weeks ahead in both algebra and English. 

The Cowgirl was just quizzing me about auto insurance for her stewardship class.  The Cattleman has been reading and taking notes for a research paper.  The Popper is looking forward to writing a research paper again soon {what?}

Around the house... the To Go Pile has taken over the front hallway again.  But I have an appointment on my calendar for its removal!

The Mother Load... 1. menu planning?!

Noticing that... the Popper needs a travel destination for this year {since everyone else here seems to have one!}

A favorite quote for today... Finish the job, finish the job, get it done!

One of my favorite things... hydrangeas or violets 

Abby found these cupcakes on pinterest {ahem} and sent the pic to share with the Cowgirl

A few plans for the rest of the week...  piano lessons/groceries & growing list of errands, chess club for the Cattleman, skiing on local bunny hill?? {not me}

A peek into my world... sundogs last Friday morning

~.~.~.~.~

Giving credit where credit is due:

While I am not linking up with anyone, you could read more weekly news posts at other blogs by following any of these links:

• Peggy at the Simple Woman’s Daybook

• Julie for adapting this daybook version as her own ‘Grasshopper Days’ ~ Perhaps I could call it the GHV Daybook. :)

• You can also find a similar weekly meme in Happy Homemaker Monday at Sandra’s

~.~.~.~.~

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

that thou fulfil it. Colossians 4:17