Lest my last post sounded too whiny

I have to make sure that anyone who is reading my blog knows that I am fully aware of, and thankful for, my many blessings. In the grand scheme of things cars that are lemons and houses that have one surprise flaw after another are small stuff.

I have four wonderful, healthy kids. I have a husband who is an excellent provider, a great father, and is smart, funny, loving and adorable. (Plus he just let me go away and scrapbook for a whole weekend!) I have a family that I wouldn't trade one member of, whether we're talking blood relative, in-law, or step.

I have incredible friends--even you democrats :)--and a church that feels like family where Word & Sacrament are faithfully and abundantly administered.

I know that I've got it very good.

       All depends on our possessing
       God's abundant grace and blessing,
       Though all earthly wealth depart.
       He who trusts with faith unshaken
       In His God is not forsaken
       And e'er keeps a dauntless heart.

        He who hitherto hath fed me
       And to many joys hath led me,
       Is and ever shall be mine.
       He who did so gently school me,
       He who still doth guide and rule me,
       Will remain my Help divine.

        Many spend their lives in fretting
       Over trifles and in getting
       Things that have no solid ground.
       I shall strive to win a treasure
       That will bring me lasting pleasure
       And that now is seldom found.

       When with sorrow I am stricken,
       Hope my heart anew will quicken,
       All my longing shall be stilled.
       To His loving-kindness tender
       Soul and body I surrender;
       For in Him alone I build.

       Well He knows what best to grant me;
       All the longing hopes that haunt me,
       Joy and sorrow, have their day.
       I shall doubt His wisdom never,--
       As God wills, so be it ever,--
       I to Him commit my way.

       If on earth my days He lengthen,
       He my weary soul will strengthen;
       All my trust in Him I place.
       Earthly wealth is not abiding,
       Like a stream away is gliding;
       Safe I anchor in His grace.

       _______________________________________
     
       Hymn #425 from _The Lutheran Hymnal_
       Text: Prov. 10:22
       Author: unknown, c. 1673
       Translated by: Catherine Winkworth, 1858, alt.
       Titled: "Alles ist an Gottes Segen"
       Composer: Johann B. Koenig, 1738
       Tune: "Alles ist an Gottes Segen"

The real concrete woes of my life

You all remember how I was so excited about my new kitchen sink? Well, because the counter was badly cut out under the old sink, and the old sink was about 1/8" wider than standard, the new sink is too small by 1/16 inch on each side.

A sink that would work is $800.

We can probably get a new countertop for less than that, but I *hate* the thought of putting a new countertop into this kitchen. I'm afraid, though, that that's probably what is going to have to happen to get it ready to sell.

The thought wouldn't be quite so odious if I hadn't just sunk another $1100 into my car this week and if the property taxes weren't due Monday.

Goodbye Beggars

As I have feared for the last several days, Beggar's All is no more. I didn't know if they were somehow hijacked or chose to go. The latter is the case, and they will be missed.

There are several other blogs in my blogroll that have gone away, so I guess some clean up is in order.

UPDATE: Here's the the explanation for what happened to Beggar's All. This was posted on Lutherquest, so try not to stumble off the path.

HT: Beckfest

I had a dream

_
I was just too despondent to post about the election yesterday. Rush really summed up a lot of what I've been thinking.

Then last night I had a dream. It had a horror movie feel: big old farmhouse, dark outside, some unnamed menace lurking just beyond the doors. Then we started finding the bodies. There were quite a few people in the house and one by one they were showing up dead. We all seemed to know who was responsible, but it hadn't been spoken yet in the dream.

As we all stood around trying to decide what to do and if there was any way we could get home to get our guns--Scott was the only person who had one--one of the women pulled a severed head out of her handbag, screamed, and said, "Who did this?!"

One of the men yelled, "Those d__ Democrats!" The lurking menace was revealed.

Happy Birthday Gussy!

Today is my baby's eleventh birthday. He has choir this morning and then after that I am taking him out for Indian food for lunch (his pick.)

Since he and I have birthdays very close together we will have a shared cake--Harvey Wallbanger or German Chocolate--in a couple of days when his daddy returns from a business trip. This weekend he gets to visit grandma for a few days and go birthday shopping, a nice little tradition that the two of them have developed.

I'm not sure yet what he's getting for his birthday. We've talked about a new bike when spring arrives. Those legs just keep growing!

Election Day

I am thoroughly exhausted tonight, but in a good way.

It was a satisfactory day working at the polls. Everything went quite smoothly at my three precincts, although I was surprised at the turnout. It was not large.

For all of the angst the Indiana Dems have had over our new voter ID laws my heavily Democrat, lower-income, largely minority precincts--which also includes a large nursing home--had not one single problem wth it. They seem to see it the same way most of the people I know do: as a common sense way to help preserve the integrity of our elections.

One new element that made today even better is that my hubby served as one of my clerks.

Anticipating the chocolate harvest

In anticipation of tomorrow's celebratory gathering in of the chocolate, I give you my favorite picture of the black cat deciding if the pumpkin is food or not. He decided not and had no more interest in it.

This weeks' theme is SAFE. That was a really difficult theme for me. We seem to have lots of pictures that epitomize "UNSAFE." But finally I chose this one of my oldest son, Patrick, wielding the "Sword of Hypocrisy" (so named by him) valiantly keeping us safe from our neighbors. (Or from the pernicious influences of suburbia.)

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Addition to Blog Roll

I've added a new must-read blog to my blog roll: Chaplain to the World.

Go read it.

There's nothing like live music

Tonight we had the extreme good fortune to attend the Fort Wayne premiere of the Fort Wayne Baroque Strings as part of the Bachtoberfestiva to benefit the Bach Collegium. It was incredible!

I have always enjoyed Vivaldi, but to hear his music performed on period instruments, from just a few feet away was wonderful. The musicians were all of a very high caliber and watching them was certainly part of the fun.

If you're in the Fort Wayne area there is another chance to see and hear them as part of the Reformation Vespers service at St. John's Lutheran Church in Bingen. (HWY 27 between Fort Wayne & Decatur.) The service is at 7:00 Sunday with a discussion time beginning at 6:30. The Bach Collegium will also be singing at the service.

New Music

Well, new for me at least.

I purchased two CD's this week. I bought Five for Fighting's two lights, because I heard them on Fox and Friends last week. No, really, I've enjoyed their sound since the first time I heard Superman, but I kept thinking that I'd just put some songs on my iPod. But since I still don't have an iPod....

The other CD that I bought is Still the Same...Great Rock Classics of Our Time done by Rod Stewart. I am really enjoying this CD. Rod does covers of some classic '70s songs. (Bob Seger, The Pretenders, Cat Stevens, Van Morrison to name a few of the original performers) If you like Rod Stewart and you like '70s rock you'll almost certainly like this CD.

Of course, this is what suits my mood today. Tomorrow I may very well have my Sugarhill Gang CD back out.

Taking a break

Life has been a bit exhausting lately. I had intended to get back to my long-neglected business last Monday. Then my grandpa died and my schedule went out the window.

I'm a pretty emotional person and goodbyes are hard for me. I used to cry every time we left Indiana to go back to Chicago. I even cry sometimes when I finish a good book because I get attached to the characters. So you can imagine what effect deaths of real people have on me. I am not good for anything until at least a day after the funeral.

I've also been needing to spend lots of time on my treasurer job. (Yes, it is hilarious that I--the one who doesn't balance her checkbook--am a treasurer.) There have been extra things that needed to be done along with the usual and it has added up to lots of time. And it makes me tired because I have to be organized.

So I decided to give myself a few days of much needed R&R. Saturday we went on a fall hike at a state park. Yesterday Bethany and I went to see my grandma and then did a short bit of genealogy research. Today while Bethany was at class I went back and immersed myself in the genealogy department for four hours. I could stay there all day.

One thing that I have discovered is that I am just as enthralled by the stories of other people as I am by my own ancestors. I just love the history. I love reading about their lives and tracing the migration patterns and seeing what influences canals, railroads, and roads had on the growth of towns. I guess it's the same thing that makes me always want to get off the interstate and take the back roads to see the farmhouses, barns, churches, and country schools that dot the midwestern countryside. I love these people who settled in log cabins or small frame houses and built magnificent brick edifices for God among the cornfields.

Tomorrow is a day of running with kids activities. But Thursday is a day to get back to work. More about that on Thursday.

Oh, yes. I am DREAMING

Today's Scavenger Hunt theme is dreaming. I'm dreaming of a week on the sand of Siesta Key. It's been a couple of years and I can't wait to get back. I'm pretty sure you'll find a companion picture at Bethany's blog.

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+Robert V. Beery+ 1913-2006

My grandpa, Robert Beery, went Home Sunday evening, October 15.

You can read the official obituary here, but I want to tell you about my grandpa.
The first word that comes to my mind when I think of my grandpa is strong. Although he worked in a managerial position in industry, he was very much an outdoorsman. He loved to fish. And he had a gorgeous garden and grew some of the best musk melons and tomatoes I've ever had.

I remember following him around the garden and hearing about all of the different things growing. One year I remember he was particularly excited about his strawberries. I remember many times sitting by the shed out behind their house shucking corn together. I'm sure I was kind of a pain to have around when I was a kid. I hated bugs or dirt and I think I may have been a bit whiny. But I don't remember grandpa ever saying that I couldn't tag along.

What I do remember is looking for hickory nuts and grandpa carrying his shotgun in case he saw a critter. I remember being forced to hold worms before grandpa baited my hook and realizing worms were pretty cool.

When I found Colin, Grandpa gained a checkers opponent. Not many people could actually give grandpa a game, but my brilliant engineer husband could. It wasn't until grandpa hit his late 80's--and had taught Colin most of his tricks--that Colin could beat him with any regularity.

I wrote about the 70 years of marriage that he and my grandma shared on my old blog back in January. Their life together has been a wonderful lesson for our whole family.

He was also a great-grandpa, and as you can see in the picture of him with our three oldest, not the arms-length type. One of the best parts about moving back to Indiana four and a half years ago is that my kids got to spend lots of time with my grandparents. Even in the last months when grandpa didn't always know who I was--he'd call me the woman with all the kids--he was always happy to see them. Just a couple of weeks ago as we were leaving after a visit they each got a hug and grandpa told them he loved them.

Like most men of his generation Grandpa didn't talk a lot about his faith, but it was there sure and solid and was always a visible part of his life. In these last years he's been a bit more likely to talk about it and knew his Savior and where he was going to be.

Jesus lives! The victory's won!
Death no longer can appal me;
Jesus lives! Death's reign is done!
From the grave Christ will recall me.
Brighter scenes will then commence;
This shall be my confidence.

Jesus lives! To Him the throne
High o'er heaven and earth is given.
I shall go where He is gone,
Live and reign with Him in heaven.
God is faithful. Doubtings, hence!
This shall be my confidence.

Jesus lives! For me He died,
Hence will I, to Jesus living,
Pure in heart and act abide,
Praise to Him and glory giving.
Freely God doth aid dispense;
This shall be my confidence.

Jesus lives! I know full well
Naught from me His love shall sever;
Life nor death nor powers of hell
Part me now from Christ forever.
God will be a sure Defense;
This shall be my confidence.

Jesus lives! and now is death
But the gate of life immortal;
This shall calm my trembling breath
When I pass its gloomy portal.
Faith shall cry, as fails each sense,
Jesus is my confidence!

The Lutheran Hymnal
Text: Rom. 8:11
Author: Christian F. Gellert, 1757, ab.
Translated by: Frances E. Cox, 1841, alt.
Titled: "Jesus lebt, mit ihm auch ich"
Composer: Johann Crueger, 1656
Tune: "Jesus, meine Zuversicht"

Coffee snobbery

I grew up thinking that coffee was disgusting. During my first trip to college, in the pre-coffee-shop-on-every-corner days, coffee was still disgusting. Then, one day, I had my first taste of decent coffee. It was a darker roast served in the union of my fourth college. As a mom working part-time and going to school full-time this yummy concoction soon became my best friend.

In the mid-nineties Starbucks came to a suburb near us. I was hooked. When we moved to Southern Indiana a few years later I couldn't wait for a trip to Indy for my Starbucks. Then I went to Europe and experienced Italian coffee. Oh my! That set me on a search for the closest flavor I could find to that dark richness.

Now I live in a city with a pile of Starbucks plus several good local coffee shops. (And possibly the worst coffee in most of the retaurants!) I can get great coffee without trying. I can pick my cup based on my mood and what sounds good. But it still costs money, so when I was offered three free pounds of coffee to review for my blog, I couldn't say no.

The coffees are Folgers Gourmet Selections. I was dubious about trying them because I still can barely tolerate the Folgers that is the standard at my mom's. But I decided that I would give them a try. They sent me three kinds. The first one I tried was the "Lively Columbian." This is described as a medium roast. The smell when I opened the bag cued me in on what was to come. It smelled like the coffee at McDonald's. That isn't good.

There is a characteristic that I associate with cheap coffee. It is a flavor that comes out mostly in the aftertaste that I can best describe as sour. It's an unpleasant twist on the wonderful bitterness that good coffee has. This was sour.

The second one I tried was the "Vanilla Biscotti." I've never been a fan of flavored coffees, although my mother-in-law buys good quality ones and I always enjoy those at her house. This one didn't taste vanilla as much as it tasted sweet. And it, too, had the sourness.

The last one I tried was the "Morning Cafe." This was a light roast. Surprisingly, I liked this one the best. It wasn't a coffee that I would search out or buy, but it was the only one that I didn't dump out. It was still a bit sour, but the flavor was gentler. I'm not a gentle coffee drinker, but this one, at least, didn't taste bad.

Now, if you're a Folger's drinker or like McDonald's coffee, don't take offense. And if you do like these, you'll probably love the Gourmet Selections.

Photo Printers

I'm considering buying a photo printer.

Any comments or suggestions?

Gorgeous weekend!

The weather this weekend was wonderful. Fall has always been my favorite time of year. Friday the kids and I took a final visit to the zoo before it closed for the year. Saturday Colin and I went over to church and did some work and then spent a couple of hours at Lowe's. Saturday evening Colin's parents came to Fort Wayne for a visit. They took us out for an early dinner and then we came home and had a fire in our fire pit.

The fire pit was Colin's birthday & father's day present and we have really enjoyed it. It was a bit cooler Saturday night than it was when this picture was taken so we were all snuggled in our sweatshirts and there were no bare feet in evidence.

Sunday after Divine Service--with two of my favorite hymns: Salvation Unto Us Has Come and By Grace I'm Saved--we headed for Indianapolis for my oldest nephew's wedding. It was a beautiful drive, marred only by the fact that our transmission decided that it was no longer happy properly functioning. So our van is at a transmission shop in Anderson and we are driving my sweet, wonderful stepfather's Buick. (Which he, thank goodness, isn't going to miss because they will be heading to Florida for a month in about an hour.)

We made it to the wedding. It was sweet, because they are happy, but it was sad because it was Christ-less. So pray for this sweet couple who are now on their honeymoon.

A new kitchen sink!

Yes, I know it's strange thing to be so excited about, but I got a new kitchen sink! It will still be a week or so until it's installed because we are buying the faucet on ebay to save some money, but I have the sink.

It will be wonderful to have a shiny new sink, because the old one is a particularly yucky black acrylic sink. But the best part is that this is one step closer to having our house ready to sell! The house that we liked is still available and last week I heard from the owners of another house that we are interested in that they are getting ready to sell. It is an all-brick house with a pool, a finished dormer that would be wonderful for our scrapbooking and sewing and it's just a couple of blocks from Redeemer. Plus we already like the neighbors. :)

Look who's sleeping

This is my husband in his normal pose after the meal at family get-togethers. :)

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When do they grow up?

I had a frustrating conversation this week with someone who I am acquainted with who decided that it was her turn to critique my parenting. (Socialization, protecting them, etc., etc.) I'm not even going to worry about that. I'm used to it and my kids are fine. The part of the conversation that left me feeling cranky was the part about young adults.

I was shopping for a gift for the grandchild of a friend, and said something about it being hard to believe that I was old enough to be a grandma. She was stunned! Her opinion was that with an oldest child who is 20 there is no way grandparenthood should be an option for at least 10 years. Then she said this, "You know, I think that in this society, no one is really grown up until they're almost thirty. I consider people in their twenties older teenagers and teenagers are still really children."

I said that if that was the case for many young adults it wasn't because that is how it is supposed to be, that it's been caused by society. I mentioned the young couples we know among Bethany's friends and at the seminary who have gladly taken on the responsibilities of adult life.

In her opinion they are missing out on the chance to "have fun." They aren't going to have as much materially. And they don't really know who they are, so they will probably end up divorced. (The concept of growing together and staying married no matter what is "old-fashioned.")

I also found it interesting that in her opinion teens are kids and should have fun and not have to take life too seriously, and yet she considers them "grown up" enough to go away for weekends at the lakes as couples. Something's backward when her 17 year old is going to Chicago with a group of girls and guys for a weekend in a hotel, but her 21 year old brings his laundry to mom and lives in a pig sty because she didn't teach him to clean. Her 25 year old has his second live-in girlfriend, but isn't ready for marriage yet.

I see the teens as years for training our kids for adult life. It is a time for academic learning and for learning useful skills like how to do laundry and how to fix a leaky pipe. It is a time for learning how to be a useful, pleasant, productive member of society. They are young adults in their late teens. They are physically ready for marriage and responsibility. It is our job as parents to help them to be mentally and siritually prepared as well.

And no, this doesn't mean I think 18 year olds should skip college and line up to be married. I have a single 20 year old who is all academics. But if she met someone wonderful tomorrow and decided to get married in a few months, I would be all for it. And I do think they're much better off getting married young and growing together than practicing the "serial monogamy" that has become so common in our society and is so dangerous for the heart, body, and soul.

There's another post brewing in here about protecting daughters. It will show up soon.

Who will it be?

Bethany and I really only have one must-see TV show. (Okay, two now that Lost is back...and 24 in January...but I digress.)

We have become totally hooked on Project Runway. We watched the first season completely in re-runs. Last season we really watched it. And this season we've tivo'd it and even visited the website for the show. Because it ran all summer it is reaching the finale just as the fall season is starting.

I was really pleased that they had four designers in the finals, instead of the expected three. It had come down to our three favorites and Jeffrey, who is not a favorite (The tatoos!). We're pulling for Michael Knight, because he strikes us as the best all around designer, although I think Laura makes lovely elegant clothes.

Getting Comfy

The theme for this week is comfy.

My pictures were all taken at one of the Indianapolis Symphony's Symphony on the Prairie performances this summer. After we all eat fried chicken, as the music starts, one by one the family members stretch out on the blankets and get comfy.

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Magpie Redux

For those of you who didn't have the pleasure of reading it in its original form, the Motley Magpie is back, this time on the web. My two older children and I often read portions of each quarterly issue out loud because the truth and humor of what was written had to be shared.

As a result of this needing to share, I have loaned out or given away almost every issue that I had, so I will be very glad to see them on the web.

HT: Cyberstones

The Litany

My friend Susan wrote a great post yesterday on the Litany. This prayer is another of the many rich and wonderful parts of my Lutheran heritage that I was not introduced to until we began attending our last church about six years ago. As usual, Susan pushes me to think more about why a particular prayer or hymn says what it does.


Go read.

The theme today is eyes. I probably could have done better, but it's a busy weekend!
This is Andrew, protecting his eyes. :)

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Testing, Testing

The kids in the schools around town are in the middle of the ISTEP tests. These are statewide standardized tests, administered in the fall. They are expensive, of questionable worth, and a source of ongoing controversy. Yet, as is the case each fall there have been calls for homeschoolers to have to take part in the testing.

In honor of this fall ritual, I am resurrecting an item from my old blog:

There have been several public calls recently to increase the regulation of homeschoolers in the state of Indiana. The idea mentioned most often is some sort of standardized testing.

Often, to those who don't homeschool, this is a common-sense suggestion. They figure that tests will surely show us who is doing a good job and who is not. An often heard statement is, "You would welcome testing unless you have something to hide."

This shows a fundamental lack of comprehension about how and why many parents homeschool. Some homeschool because they disagree with what is taught in government schools. Some do it because they would rather have the flexibility to pursue learning in a manner--and an order--that works best for their child. Some do not believe that government schools are rigorous enough, and pursue more demanding courses of study. And some delay much formal academic work until age 10 or so as advocated by homeschool pioneers Raymond and Dorothy Moore.

Many different homeschool styles are not compatible with standardized testing. Those who pursue a classical education model often are not on the same timetable as the schools. Many homeschool families choose to do more in depth study of a couple of subjects for a year, rather than a broad overview. In our own family part of the reason we started homeschooling was our recognition--without a standardized test--that our son needed something different than the standard classroom experience. Trying to teach to a test would have derailed us completely.

Then, too, there are the practical questions. Where would the money come from? What would happen if the kids don't pass? It seems kind of laughable that a government which cannot ensure the success of the kids that it is responsible for would try to usurp the responsibility of parents, who have a far greater interest in the success of their own children.

And we won't even go into the dubious reliability of standardized testing.

+Dr. Kurt Marquart+

Dr. Kurt Marquart went to his eternal home early yesterday morning.

Although I did not know Dr. Marquart well, I will miss his gentle presence at church, and we will all miss his influence on our synod and our future pastors. There are posts all over the Lutheran blogosphere from yesterday and today remembering him better than I am able to, but his passing is significant and I could not ignore it.

Photo Hunt: Looking Up

This is an old picture, but one of my favorites. Our daughter is twenty now and mt husband hasn't had this much hair for years!

The theme is "Looking Up."

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Not what I expected

Last night I attended a lecture with my daughter. It was part of the Omnibus Lecture Series at IPFW, where she goes to school. She could earn extra credit for attending and since she wanted company, I went along. The speaker was Azar Nafisi, the author of Reading Lolita in Tehran. I was not particularly excited because I hadn't read the book, and am feeling overdosed on politics .

It was excellent. It was not overtly political. It was about literature, and the power of books, and having the kind of respect for other cultures that leads us to say, "Wait. What you are doing is wrong," when we see evils like slavery and the beheading of women. She argues that attitudes that in the environment of political correctness pass for respect are really condecension, because societies are seen as so inferior that they can't help what they're doing.

She talked about the trivializing of news in our society that puts baby Suri at the same level of new coverage importance as suicide bombings and about the oversimplification of much of the information we receive, such as calling such a large part of the Middle East and Eastern Europe "The Muslim World." (Which, as she pointed out, plays into the hands of the militant Islamists who want that to be the case.)

She talked about Jane Austen, but I'll let Bethany tell you about that.

If you have the opportunity to hear Dr. Nafisi, go. She mixed humor with talk of literature and stories about life during the Islamic Revolution in Iran. It was entertaining and informative.

Now I need to read the book.


Iran
books
Azar Nafisi
IPFW

She's got the bug

As if it's not exciting enough that she's writing on the MouthHouse Moms blog, my friend Susan now has her own blog. I think you'll all soon see why I've been trying to convince her to join the blogosphere. So check out Susan's Pendulum.

Blogging notes

I didn't write yesterday because I felt that I couldn't write about anything other than September 11, but didn't have anything to say about it that someone else hadn't said better. In the next couple of days I may have a post or two that are provoked by things that I've been reading and hearing the past couple of days.

There is a new blog that I am excited about, and not because I'm one of the bloggers. My friend Susan, who I've been badgering for ages, is finally blogging along with a team of highly-trained experts--uh, no that's not it--oh yeah, really cool moms! So visit the MouthHouse Moms.

There really is a difference

I have had several homeschooling posts jumping around in my head lately. Several are half-written. Fellow Lutheran homeschooling mom Barb Frank has just taken the words for one of them right out of my mouth. Go read.

The theme today is FOOD. Since this is one of my favorite things, I couldn't use just one picture.
The first one is my first pick. I took it yesterday on our fun trip into the country. Real food eating what it was created to eat. I chose the second one because I think it's a fun picture. Kettle corn--yum!

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Adventures in the country

Bethany and I went on a long-planned trip into the country today. There is an old road, finished in 1833, that runs between Fort Wayne and the town where I was born that has some really pretty spots and some great old buildings. It is becoming suburbanized in spots and we wanted to capture some of the sights before they are homogenized.

After that we headed out into the country in another direction on a couple of other missions. I wanted to get pictures of a couple of old tombstones and check on a couple of things in an old cemetary where a number of my ancestors are buried. Bethany enjoys the cemetaries, too, so we got really absorbed in what we were doing.

Next thing we knew we were being cornered by a vicious...


Boston Terrier. We were chased from the cemetary and out the gate by a PACK of them. (Sounds pretty dramatic, huh? Really, I think it was a family who wanted to play, but I wasn't taking any chances.) Pretty soon they forgot about us and we went back home, but it was very amusing.

Insomniac posting

For some reason sleep is not coming right now, so I'm going to do this long, pointless, yet nonetheless interesting meme that my friend Jen posted. Those that are bolded are the ones that I've done.

1. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
2. Swam with wild dolphins
3. Climbed a mountain
4. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
5. Been inside the Great Pyramid
6. Held a tarantula
7. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
8. Said "I love you" and meant it
9. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby's diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was shit faced
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger's table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your CDs
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Posed nude in front of strangers
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an expert
83. Got flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Eaten fugu (pufferfish)
89. Had a one-night stand
90. Gone to Thailand
91. Bought a house
92. Been in a combat zone
93. Buried one/both of your parents
94. Been on a cruise ship
95. Spoken more than one language fluently - not quite, but close
96. Performed in Rocky Horror Picture Show
97. Raised children
98. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn't stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn't have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication.
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Petted a stingray
110. Broken someone's heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Petted a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad and The Odyssey
135. Selected one important author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146. Dyed your hair
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head
149. Caused a car accident
150. Saved someone's life

I would love to see results from any of my friends. You all know who you are. :)

Happy Birthday Sunshine!

Twenty years ago today our firstborn made her appearance. It was love at first sight!
We had a rough first few months because of colic, but that was the hardest it got. We have been blessed with a wonderful, smart, sweet, loving daughter who has grown into a lovely young woman.

Here she is at four in one of her favorite dresses, at ten with her brothers, at 13 with her braces, and now with her friends. Happy Birthday Bethany!

My mind is swirling

I now have five draft posts partially written. There are just too many things I want to blog about that take some real thought. I am hoping to get at least one of them up later tonight, but for now I need to get back to work.

Soon.

To hunt no more...

Steve Irwin, the Crocodile Hunter, much beloved by the males in this house, died today after being struck by a stingray barb.

According to anything I've ever read, the father of two never felt that he was in danger from the wild animals that he worked with. I watched his shows with the boys for a long time, but quit after he took his very young son into an enclosure with crocodiles.

Now I'll be subjected to strange Aussie accent parodies and ejaculations of "Snakes" and "Crikey" all day.

Theme: On the Road

Grab the Scavenger Hunt code. Photo Theme. Join the blogroll. Visit participants.

This wasn't the picture that I originally had in mind. Unfortunately that picture has never been scanned into the computer. I think this one fits, however, since Andrew is flying his kite "On the Road."

Back to school?

This is the first year that we are really having an official start date for our home school. But this is going to be a different school year all around. One of the many great things about homeschooling is that it can change with the needs of our children, so our homeschooling style is undergoing a tremendous shift to meet the needs of my younger two.

The boys are excited about the things they're going to study this year. I'm nervous about trying to be more structured. We'll see if I survive!

I'm going to be moving my homeschooling blog shortly and am anticipating that it will be quite busy when we get started next week.

While We're Talking Rock & Roll

The Veteran You scored 86%!

You've picked up the majority of the classic rock basics. You probably have a classic rock collection and can sing along with most of the songs on your local radio station. This is not the highest score, but it is arguably the best: that subtle combination of impressive knowledge and not being a pretentious geek.

My test tracked 1 variable How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 99% on notes

Link: The BASIC classic rock Test written by allmydays on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the 32-Type Dating Test

This was fun. I was surprised by how much I knew.

HT: Theophilus' Inferno

I Love Rock 'n' Roll

Your Taste in Music:

80's Rock: High Influence Classic Rock: High Influence Country: High Influence 90's Alternative: Medium Influence Hair Bands: Medium Influence

How's Your Taste in Music?

I would have liked to see more choices and I wish I could have weighted bands. (For example, Rush would get five stars. :) ) That said, I'd say it's pretty accurate, although the country is a relatively new-found love.

HT: QuipSpot, Territorial Bloggings

Book tag

I have been tagged by Not Worthy for the book meme that has been making the rounds. My books are a bit different than those of my friends who have posted this so far.

1. One book that changed your life:
The natural inclination is to say The Bible or something equally pious. To be sure, The Bible has had a profound impact on my life, but strangely enough I think that the book that changed my life was The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder. This is the book that fired my love of history and sent me to the library--pre-internet--to research where exactly LIW lived and what the weather was like and what late 19th century life was like. So I ended up with a commercially useless history major and a life as a homeschooling mom.

2. One book you've read more than once:
As anyone who reads my blog regularly knows, I read ...And Ladies of the Club once a year. There are many others, of course. But this is the first that comes to mind.

3. One book you'd want on a desert island: The Lutheran Hymnal


4. One book that made you laugh:
Life With Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse

5. One book that made you cry:
Again, there are many.
Little Women

6. One book that you wish had been written:
Secrets of Millionaire Historians

7. One book that you wish had never been written:
New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures
(the Jehovah's Witness "translation" of the Bible)

8. One book you're currently reading:
Looking for God in Harry Potter

9. One book you've been meaning to read:
There are so many. The Brothers Karamazov. Bethany says it is so good. I hated Crime and Punishment when I read it in high school.

Not Worthy added:
10. Scariest book you've ever read:
Cujo by Stephen King
I Was a 19 year-old college freshman and couldn't sleep for weeks.
Now it probably wouldn't scare me nearly as much as the book Bethany is going to pick when I tag her did.

Hmmmmm.....I need to tag eight people (trying to find those who haven't yet answered/been tagged:

Let's see, I tag Bethany, Bean, The Quipper (assuming he reads in addition to making music), Rachel, Jen, and Jacqui & Choan who can answer in my comments.

I hate shots

Bethany and I have to go get a shot tomorrow afternoon. An employee at our local Pizza Hut was diagnosed with Hepatitis A. We had pizza delivered at 10:00 on the last night that the person was working. We were hoping that since it was delivered we might not be in danger of exposure, but we could be. So to be safe, we're having the shots.


I hate shots.

UPDATE: We got the shots. Mine didn't hurt at all. We went to Olive Garden after so that Bethany could have some sustenance before she went back to class.

Knitting

I finally managed to teach myself the basics of knitting. It was too late for all of my travels this summer, but it has proved to be a good activity while sitting around enjoying the company of friends.

I am about halfway through a scarf for my 10-year-old son. After that I have yarn for more scarves. I'll post a picture of it as soon as it's done. Until then check out Bethany's first "real" project, a baby blanket for Presbytera's grandbaby.

Photo Scavenger Hunt

I've wanted to try this for a while, but since I was gone so much this summer, I decided to wait.

So, here's my first contribution. The theme is "Blue."

Grab the Scavenger Hunt code. Photo Theme. Join the blogroll. Visit participants.

(This was taken in Long Beach, California.)

The shoes, for real

First, I've gotta say that I am soooo glad Macy's bought out L.S. Ayres. Ayres was always crammed full of stuff, so that it was hard to find what you wanted. Now that Macy's has taken over the store is much more open and cleaner feeling, and yet--even with more open space--there seems to be more to choose from.

So, the first pair of shoes is a brand carried only by Macy's: Marc Fisher.

The second pair is AK, and although they look impractical I have already worn them several times. And since blogger has suddenly stopped uploading my pictures, here's a link to the shoe. (Ooooh, lots of views.)

I'll have to post later about my comfy shoes, since Blogger is being buggy this morning.

This book is hilarious

At any given time I have six or seven books going. I'm usually reading one business-related book, one book on some aspect of politics or economics, one theology book, one book on time management/organization or something else hopeless, one book on wellness, and often a biography or memoir and a fairly serious work of fiction. But no matter what else I'm reading I always have at least one light book going. This is the quick read. This is the fun book that I throw in my purse to spend a few minutes with when I have to wait for a train. This is the one I read while I do my hair.

The last, best of these was Bitter is the New Black. I laughed out loud. I read bits out loud to my daughter. I loaned it to my friend Lori. It is hilarious. I think that the best way to know if this book would appeal to you is to read the title and subtitle. Do you get it? Do you know Prada? Does any of it in any (unfortunate) way remind you of yourself? If the answers are yes, read it. If not, don't.

Just for fun

I love this picture that Bethany took of Patrick looking like a hobbit. I'm missing my boys so I had to look atsome pictures.

Girl Time

Bethany and I have been engaging in lots of girl time. We've been able to do this because all of the males in our household are fishing in Canada.

We've shopped and lunched. We've watched girly movies and knitted. (Yes, I am teaching myself to knit.) Yesterday we went out for coffee with Triplets One and Two and out for lunch with T2 and her mother. Tomorrow we're going to a special exhibit at the Lincoln museum on weddings in history.

Later this week we're heading to Ohio for a baby shower for Triplet One and we'll get to have some more good girl time with some friends.

I have to admit, I am missing my boys. But they'll be back before I know it.

The Shoes

I was told today that it is not too late to post about the shoes. Both pairs got a good breaking in during my trip to Salt Lake City. (Which was incredible.)

Sometime I will probably blog about them, but my photographer isn't happy with the shots she got of them so they may have to have another sitting.

Tomorrow (today, whatever) I may get back to trying to blog on a regular basis.

On the road again...

Well, I ran out of time on the shoe post. I'll have to do it when I get back.

I'm heading to Salt Lake City for my business's annual convention. It will be the second time that I have been to a convention there, and next to Minneapolis it's my favorite place to go for an event like this. I get to stay with my friend Lori in a very nice hotel. I stayed there last time and it was quite comfortable.

I leave Indy at 6:00 am tomorrow, which means I need to leave my mom's about 3:00, so I may check out the comfy bed as soon as I check in tomorrow.

If I get a chance, I'll blog while I'm gone, but it isn't likely!

Sometimes it's scary

Today while I was driving home from shopping with my friend Jacqui, I was mulling over what I could put on my blog today. Since I'm busy shopping and packing for an out-of-town trip I thought, "I'm just going to be frivolous and blog about my new shoes."

When I got home I ran upstairs to see Bethany, and she was blogging. I couldn't believe my eyes.

So, anyway, I'm still going to blog about my new shoes.

Read this comment

I don't think I've ever linked directly to a comment on someone else's blog, but Rebecca's comment on Cyberstones begs to be linked to. (The original post was really good, too.)

The great outdoors

What a great trip!

I was not looking forward all that much to accompanying our youth to Turkey Run this week. Not because I didn't want to be with them, but I am still having trouble with my cartwheeling injury--torn ligament at the top of my hamstring--so I really couldn't hike or ride horses. I probably could have canoed, but I didn't want to take a chance since a canoeing accident was the cause of my first ankle injury over 30 years ago. I don't particularly like bugs, dirt, or being hot and sweaty, especially if I'm not doing anything fun while encountering them.

On top of that, I was doing the meals for 30+ people, which in itself is no big deal, but I haven't cooked over a fire since my girl scout days, and that was just cooking my own. I was really worried that everyone would either starve or get food poisoning.
And then of course there were all of the tasks calling my name at home.

But I had a fantastic time. We had matins in the mornings and had vespers in the afternoon/evening. We were blessed with preaching by three different pastors and some very interesting Bible study. Thursday evening the moms played Mexican train dominos, joined by Bethany and Thomas, and we had a great time. Pastor Fickel kept a running commentary while he was around and had me laughing so hard that I was crying. (By the way--if you know him--tell him he needs a blog.) Spending time with friends makes the bugs and dirt worthwhile. And cooking for everyone over the fire was awesome. I love to feed people, and it's amazing how good food cooked in a huge cast-iron skillet over a fire tastes!

I was so proud of all of our kids. From the youngest to the oldest they were cooperative, pleasant to be around, helpful, and polite. Deedle has a bit about it here, plus some more pictures.

I love it that this was a multi-age trip. Homeschooling has made us very aware of the way that people are segregated by age in our society. There is as much benefit to the teen who helps the six year old follow along in the hymnal, play in the pool, or make a rugged hike as there is to the younger child.



We're already talking about next summer.

For your reading pleasure

I am leaving again in the morning and will be computerless until Friday evening. We're going to Turkey Run Sate park for a youth trip. There will be lots of fun, a Bible study on Law & Gospel with the three pastors that are going, and Matins & Vespers each day.

While I'm gone, Cyberstones has a great post that you should read if you haven't yet.

Home Education Magazine Interview

A couple of months ago several of us from the Indiana Home Educators Network did an online interview with a writer from Home Education Magazine. It is now posted here.

Online connections have been the vast majority of my homeschooling support, and I'm happy to be a part of providing a place for others to connect.

homeschooling
homeschool support
Indiana

Spinning my wheels

I don't feel like I'm making much progress right now. I have so many things that I need to be doing and none of them are getting the attention that they deserve. I'm trying to get our house ready to sell before someone buys the house we want. I'm trying to spend some time on my business so that we can afford to fix up that house if we buy it. The new school year is coming and I am making some changes in our homeschooling routine, but I haven't planned out exactly what those are. (I just know that my boys aren't going to know what hit them!)

I'm trying to learn how to knit before my company's convention and the hours that I'll spend on the airplane and in sessions listening to speakers. (I listen better if my hands are engaged.) HELP me Lora!!

Yes, The Feast consumed a chunk of time and it's over so I should have that time back. Unfortunately, instead my mind just keeps mulling over Higher Things-related thoughts. (This may be a later blog entry.) Our youth are going on a camping trip this week for three days and I'm in charge of the food. I am a total non-camper, so this is a challenge, but it's cooking, so I'm happy to learn.

I need to just stop worrying about making much progress until I get back from all of my trips, but I'm not a patient person and I want everything done yesterday.

Why it matters

Father Hollywood has an excellent post about diversity of worship styles in our congregations. This is followed up by another post about true diversity.

This is part of the reason why what is happening at The Feast is so important.

church
worship
Lutheran
The Feast
diversity

Hot time in Colorado Springs

I want to capture the high points of The Feast from my point of view which is a bit skewed for several reasons. First, I was on the planning committee, so my view in many ways is effected by the months of preparation and the fact that as it started up I was still in work mode. Second, I attended this conference without youth, something I hope never to do again. And third, and probably most significant, I had to leave early so I only saw the pre-conference happenings and the first day, leaving at noon on the second day.

For those who are reading this who may not be familiar with Higher Things, it is unlike any other "youth ministry" organization that I have ever seen. (I place youth ministry in quotation marks, because I believe that it is generally seen as too distinct from the rest of the life of the congregation.) The focus is not on entertainment, although we do have fun. The conferences mix serious catechesis, reverent liturgical worship, and just plain fun. Each of these is kept distinct; you won't see anyone tossing beach balls at a Higher Things worship service.

If there is any doubt that this is something that teens want, the overflowing conference registration, the long waiting list, and the split into two conference sites for next summer should dispel any doubts.

As I write this the final in-depth sectionals are winding up. In two hours everyone will gather for the final Divine Service. If you have never had the privilege of singing wonderful hymns in the company of 1200+ Lutherans--mostly youth--you are really missing out. They will sing the conference hymn, Christ Jesus Lay in Death's Strong Bands, one final time. They will share in the feast of Holy Communion.

Then they will return home, catechized, and--we hope--refreshed by The Feast.

And in this mountain
The Lord of hosts will make for all people
A feast of choice pieces,
A feast of wines on the lees,
Of fat things full of marrow,
Of well-refined wines on the lees.
Isaiah 25:6


Oh, by the way, it does get that hot in Colorado Springs in July!

Higher Things
The Feast
Lutheran
Youth

Woe is me!

I just spent an hour writing a post--with many links--about my trip to Colorado and The Feast.

My browser then froze up when I visited the synod's youth ministry page and I lost everything. I think I'll take that as a sign.

I may try to recreate it later.




Higher Things
The Feast
youth
Lutheran

Yes, I've been absent

When I found out that some people actually noticed that I was gone, I decided that I'd better come back.

Really, life just got really out-of-control busy for a couple of weeks. Explanation to come.

Truncated celebration

Unfortunately our trip to the symphony was cut short by the threat of storms, which, as expected, never materialized. We got to hear some of our favorites: Theme from Gettysburg, which always gives me goosebumps, (scroll down to listen,) and the 1812 Overture, but we didn't get to recognize those who have served in the armed forces in Aaron Copland's Servicemen on Parade. We have always loved watching as the members of each branch of service stood while their song was being played and received the grateful ovation of a Red State audience.

We can't complain. We have been blessed by good weather. Before last night we made it 19 years without a storm and only had sprinkles twice.

Hooray for the red, white, & blue

I love the fourth of July. In fact, I love the whole weekend.

Today we'll be doing yard work. We need to make tracks to get this house ready to sell!

Tomorrow is the really exciting day. After church we'll come home, load up the van, and head for Conner Prairie Farm. We'll be among the first two or three groups waiting at the gate when they open for the Indianapolis Symphony's Patriotic Pops Concert. This is our longest standing family tradition. We have attended every summer since 1986 with only one exception in 1990 when I was eight months pregnant and 400 miles away.

My mom will bring her fried chicken and we'll spread out across the blankets in the perfect spot that Colin and I and our kids arrived ahead of the crowd to stake out. We'll feast on fried chicken, bing cherries and grapes, cheese and crackers, veggies, cookies and brownies, and if we're lucky, my sister-in-law Kim's chocolate covered strawberries. And we'll drink plenty of wine.

When the music starts even my three year old twin nephews and two and five year old nieces will be completely absorbed. In fact, many years our little children behave better during the music than many of the adults surrounding us. Because the program varies little from year to year we can all look forward to certain favorites. Symphony on the Prairie is certainly a highlight of our summer!

Another highlight happens Tuesday when we head to Colin's parents. Sean and Anne will be making their annual visit from Australia. We all look forward to their visit tremendously, and it's always too short.

I wish I was in New York

It's not often that I have a desire to visit New York City. Some day I would like to go see a musical on Broadway, but, having been to NYC once, I don't have a burning desire to return.

I would, however, love to be there Monday to protest the New York Times. Michelle Malkin has the details, as well as some cool poster ideas.

A local talk radio host read an article on his show yesterday written in the New York Times on September 24, 2001, calling for the Bush administration to track down terrorist financing. As often happens, the mainstream media counts on us having short memories. (Can anyone say WMDs?)



terrorism
politics
New York Times

Woo-Hoo!

I finally got to do my long-anticipated weigh and measure this morning. Even though I haven't changed the way I'm eating and I missed a whole week of workouts because of my hip, I still had really good results.

I have lost 4 pounds. I have lost an inch from my abdomen and an inch from my hips. I hace lost 3/4 inch from each thigh. My arms are the same, but I can see the muscles in them now when I do things. Most exciting of all was that my body fat dropped by over 2% of my total body weight. I lost the equivalent of almost five pounds of fat! The manager at Curves said, "Wow! That is great! What are you doing?"

I am using my fat conversion activity bars. They rock.
(If you want to know about these lovely bars, email me.)

weight loss
health & wellness

Mmmmm, chocolate

One of my favorite chocolate companies has a page on their website listing the health benefits of chocolate. I knew some of them, but not all. Take a look at the list and then go get yourself a nice bite of cholesterol-lowering, cancer-fighting, endorphin-producing chocolate.

You know, maybe if everyone just ate some chocolate a few minutes before they got in their cars, rush hour would be a much less stressful experience.


chocolate
health and wellness

That's my girl

I'm often quite proud of my daughter, usually for good reason.

Here's today's reason.

Still limping along

I limped my way through a busy and exciting weekend.

We have found a house that we are very interested in buying. Unfortunately ours is not ready for the market, so we are working really fast to get it ready. One good thing is that the house needs lots of work, so maybe it will not sell too quickly. (This isn't a great picture. It is much nicer looking in person.)

Unfortunately, I am not very useful in the clean-up department right now. Lots of directing, but not much action. It hurts a bit to walk, but it really hurts to bend over.

Saturday night we went down to Greek Fest. It was quite enjoyable, but there was a big disappointment. We didn't arrive until almost 8:00 p.m. on the last night and they were all out of octopus, which Andrew looks forward to all year. He had to make do with spanakopita, a gyro, and dolmades.

We returned home to a phone message from our favorite former pastor's family saying that they were going to be on their way through on Sunday, would we be home? Fortunately, they managed to hit our only free weekend all summer. It was so great to visit with them! We had burgers on the grill and sat around and talked until well into the evening.

Today it's back to work all the way around. We're working on the house. Colin's at work and I'm trying to balance my desire to get the house ready with my need to generate more income. It's always a challenge when I'm my own boss to keep pushing forward, because I am not highly money-motivated.

Cool nutrition website

A friends on one of my email lists sent the link to this site and I've just spent about an hour playing with it. It has nutrition facts for all kinds of food in a searchable database. It has a tool that you can use to analyze your recipes. Like any other nutritional/diet site I'll take some of te advice with a grain or two of salt, but it is really cool to be able to do the nutritional anaysis.

It also had a plug-in for my Firefox. (If you aren't using Firefox you're missing out!)

nutrition
Firefox