Little Man's Little Blog

Clovis Loves Bags

2012-02-11T16:46:00.003-05:00

This tote bag was hanging on the back of the kitchen chair and Clovis managed to get himself into it without it falling off the chair or tipping the chair over.

What Perseverance Looks Like - 2011

2012-01-23T17:47:00.001-05:00

O Jesus, Friend Unfailing

2012-01-22T07:45:00.009-05:00

O JESUS, Friend unfailing,
How dear art Thou to me!
Are cares or fears assailing?
I find my strength in Thee!
Why should my feet grow weary
Of this my pilgrim way?
Rough though the path and dreary,
It ends in perfect day!

What fills my soul with gladness?
'Tis Thine abounding grace!
Where can I look in sadness,
But, Jesus, on Thy face?
My all is Thy providing ---
Thy love can ne'er grow cold;
In Thee, my Refuge, hiding ---
No good wilt Thou withhold.

Why should I droop in sorrow?
Thou'rt ever by my side!
Why, trembling, dread the morrow?
What ill can e'er betide?
If I my cross have taken,
'Tis but to follow Thee;
If scorned, despised, forsaken,
Nought severs Thee from me.

For every tribulation,
For every sore distress,
In Christ I've full salvation,
Sure help and quiet rest.
No fear of foes prevailing,
I triumph, Lord, in Thee!
O Jesus, Friend unfailing,
How dear art Thou to me!

Written originally in German by Samuel Christian Gottfried Kuster (1762 to 1838), translated by Miss Hannah K. Burlingham (1842-1901) on June 13th, 1865, when she was only 23 years old! Moya Brennan has a version of this that is on a CD called Focusfest 2001 - The Sound of Grace. The tune she uses is a traditional Irish tune called "The Dawning of the Day". (This tune was popularized by a group called The Dubliners on a song called "Raglan Road".

You can have a listen here. Check the tabs at the top of the site to find the page.

Happy New Year!!! Welcome 2012

2012-01-02T15:34:00.003-05:00

Here are the darlings - ready for a new year!

Christmas Day 2011

2011-12-25T07:14:00.002-05:00

Emmanuel - God with us!

GOD with us.

God WITH us.

God with US!

No matter how you look at it, Emmanuel is mind-boggling but soul-blessing truth.

Merry Christmas!

There's a Promise Coming Down That Dusty Road

2011-11-27T07:50:00.000-05:00

Here's a song based on the story of Jairus' daughter.

A hand of fear gripped the crowd
That day at Jairus' home
When the doctor shook his head
and said she's gone
You could feel that mother's heart break
You could hear them cry and mourn
Their little girl was only twelve years old

Somewhere in the distance
Outlined against the sun
There came a Man on a mission
From the throne
They said "look somebody's coming"
But what they did not know
It was their Promise coming down
that dusty road

Chorus:
There's a Promise coming down that dusty road
From His holy hand healing virtue flows
He's got the keys to what you need
Death and hell He will defeat
There's a Promise coming down that dusty road

The wonder turned to mocking
When Jesus did speak
'Cause He said your daughter's not dead
She's just asleep
Then He turned to the unbelievers
And He told them all "go home"
They heard Him say
"Leave Me and death alone."

And then He laid His hand upon the child
And He looked death right in the eye
He said, "All power in Heaven
and earth it belongs to me"
And with a voice that sounds like thunder
He hurled death and hell He will defeat
Oh there's a promise coming down your dusty road

Aldi's Convert

2011-11-24T17:53:00.001-05:00

I have dabbled with shopping at Aldi's over the years. After doing the bulk of my Thanksgiving shopping at Aldi's, I'm a full-fledged convert! There aren't a zillion choices,which cuts down on decision making. For most items it is take it or leave it!

Here are some of the bargains:

Butterball Turkey - $.99/lb.
Butter - $1.99/lb.
Ocean Spray Cranberries - $.99/bag (it was $2/bag at Wegman's)
Cream Cheese - $.89/8 oz. package
Choceur Truffles - $2.49/bag (treat for the cook! compare to Lindt - yum!)

So far, all the food items we have tried have been a good quality. About the only thing I've ever purchased that I wouldn't bother with again was the dish soap. It was wimpy. I really like the Lacura lip balm, lipstick and face powder.

So, bring a quarter for the shopping cart and put your tote bags in the car and prepare to save some $$$.

Thanksgiving Thought

2011-11-24T05:28:00.001-05:00

Here's a great quote from Nancy Leigh DeMoss: "You can worship or whine, but you can't do both at the same time"!

Praise God, from Whom ALL blessings flow!!!

Vegetable Broth

2011-11-23T19:34:00.000-05:00

Last night we made vegetable broth using the recipe from Brother Victor-Antoine's book "Twelve Months of Monastery Soups". Yum!

Our Brining Experiment

2011-11-22T17:40:00.001-05:00

Last week Little Man's Father and I watched "Romancing the Bird" on Food Network. If you google it, you will come up with several youtube versions. It was an hour long show by Alton Brown that focused on cooking the perfect turkey by brining it first. We decided to do a test run, so I bought a 10 lb. bird Saturday and we brined it Sunday AM and cooked it Sunday afternoon. Our verdict...YUM!!! It was moist and totally delicious!

Here's the link: Romancing the Bird.

Bottom of the Barrel

2011-11-15T09:06:00.004-05:00

This is the song that actually inspired my idea to do a series about songs based on Bible stories. This song is based on the story about the Widow of Zarapheth and also makes reference to a passage in Habakkuk. This song also appears on the CD "Wonderful Story" by the Greenes.

Bottom of the Barrel - Mike Sage

A poor little widow, fearful and sick
Was busy gathering a bundle of sticks
She decided the next meal was the last one she'd ever fix
Then along came old Elijah saying don't be afraid
Just go and do what you hear the Lord say
Seeing your faith, surely He will make a way.

So she poured all the oil out of the cruse
And the last ounce of flour from the barrel she scooped
And made a cake for the prophet, herself, and her little son too.
The flour from the barrel never ran short
And the oil from the cruse continued to pour
Beyond the bottom of her barrel
She reached into the top of the Lord's.

Chorus:

At the bottom of the barrel God will provide
Every need He shall supply.
When all that we have ends
That's when all the He has begins
There's nothing but a miracle
At the bottom of the barrel.

There are times here in this life
When everything's wrong and nothing seems right
But we walk by faith, we don't walk by sight
And when there are no cattle out in the stall
And the grapes from the vine fall
Remember God will take care of it all.

Chorus:

At the bottom of the barrel God will provide
Every need He shall supply.
When all that we have ends
That's when all the He has begins
There's nothing but a miracle
At the bottom of the barrel.

Habakkuk 3:17 - 19 - Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. God, the Lord, is my strength; He makes my feet like the deer's; He makes me tread on my high places.

The Unexpected Cross

2011-11-14T19:54:00.003-05:00

I love songs that take a Bible story and then make a personal application with it. Southern Gospel music has a lot of great examples. Today's song, based on the story of Simon of Cyrene, is from a CD called "Wonderful Story" by the Greenes, copyright 1999.

The Unexpected Cross - Marcia Henry

Traveling through Jerusalem, Simon of Cyrene
Came upon the Crucifixion of the innocent Nazarene
The Soldiers shouted orders, gave Simon’s heart a chill
Then he took the cross for Jesus, carried it up the hill

[Chorus:]
The unexpected Cross, is always hard to bear
But there’s glory in the suffering, Triumph in despair
For Christ is our example, and the crown is worth the cost
Lord, help me to bear faithfully, the unexpected cross

Along the road to heaven, crosses lie unseen
A crisis for the moment, to keep the spirit keen
As Jesus gives the orders help to sacrifice the will
Take up the cross and follow, the victory on the hill

Brick Path

2011-10-30T12:10:00.009-04:00

Hooray! Another project completed! Here are some before and after pictures:

Tomato Pie (Original and Low Carb Versions)

2011-10-08T15:31:00.005-04:00

Tomato Pie has been a family favorite since my sister brought the recipe back from her summer working at an Adirondack Camp. Today I tried an almond crust with it to make it low carb. I did not cook the crust all the way before adding the tomatoes and next time I will, but overall, it worked. In the past I have also used a low-carb baking mix with some success.

Tomato Pie

Use a 10” pie pan – lightly greased

2 cups bisquick (or comparable substitute – see biscuit recipe below)
2/3 cups milk
Mix together and pat into the bottom of the pie pan.

Cover with sliced, unpeeled tomatoes. Sprinkle with chives and basil.

Mix together:

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup mayonnaise

Spread on top.

Bake at 400o until golden brown, approximately 30 minutes.

Note: 9 x 12 pan made by doubling recipe.

Biscuit recipe:

2 cups flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
¼ cup shortening
¾ cup milk

Mix the dry ingredients together. Cut in shortening. Stir in milk.

Almond Parmesan Crust (from 500 More Low-Carb Recipes by Dana Carpender)

1 1/3 cups almonds
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
4 tbsp melted butter
1 tbsp water (optional - I forgot to add it and the crust was fine.)

Grind almonds in a food processor until they are the texture of cornmeal. Add the cheese & pulse to combine. Add the butter & water and process until it forms a ball.

Pat into a greased 10" pie pan. Bake at 350 for 10 - 12 minutes.

It's a Hard Knock Life

2011-10-08T15:28:00.006-04:00

Turkeys!

2011-10-08T07:42:00.006-04:00

A while back I was fetching the newspaper and I heard a funny sound. I looked across the street and there were two ENORMOUS turkeys looking back at me! They are our neighbor's newest pets and they love to chat. He lets them run loose, so one morning when they were in the field right across from our house I took their picture.

Then last week, I looked out the kitchen window to see SIX wild turkeys heading up the driveway! We think maybe they were attracted to our area by the gobbling of the domestic turkeys.

Have Faith, Be Faithful

2011-09-29T05:48:00.002-04:00

Someday (don't hold your breath) I am going to write about J. I. Packer's chapter on Wisdom in "Knowing God". I can't tell you how many times I've read it and each time it speaks truth to my soul. Meanwhile, I'll just leave you with the conclusion:

HAVE FAITH; BE FAITHFUL

Sums up dozens of sermons and books on Christian living, doesn't it?

The Quiet Hour

2011-09-17T12:03:00.005-04:00

These were all taken today. For some reason, they look a lot like ones taken before!

Of Weary Ways or Golden Days

2011-08-29T05:23:00.000-04:00

I know not what of good or ill
May be reserved for me,
Of weary ways or golden days,
Before His face I see.

But "I know Whom I have believed
And am persuaded that He is able
To keep that which I've committed
Unto Him against that day."

Amen!

God's Good Gifts - Honey

2011-08-21T05:17:00.002-04:00

My son, eat honey, for it is good, and the drippings of the honeycomb are sweet to your taste. Proverbs 24:13 (ESV)

Honey or honeycomb occurs in the Bible 61 times! The majority of these verses are descriptions of the promised land, flowing with milk & honey, indicating God's abundant provision.

Like coffee & tea, I wonder who was the first person to decide to brave stinging insects and taste the gooey stuff in their nest and discover that it tasted good? Somewhere back in the dawn of time, God guided our ancestors to discover honey and all it's beneficial properties - culinary, medicinal and cosmetic. Google honey and be amazed at its history and properties!

I Then Shall Live

2011-08-14T06:29:00.000-04:00

I Then Shall Live
Lyrics
Words by Gloria Gaither
Music by Jean Sibelius
FINLANDIA

I then shall live as one who’s been forgiven;
I’ll walk with joy to know my debts are paid.
I know my name is clear before my Father;
I am His child, and I am not afraid.
So greatly pardoned, I’ll forgive my brother,
The law of love I gladly will obey.

I then shall live as one who’s learned compassion;
I’ve been so loved that I’ll risk loving too.
I know how fear builds walls instead of bridges;
I’ll dare to see another’s point of view.
And when relationship demand commitment,
Then I’ll be there to care and follow through.

Your kingdom come around and through and in me;
Your power and glory, let them shine through me;
Your Hallowed name, O may I bear with honor,
And may You living Kingdom come in me.
The Bread of Life, O may I share with honor,
And may You feed a hungry world through me.
Amen. Amen. Amen.

Text © 1981 Gaither Music Company. Music © Breitkopf & Hartel (Outside U.S.
only). All rights reserved.

God's Good Gifts - Coffee

2011-08-13T05:27:00.004-04:00

Every day starts with coffee! Usually I have about 1 1/2 cups, then switch to tea. if I know there's no tea in the offing, then I have a little more. When I first started drinking coffee back in college I put in 3 (!) teaspoons of sugar. I finally decided I had to learn to either learn to drink it black or give it up, so after a few months of making a face every time I took a sip, I finally learned to love it straight out of the pot. Coffee is another one of those daily gifts from God that I am thankful for.

Quite a while ago, the homemaker's club I belonged to had a guest speaker. This man had been downsized from a very good job, so he took early retirement and followed his dream and opened a coffee roasting shop. This was back when fancy coffee shops were just beginning to pop up. His talk took us from planting to brewing and every step in between and gave me a whole new appreciation of what goes into a cup of coffee. There's such a fine line between light, medium, dark or ruined!

For a while, we would buy our beans whole and grind them daily. The novelty of that has long since worn off, so now I buy ground coffee, which tastes just fine to me. We especially like Gevalia but since it is so pricey, tend to only fix it on weekends or when we have company over. Dunkin Donuts has great coffee but even it has become quite expensive lately. Good old Sam's Club has their own brand that quite nice.

God's Good Gifts - Tea

2011-08-09T18:49:00.007-04:00

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. James 1:17 (ESV)

The other day as I was driving around (and around and around!) on the lawnmower, I started thinking about some of God's gifts, so I thought I'd write about some of them, in no particular order.

Today, I'm thinking of tea. Who thought of taking a leaf, curing it, and then putting it in hot water to make a drink? And which leaf? And how long to dry it, ferment it, or whatever? I just googled tea, and the wikipedia article alone is huge, not to mention all the various tea sellers and their sites. Anyhow, I think that a naturally occuring plant that can be made into such an enjoyable and healthy drink qualifies as a gift from God, one for which I am very thankful.

Tea is THE most popular drink in the world, and is definitely high on my list, right after water. Almost every day, I fix myself a small pot of tea early and enjoy it all morning, at work or at home. Twining's Prince of Wales variety is my absolute favorite, but I also enjoy trying others. Another one that is lovely is Orange Blossom oolong from Tealightful Treasures. I indulge in loose tea sometimes (but have learned to use the paper tea sacs, which make clean up much easier - sorry, I'm not a purist!) but really appreciate the convenience of tea bags. Most afternoons I have a large mug of herbal tea and during the cold months, another cup of chamomile tea is a treat in the evening.

This past Christmas I received some mint tea. I always avoided mint tea in the past, but this was really good, so I've been on a mint kick lately.

I've loved tea for years, but am happy to see it growing in popularity. Hot, iced, caffeinated, herbal - thank you Lord for this blessing!

Christ Be In My Waking

2011-08-03T05:51:00.000-04:00

Christ Be In My Waking

As the sun is rising,

In my day of working,
With me every hour.
Christ be in my resting,
As the day is ending,
Calming and refreshing,
Watching through the night.

Christ be in my thinking,
And my understanding,
Guarding me from evil,
Walking in the light.
Christ be in my speaking,
Every word a blessing,
Pure and not deceiving,
Grace to all who hear.

Jesus, this is my devotion,
All my life to know You,
Every day to walk with You.
Saviour, You’re my deepest longing,
You’re the One I live for,
Teach me, Lord, to walk with You.

Christ be in my gladness
For the joy of living,
Thankful for the goodness
Of the Father's hand.
Christ be in my sorrow,
In my day of darkness,
Knowing that I follow
In the steps He trod.

Christ when hope has faded,
Nothing left to cling to,
Every pleasure jaded,
Every well is dry.
Christ the loving Shepherd
Draws me with His kindness,
Leads me from the desert
To the streams of life.

Stuart Townend & Simon Brading
Copyright © 2011 Thankyou Music

Rivers of Living Water

2011-07-31T07:02:00.004-04:00

On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. John 7:37-39. (ESV)

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. Gal. 5:22-25 (ESV)

If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” Luke 11:13 (ESV)

Summer Saturday Morning

2011-07-30T08:07:00.005-04:00

Callie

2011-07-10T18:17:00.004-04:00

Well, it's been a month since we started feeding this little darling. Since then, she has been to the vet twice and has firmly entrenched herself into the household. Huber has adopted her completely. Clovis has touched noses but still isn't really friends. Not surprisingly, Raquel remains aloof. Binky is the real surprise - he and Callie can't stand one another at the moment. He comes in and eats, but goes back out as quickly as possible. Callie doesn't help since she hisses the minute she sees him. Hopefully they will settle down before bad weather sets in.

At her first vet visit, she weighed in at 5 lbs., 3 oz. When I weighed her today, she was 6 lbs. the vet says she is 6 months old. She had a respiratory infection and ear mites, but is ok now and will go in for spaying on the 27th of this month.

I Understand Now

2011-07-05T05:30:00.004-04:00

A beautiful song - musically & lyrically - from Mary Kathryn.

I Understand Now

Remembering the former things
And thinking of today
I understand now
Looking back I see
How Your mercy covered me
I understand now

How You brought me through the darkness
Holding me close
We walked together
Untouched and yet so changed
I emerged to see the Light that was my guide
You saved my life

Remembering the former things
And thinking of today
I understand now
Looking back I see
How Your mercy covered me
I understand now

You protected me from harm
With Your great a mighty arm
A loving Father
So gallant and so brave
Like a soldier out to save the land he loves
Sent from above

Sweet Comforter
Holy One of God
Look at me
In Your eyes I see
Safe in Your love
Following the path
You made for me
Now I see . . . I see

Remembering the former things
And thinking of today
I understand now
Looking back I see
How Your mercy covered me
I understand now
I understand now

You can read and listen at her website: www.mary-kathryn.com

Someone's getting chubby....

2011-06-29T05:50:00.002-04:00

I wonder why?

Hot off the press.....The Adventures of Huber!

2011-06-18T05:45:00.003-04:00

Click here to view this photo book larger

A New Face

2011-06-09T05:03:00.000-04:00

We are starting to wonder if the new cat mailbox is giving people the message that our house is a good place to drop off cats! About a week ago I noticed a new calico cat out by the red shed. She ran away from me at first, but this past Monday she finally came close and let me pet her and pick her up. Poor little thing, she's young and very thin. She has on a flea collar but no identifying information. We are trying to find her family. Meanwhile, we've stocked up on cat food!

Antidote to Idiocy

2011-06-07T05:59:00.002-04:00

If you are as tired and disgusted and sad as I am to hear about the stupid and lewd behavior of our supposed leaders, here are some suggestions:

1. Go to joniandfriends.org and read any (or all) of the articles. Joni's story is unfailingly inspirational (and usually convicting!) and the various outreach ministries are busy doing wonderful things.

2. Google Robin Mark and listen to any of his songs on youtube. They all glorify God.

3. Go to the Orthodox Presbyterian Church's main website (www.opc.org) and read about our missionaries in Sendai, Japan, who have survived the earthquake and tsunami and are now working tirelessly in the relief efforts.

4. For something completely different, check out the Itty Bitty Kitty Committee and get a big dose of cuteness. (The link is on the sidebar.)

5. Turn off the TV and the computer and go eat a BIG piece of chocolate!

God is at work in our sad old world, but most of the time, His workers are under the radar screen of celebrity and publicity. Of course, we are all sinners and all need grace and mercy and forgiveness. I'm certainly thankful that no one is following me around and plastering all the dumb things I do & say all over the news.

Just for a while, let's focus on something other than bad news.

Memorial Day 2011

2011-05-30T13:41:00.006-04:00

Note: Binky looks like he has an aura because I had to use the "backlight" filter in order to have his features show up at all. The OOTC (out of the camera) picture looks like silhouette. For once, Raquel's eyes actually showed up without having to edit the picture at all. Black cats are VERY hard to photograph! Huber & Clovis, on the other hand, are easy (and usually irresistable!).

Abbey of the Genesee

2011-05-30T13:23:00.012-04:00

This past week we did a road trip to the Abbey of the Genesee, location of a Trappist monastery, and also the place where Monk's Bread is made. You can find out all about them at www.geneseeabbey.org. I took some pictures of the grounds and the outside of the chapel. Cameras were not allowed inside, but it was very rustic and peaceful. Of course, I couldn't resist messing around with the pictures in Photoscape. The weather might be gloomy, but grey skies work great with the water brush filter and some backlighting.

Binky

2011-05-23T09:52:00.005-04:00

Raquel

2011-05-23T09:16:00.006-04:00

Clovis

2011-05-23T09:14:00.004-04:00

Huber

2011-05-23T09:11:00.006-04:00

Seasonal Changes

2011-05-23T09:06:00.006-04:00

More Scenes

2011-05-10T18:45:00.006-04:00

Rise, My Soul, To Watch and Pray

2011-05-08T19:00:00.003-04:00

This was one of the hymns we sang today. I thought it was interesting to see that it was written in 1697 by a German composer named Johann Freystein. Then in 1863 it was translated into English by Catherine Winkworth, who is responsible for many of hymns we enjoy today.

"Rise, My Soul, to Watch and Pray"
by Johann B. Freystein, 1671-1718
Translated by Catherine Winkworth, 1829-1878

1. Rise, my soul, to watch and pray,
From thy sleep awaken;
Be not by the evil day
Unawares o'ertaken.
For the Foe,
Well we know,
Oft his harvest reapeth
While the Christian sleepeth.

2. Watch against the devil's snares
Lest asleep he find thee;
For indeed no pains he spares
To deceive and blind thee.
Satan's prey
Oft are they
Who secure are sleeping
And no watch are keeping.

3. Watch! Let not the wicked world
With its pow'r defeat thee.
Watch lest with her pomp unfurled
She betray and cheat thee.
Watch and see
Lest there be
Faithless friends to charm thee,
Who but seek to harm thee.

4. Watch against thyself, my soul,
Lest with grace thou trifle;
Let not self thy tho'ts control
Nor God's mercy stifle.
Pride and sin
Lurk within
All thy hopes to scatter;
Heed not when they flatter.

5. But while watching, also pray
To the Lord unceasing.
He will free thee, be thy stay,
Strength and faith increasing.
O Lord, bless
In distress
And let nothing swerve me
From the will to serve Thee.

6. Therefore let us watch and pray,
Knowing He will hear us
As we see from day to day
Dangers ever near us,
And the end
Doth impend--
Our redemption neareth
When the Lord appeareth.

Hymn #567
The Trinity Hymnal
Text: Matthew 26:41
Author: Johann B. Freystein, 1697, cento
Translated by: Catherine Winkworth, 1863, alt.
Titled: "Mache dich, mein Geist, bereit"
Tune: "Straf mich nicht"
1st Published in: Hundert Arien
Town: Dresden, 1694

New mailbox

2011-04-23T10:25:00.001-04:00

I asked my father to make us a new portable mailbox. He got carried away!

Elisabeth Sladen

2011-04-20T05:00:00.003-04:00

I was so sad to hear that Elisabeth Sladen passed away yesterday from cancer. She was only 63. She is best known for her role as Sarah Jane Smith in Dr. Who, and was definitely my favorite character from that show. She was a wonderful actress and classy lady and will be greatly missed.

Huber's Tough Life

2011-04-17T06:37:00.009-04:00

Reports of Huber having a rough time of it are NOT true!

Indelible Grace!

2011-04-10T16:07:00.004-04:00

We sang this in church today. What a marvelous message, and what wonderful imagery!

A Debtor to Mercy Alone by Augustus Toplady (author of Rock of Ages)

A debtor to mercy alone
Of covenant mercy I sing
I come with Your righteousness on
My humble offering to bring
The judgments of Your holy law
With me can have nothing to do
My Savior’s obedience and blood
Hide all my transgressions
From view

The work which Your goodness began
The arm of Your strength will complete
Your promise is yes and amen
And never was forfeited yet
The future or things that are now
No power below or above
Can make You Your purpose forego
Or sever my soul from Your love

My name from the palms of Your hands
Eternity will not erase
Impressed on Your heart it remains
In marks of indelible grace
Yes I, to the end will endure
Until I bow down at Your throne
Forever and always secure
A debtor to mercy alone

Today's Helpful Tip

2011-04-10T16:02:00.002-04:00

If you want a sure-fire way to get your kitchen clean, cut up some cauliflower! The stuff shoots everywhere! By the time you have tracked down every little chunk, you will have wiped down your counters multiple times, and probably had to run a damp rag around the floor also.

Integration Continues

2011-03-30T05:45:00.000-04:00

Every day sees Huber becoming more a part of the family. Food helps!

O Light That Knew No Dawn

2011-03-27T15:22:00.006-04:00

In our worship service, we sometimes reflect on a hymn while it is played, before the call to worship. Today I was the pianist and the hymn below was today's choice. The author is Gregory of Nanzianzus, and I encourage you to google the name and read up on some fascinating Christian history. I also encourage you to google John Brownlie, who was a Scottish pastor in the late 1800's. He translated this and many other poems from the ancient Greek & Latin.

O Light That Knew No Dawn

O Light that knew no dawn,
That shines to endless day,
All things in earth and Heav’n
Are lustered by Thy ray;
No eye can to Thy throne ascend,
Nor mind Thy brightness comprehend.

Thy grace, O Father, give,
That I might serve in fear;
Above all boons, I pray,
Grant me Thy voice to hear;
From sin Thy child in mercy free,
And let me dwell in light with Thee.

That, cleansed from stain of sin,
I may meet homage give;
And pure in heart, behold
Thy beauty while I live;
Clean hands in holy worship raise,
And Thee, O Christ my Savior, praise.

In supplication meek
To Thee I bend the knee;
O Christ, when Thou shalt come,
In love remember me,
And in Thy kingdom, by Thy grace,
Grant me a humble servant’s place.

Thy grace, O Father, give,
I humbly Thee implore;
And let Thy mercy bless
Thy servant more and more.
All grace and glory be to Thee,
From age to age eternally.

Spring Snow

2011-03-24T05:09:00.003-04:00

We've had snow before in March and April, but usually it is light and disappears quickly. Yesterday we had an all-day snow and the prediction is for more today and tomorrow. Sure glad I didn't bunk my tall boots yet!

Blue's Soup (akaTurkey Broth Recipe)

2011-03-13T17:47:00.004-04:00

Way back in the dark ages (probably late 1980's) before the internet, we bought our first computer, a Zenith with an amber screen. (It's still in the attic!) I had a trial membership with Prodigy, an early on-line group, and I had met some nice pen pals there. At one time I wrote that I was trying to make soup and it was boring and tasteless. I received the following recipe from someone who's screen name was Blue, and I have used it successfully for years. Usually I use it with a turkey carcass.

Blue's Soup

Put whatever (turkey, chicken, ham bone) into the soup pot and cover with water. Add salt (1/2 tbsp), 5 grinds pepper, 1/4 cup onions (dried, minced, ground to powder), garlic (enough to fit in center of hand), same amounts of parsley, sage, ground rosemary (poultry only), thyme, hyssop (note - I've never had any of this) and marjoram. Add 3 stalks celery minced, or 1/2 tbsp celery salt, 1 grated carrot.

Cook until meat falls off bones. Strain.

Usually I end there and freeze the results for future use. The recipe goes on to say: re-season again using the same amounts of everything except salts. Add veggies, simmer 1 hour.

Spring Ahead Soup

2011-03-13T08:21:00.003-04:00

Yesterday's kitchen mission was to cook or compost all the vegetables in the kitchen. The end result was "Spring Ahead Soup".

First, I lined a large roasting pan with foil and put in baby carrots and cut up turnips, green pepper, cauliflower and onion. I coated it all with some olive oil and roasted it at 425 degrees for 40 minutes, tossing it after 20 minutes.

In another lined roasting pan, I put in cut up broccoli and leeks. I roasted them for 400 degrees for 20 minutes.

I dumped in all the roasted vegetables into a large pot and added water to cover. I also added a frozen batch of turkey broth and a fork-full of chicken soup base. I heated it all and then pureed it with an immersion blender.

Because the turkey broth has seasonings and the chicken soup base has salt, it did not need any other seasoning. The end result tasted good and yielded about 7 quarts of soup.

The Further Adventures of Huber

2011-03-12T06:55:00.004-05:00

Well, Mr. Huber disappeared during a major snowstorm on February 23. We were a little concerned, but not much, since he has gone wandering for several days at a time before. On March 1, when he still hadn't shown up, I put an ad on Craigslist. Still nothing. Just about the time we had resigned ourselves to the fact that he either had another home or something had happened to him, I got an email!!! This past Monday, March 7, some folks Kitty lovers - they have 5 cats & 2 dogs!) were bringing their daughter to dancing lessons and a cat approached them in the parking lot of the studio. (This place is about a mile from us.) They asked around and no one claimed him, so they brought him home, checked Craigslist, and contacted me. Tuesday, Little Man's Grandfather and I went to their house and WOO HOO, it was our long lost boy!!!!!

I decided that I had given everyone a chance to adopt this darling boy and no one stepped forward, so home he came with me Tuesday night. Little Man's Father agreed. We made a vet appointment for him and Thursday he went to see our wonderful, kitty-loving vet. The good news is that he does not have feline leukemia, so we went ahead with shots and an operation. He is 9.5 lbs and about 1.5 to 2 years old. He is now home recuperating and starting to meet the rest of the troops. This AM, he and Clovis spent some time together and actually touched noses! Binky and Raquel will be harder, but hopefully we will all adjust eventually to being a 4 cat house (heaven help us!) instead of 3.

Reckon, Refuse, Render

2011-03-06T17:00:00.002-05:00

Did you know that Romans 6:11 is the first command in the book of Romans? I didn't until this morning's sermon. "So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus." And, interestingly enough, it is a command to THINK, not to DO.

The following is my condensation of today's sermon:

To backtrack - as a review of the first five chapters of Romans, today's sermon reminded us that Christ not only died for sin, He died to sin. Therefore, the following five things are true:

1. Feelings of powerlessness are irrelevant. If we are recipients of His forgiveness, than we are also recipients of His power. It is an irrevocable transaction.

2. Without dying to sin first, any commandments are impotent.

3. Techniques of living a Christian life apart from a union with Christ are inadequate.

4. Every part of my being has been liberated in Christ. (mind, body, will, emotions, thoughts, speech, decisions, etc.)

5. Sin's authority over me has been broken.

In light of this, there are three keys to experiencing the fullness of the benefits of salvation:

Romans 6:11 - RECKON myself dead to sin. I need to learn how to THINK!

Romans 6:12 - REFUSE to let sin in. "Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions." (put off sin) I need to learn how to say NO!

Romans 6:13 - RENDER to God what is His - to love Him and love others. "Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. " (put on righteousness)

The sermon title for today was "Grace Reigns in Life". Because of Jesus' life, death, resurrection, and ascension, we now can live joyfully under the regime of GRACE!!!

Scenes

2011-03-04T18:50:00.015-05:00

I have been messing about with Photoscape again, as well as Photoshop Elements. Here are a variety of scenes made from pictures I have snapped over the years. On my computer, if I click on the picture to enlarge it, then right click and choose "set as desktop background", I can make my own wallpaper. So, if you see something that grabs you, click away!

Gold Mine of Great Ideas

2011-02-22T05:24:00.000-05:00

Rachel Ashwell's latest blog entry (she is on the sidebar under Shabby Chic) mentions Dusty Lu's website. I went there to check it out and not only are her photos and blog entries wonderful, she has DOZENS of equally lovely blogs on her blogroll. I told Little Man's Father that he won't see me for months! You can check it out at dustyluinteriors.blogspot.com.

Huber

2011-02-09T18:03:00.000-05:00

This handsome boy showed up in November last year at Little Man's Grandfather's shop. (got that?) We tried to find out if he was someone's lost pet but no one claimed him and he is now quite at home in his new chosen domicile. When he is not on the desk demanding attention or tagging around looking cute and hoping for more food, he can be found lounging on the lift truck seat. He is a love bug - can't get enough petting and attention - and would be content to be carried around like a baby all day if possible.

Why I Love Dick Francis

2011-02-09T05:34:00.001-05:00

Here's the opening of "Straight":

I inherited my brother's life. Inherited his desk, his business, his gadgets, his enemies, his horses and his mistress. I inherited my brother's life, and it nearly killed me.

Here's the opening sentence from "Nerve":

Art Mathews shot himself, loudly and messily, in the center of the parade ring at Dunstable races.

Here's the opening from "Reflex":

Winded and coughing, I lay on one elbow and spat out a mouthful of grass and mud. The horse I'd been riding raised its weight off my ankle, scrambled untidily to its feet and departed at an unfeeling gallop.

Here's the opening sentence from "Risk":

Thursday, March 17, I spent the morning in anxiety, the afternoon in ecstasy, and the evening unconscious.

Nothing like reaching out, grabbing you by the throat, and dragging right into the middle of the story! I have my favorites among his works, but a bad Dick Francis is still better than most reads. The last few works were collaborations with his son Felix. A lot of people criticized them, but I still enjoyed them.

For years now, I have gotten my required dose of his books from audio recordings. Tony Britton is my favorite, but the other readers (Simon Prebble, David Case, Martin Jarvis) aren't bad. Our library system has all of them, either cassette or CD, and I just keep taking them out whenever I need a fix.

If you've never read Dick Francis, any of the above books would be a great place to start. I also especially like "Bonecrack" and "For Kicks".

Kelsey's Essentials

2011-02-03T05:36:00.000-05:00

Here's another cooking show that I am really enjoying - Kelsey's Essentials. She features basic cooking recipes and techniques and lists her tools and ingredients. Then she talks about possible variations. It is what I think a cooking show should be - how to cook!!! She also has a blog which I added to the sidebar.

Groundhog Day - Imbolc - Candlemas

2011-02-02T08:48:00.003-05:00

I have never seen the word Imbolc before. Today I saw it twice in less than 5 minutes! So, I went a-googling and read all sorts of interesting things about February 2nd. It is halfway between the winter solstice and the spring equinox and 40 days after Christmas. There are all sorts of pagan and Christian traditions tied to this date, which I am much to lazy to list. (see the wikipedia listings for Imbolc and Candlemas as a great place to start your research.) Bottom line - Spring is coming again. The writer of "Living Water from an Ancient Well" (see link on the sidebar) has a lovely liturgy for today that really glorifies God and His creation.

On a different note, I read somewhere a while back about re-visiting New Year's resolutions throughout the year following a pattern of Feb. 2, March 3, April 4 etc. I thought that was a good way to keep up the momentum, so I'll be doing that later today.

Meanwhile, we are getting snow and freezing rain today, so I can justify staying inside and playing on the computer!

Just So's and That'll Do's

2011-01-29T09:36:00.002-05:00

The other day I had lunch with one of my dear friends. She was sharing with me her theory that there are two kinds of people - just so's and that'll do's. The Just So's like everything just so - I think Flylady would call them perfectionists. On the other hand, the That'll Do's will settle for good enough and not stress about perfection. Of course, this is a generalization, but there's a lot of truth in it.

Later on, in an email, she said that That'll Do's probably live longer because of less stress, unless they die under an avalanche of some kind in their home!

I think she's been peeking in my windows!

Clovis & Raquel

2011-01-23T15:24:00.007-05:00

Photoscape Building Experiment

2011-01-19T19:03:00.005-05:00

Winter in Photoscape

2011-01-16T05:32:00.017-05:00

Here are some winter pictures I took at the beginning of December that I played around with in photoscape. Filters include noise, water brush, water color pencil, pencil, impressionistic, antique, and vignette. I included the original pictures for comparison.

More Fun With Photoscape

2011-01-16T05:18:00.022-05:00

These were done in Photoscape using the pictorialization filter and then choosing either impressionistic, colored pencil or water pencil. I then played around with bloom, backlight, sharpen and contrast. I included the originals for comparison. As you can see, even a blurry picture has potential! Pretty cool for software that is a free download.

Lettuce & Leek Soup

2011-01-15T16:04:00.002-05:00

I've been on a Brother Victor-Antoine d'Avila-Latourrette kick lately. We have his "Twelve Months of Monastery Soups" cookbook. He's been busy since then and our library system has quite a few books by him. His latest is called "Sacred Feasts from a Monastery Kitchen". He's been practicing and promoting "eat local and seasonal" for years, long before it became the trendy thing to do. I enjoy reading the explanations that go along with his recipes describing life in a monastery and how it revolves around the liturgical year.

His green soups particularly caught my eye and I've been thinking about them lately. The recipe below is based very loosely on a couple of his recipes. It is also based on a google of lettuce soup this AM before I got busy trying to use up what I had purchased at the public market last Saturday. In addition to this soup, this AM I made beef vegetable soup and a low carb picadillo from Dana Carpender. Both the ground beef and the beef soup bone came from a local farm that sells grass-fed beef. Yummy!

Leek & Lettuce Soup

3 leeks - chopped
3 cloves garlic - smashed

Cook in olive oil until limp.

Add - 1 cup turkey broth and about a quart of water with a tablespoon of chicken soup base.

Then add the lettuces - chopped. Today I had arugula, watercress and mixed greens. I also added some chopped fresh basil leaves. Cook until limp.

Add fresh chopped parsley and cook for about 5 more minutes.

Whiz all of the above in the blender along with about 1/2 cup of plain yogurt. (Today's yogurt also came from the public market - Jersey cow yogurt - YUM!)

Add salt to taste. I used about a tablespoon of kosher salt.

Another Brian Houston song

2011-01-13T05:06:00.002-05:00

I TOOK MY BURDEN TO THE CROSSROADS

I looked both ways down the ancient roads
I asked the Lord for the right way
To find redemption for my soul
And the sunlight streamed in through my window
Shone a ray of hope into my blackest hole
Took the book of Jeremiah to my bedside
Felt inspiration murmur soft and low

Hurricane keep a blowing
Send me something on the breeze
Sounds like hope and a future
Sounds like there might be some for me

When I wonder why I bother
When I feel like giving up on my life
When they’re selling all that You gave me freely
In the temple courts for a criminal price
Will You keep revealing to me all the mysteries?
And the ancient secrets so well hid
Like when mercy triumphs over judgement
Revealing more of You than the law ever did

Brian Houston
Copyright © 2001 Kingsway’s Thankyou Music/MC

Where You See Bones

2011-01-04T05:35:00.000-05:00

I bought a couple of CD's on ebay a few weeks ago. This song was on one of them. I think the lyrics are amazing.

WHERE YOU SEE BONES

When the ones you love and trust hurt and destroy You
You may be discouraged, certainly don't think of giving up
When you are broken, when you are wounded
Forgive those who persecute you
For it's alright to be broken, and it is no shame to cry

But I do not want you to remain in that place of brokenness
Even though I am in that place with you
Still I do not want you to stay there

Where you see bones, I can see the army
When you see floods, I see the shore
Where you see dry winds blow, I see new life grow
Where you see clouds in your way, it is the Lord

Like I delivered Moses out from the desert place
So I will lead you through
You will see a fire in the night and a pillar of cloud in the day
I will go before you
And if you can forgive then when your soul is really mended
You will see that there is gold, pure gold
Real gold of great worth
You will see there is gold, pure gold
Real gold of great worth in your life

But I do not want you to remain in that place of brokenness
Even though I am in that place with you
Still I do not want you to remain there
No, no, no, no I do not want you to remain in the land of your affliction
No, no, no, no I do not want you to stay there in the land of your broken dreams

To know that I the Lord your God dwell within you
Live beside you and walk behind you
This the pure gold I am talking about
That cannot be consumed by fire or stolen away by human hands
This is the gold of ministry that you have longed for
That you have laid awake at night on your bed dreaming of

And you need to know that I have been wishing for you
Dreaming in you, hoping for you
For my dreams are so much greater for you than yours
And to know my hand in Your life
This is the greatest prize
So much better than recognition

And as you rise up in me, many will know
Many will see, many will hear
Because I am your God

This is the pure gold that I am refining in you
That will shine within your soul
And your cup will run over
And you will see the fruit of your labours
And you will not be disappointed forever
For your toils and your struggles are not in vain

Missions & Ministries - Part 5

2011-01-02T16:04:00.002-05:00

Back in the dark ages, when I was 12 or 13, I read "The Cross & the Switchblade" by David Wilkerson. I was captivated by how the Lord used him to minister to gang members and drug addicts and ultimately, start Teen Challenge. The Lord also used these books to touch my heart and put within me a desire for a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. Over the years I have heard presentations from individuals whose lives have been transformed by God through the Teen Challenge program, and it has always remained a favorite ministry of mine.

I used to wish that I had a dramatic testimony. I've grown enough in my faith to know that any testimony is dramatic, and that any time God touches and redeems a life, it is a miracle of grace. Sometimes I forget that and get weighed down with the cynicism of the world. At such times, a report of a life saved from crime, drugs & despair reminds me that God is still at work and that no life is beyond the hope of salvation.

Sadly, there is as much of a need for a ministry to drug addicts as there was when Teen Challenge was started. Also sadly, the center in Rochester, NY was financially unable to stay open and recently had to combine with Buffalo, NY. Hopefully if the economy improves, the center in Rochester will be re-established. Meanwhile, Teen Challenge remains a ministry that does wonderful work with minimal resources. (www.tcwny.org)

Honey Mustard Dip

2010-12-23T10:53:00.003-05:00

Our local grocery store had samples before Thanksgiving, and one of them was for Bison's new Honey Mustard Dip. It is delicious! Last night I decided to try and make something similar and found this recipe on-line at everydaycook.com:

1/2 cup sour cream
3 tablespoons whole-grain mustard
3 tablespoons honey

Just whisk everything together. I eye-balled the ingredients and it come out great. I would like to try it with dijon mustard also sometime. this is my kind of recipe - cheap, easy, delicious. Enjoy!

Missions & Ministries - Part 4

2010-12-18T08:19:00.004-05:00

Today's focus is The Rochester Family Mission. (www.rochesterfamilymission.com) I met the director, Barbara Thomas, a few years ago when our church hosted a missions conference. The mission's outreaches include food distribution, youth programs, tutoring and educational programs, and RICE (Rochester Institute of Christian Education). A couple from our church has volunteered there for years, so I have confidence that this is an organization that is doing the Lord's work with integrity and responsible stewardship.

C. S. Lewis

2010-12-10T05:05:00.000-05:00

I have been listening to "Mere Christianity" by C. S. Lewis on audio cassette. As always, he manages to express things with clarity and simplicity. Here is a quote that especially jumped out at me:

"Surely what a man does when he is taken off his guard is the best evidence for what sort of a man he is? Surely what pops out before the man has time to put on a disguise is the truth? If there are rats in a cellar you are most likely to see them if you go in very suddenly. But the suddenness does not create the rats: it only prevents them from hiding. In the same way the suddenness of the provocation does not make me an ill-tempered man: it only shows me what an ill-tempered man I am. The rats are always there in the cellar, but if you go in shouting and noisily they will have taken cover before you switch on the light. Apparently the rats of resentment and vindictiveness are always there in the cellar of my soul."

Ouch!

Missions & Ministries- Part 3

2010-12-07T18:14:00.003-05:00

Today's focus is a radio show aimed at working women, "The Christian Working Woman" with Mary Whelchel. (www.christianworkingwoman.org) In addition to her daily radio show, every summer Mary and her assistant Lucinda travel to Africa for 2 weeks to minister to women there. Part of that trip involves taking gifts and materials to distribute. Additionally, as opportunities arise, the ministry will do special aid projects. An example is Haiti. After the earthquake, TCWW located a couple of families in Haiti that had been seriously affected by the earthquake. All the special donations went directly to those families. TCWW combines evangelism and discipleship in down to earth ways that are biblically sound and easy to understand and remember,

Missions & Ministries- Part 2.

2010-12-06T18:18:00.004-05:00

Another organization high on my list is Logoi. (www.logoi.org) The founder, Les Thompson, was born in Cuba to missionary parents, and lived there until they were asked to leave in the 1960's. He is a missionary, pastor, and author. The ministry is based in Miami and their main goal is equipping Spanish speaking pastors and believers with sound Christian materials. They hold pastor's conferences in Cuba, Latin America and South America. They also have a newly developed website where Spanish speaking pastors can make a wish list and English speaking believers can make those wish lists a reality. I have not explored their new site much yet, but it seems to have great potential and to be using the power of the internet to link believers around the world, to the glory of God.

Missions & Ministries- Part 1

2010-12-05T07:01:00.005-05:00

Yesterday, Little Man's Father & I went to a missions conference. At first, I wondered why it had been scheduled in December, when everyone is accelerating toward Christmas. After listening to the speakers, my thoughts and attitude had been re-aligned. Missions is all about glorifying God and telling people that they can have peace with God because of Jesus. Hearing about various mission endeavors in various parts of the world was such an antidote to the commercialization of Christmas that starts before Halloween and increases until everyone is sick of the holiday before it even gets here. How sad. Don't get me wrong - I love all the tradition and trimmings and I'm busy shopping and decorating and moving through the various celebrations of the season. But in the midst of it, I'm trying to keep a place of peace and stillness and trying to take time to focus on the incarnation of our Lord and all its implications.

As part of that, I thought I would focus on some of the mission & ministry endeavors that I've become aware of, in no particular order. The first one is "Come Over and Help", which I heard about for the first time yesterday. Their website is www.coah.org. Their area of work is Eastern Europe and countries that were formerly communist. They don't have missionaries - instead, they partner with churches and ministries that are already established and help them in whatever way is needed to carry out their work. The areas the speaker highlighted yesterday are pastor training, prison ministry, orphanages, church building and humanitarian aid.

Celtic Advent

2010-11-18T05:16:00.003-05:00

In the Celtic Christian tradition, Advent is a full 40 days of preparation, similar to Lent. In "The Celtic Daily Prayer" book by the Northumbria Community, it is described as a time of repentance, humbling and interior "housecleaning". John the Baptist's warning was to prepare a way for the Lord by making a clear and level path, getting rid of boulders (the things we have done that we should not have) and filling in the potholes (the things we should have done and failed to do).

In the past, I have only noticed Advent on Sundays when we lit a candle at church in the Advent wreath. I really love this idea of Celtic Advent as a way to spiritually prepare for the holiday season. In googling "Celtic Advent", I found the following at www.wellsprings.org.uk:

Opening Responses
Reader	Days of heavy clouds stifling the sunlight the world burdened by greyness and gloom
ALL	OPEN OUR EYES, LORD TO THE COMING OF YOUR LIGHT LIFTING THE BURDEN OF DARKNESS FROM OUR LIVES.
Reader	Chillness that seeps deep into bones hearts and spirits rigid with frost-hardness souls wrapped up against coldness and loneliness.
ALL	OPEN OUR SOULS, LORD, TO THE WARMTH OF YOUR COMING MELTING THE HARDNESS THAT KEEPS US FROM YOU AND FROM EACH OTHER.
Reader	Trees - branches bare against the steel skies stems crumpled under weight of frost - weight of snow last year’s leaves - blackened and slippery underfoot - nature oppressed by wintriness - yet resting - awaiting rebirth.
ALL	CHERISH OUR HEARTS, LORD OPPRESSED BY WINTRINESS - ASSURE US OF YOUR COMING OF YOUR CALL TO NEW LIFE.

Closing Responses
Reader	We take the light of our prayer into the world
ALL	TO PRAY FOR THOSE UNABLE TO PRAY; TO OFFER OURSELVES AS ANSWERS TO PRAYER.
Reader	We take the light of our compassion into the world:
ALL	TO COME ALONGSIDE THOSE WHO ARE SUFFERING ANGUISH OF HEART ANGUISH OF MIND AND BE AS CHRIST FOR THEM.
Reader	We take the light of God's power into the world:
ALL	GOD'S POWER MADE PERFECT IN POWERLESSNESS STRENGTH MADE KNOWN IN WEAKNESS LIFE MADE KNOWN IN DYING.
Reader	God enters the hearts of all who pray - and feel they are not heard suffers their pain - their humiliation - carries the burdens of the world and dies that we might live May our God bless us
ALL	THE FATHER, THE SON AND THE HOLY SPIRIT
Reader	And until we meet again
ALL	MAY GOD HOLD US IN THE PALM OF HIS HAND. AMEN

Cooking Shows

2010-09-26T15:17:00.007-04:00

I am hopelessly addicted to cooking shows. Now that we have DVR as part of our cable service, I have been feeding this addiction! Here are some of my favorites:

Aarti Party - This show features Aarti Sequira, the winner of the 2010 Next Food Network Star competition. I tuned in to the competition about 3 or 4 episodes in, and immediately was drawn to Aarti. There was another competitor, Brad, that I also liked, but I was very happy when Aarti was the winner. She is cute, bubbly, interesting, and has recipes I might actually try making. I also like that she is happily married, not stick thin, and most of all, she loves the Lord and is not ashamed to say so. (I think her lovely British accent helps too!) Her prize for winning was 6 episodes of a cooking show. I was happy to read that they have decided to do a 2nd season, which will be another 12 episodes.

Nigella Lawson - How can you not love someone who delights in family and food the way Nigella does? I love seeing her home (according to chefography, filming in her home instead of a studio set was a new concept when she started) and also the little clips they do of her shopping. I also relate to her underlying theme, which is that cooking at home is not supposed to be like restaurant cooking, but should be interesting and delicious, none the less. I also admire her for the way she has coped with losing her mother, her first husband, and her sister to cancer.

Rachel Allen - This is a new discovery, thanks to the Cooking Channel. Rachel Allen is Ireland's answer to Nigella Lawson and her show on the Cooking Channel is called "Bake". I love watching it because baking in the UK is quite different than baking in the US. She even emphasized that on one episode by going to a bakery in England owned by 2 Americans. Just yesterday I was poking around the Create network and discovered another series called Rachel Allen's Favorite Food at Home, which debuted on PBS in May of 2010.

Laura Calder - Another Cooking Channel program, called French Food at Home. According to wikipedia, there are 78 episodes of her show and they were shot in a home kitchen. I don't know if it is her kitchen or not, but it's beautiful. Laura is quirky and opinionated (in a very gentle way!) about cooking, and fixes stuff I'll probably never try, but her show is so different than anyone else's that I enjoy watching it.

Jamie Oliver - He just cracks me up with his British slang and his scruffy appearance. I love the shots of his garden, kitchen and house, and all the vintage dishes he uses to serve up his chow. I'd love to see behind the scenes on his show to see how much is really Jamie and how much is the work of a "stylist". Oh well, I love to watch him grab and chop and toss together and come up with a wonderful end product.

Ina Garten - I know it is supposed to be "cool" to mock her catch phrases ("how easy is that?") and her endless parade of Hamptons friends, but I still love her cooking style and philosophy. Easy and delicious, with the emphasis on the people, not on impressing with your cooking skills. I love her calm voice and easy-going manner.

Every Job has Its Perks

2010-08-15T07:55:00.014-04:00

I work for the family construction company. I grew up around big equipment. My father used to deliver a dump truck load of sand for our sand box every Spring. He dug the hole for our pool when I was little. Little by little he cleared out the overgrown lot next door to us and turned it into a nice yard. So, this summer when I was looking at the overgrown back part of our property, I instantly thought of the hydro axe. My cousin came over to check things out and then dispatched not only the hydro axe but a Komatsu 200 shovel equipped with a bucket that has a thumb and one of our best operators to run them. In one day (ONE DAY!!!) he had managed to fill in the old pit of despair and clear out fences, saplings, weeds and vines and reveal the back portion of our property. In a few more hours yesterday morning, he weeded my red shed garden, took down the lunging ring and hydro-axed the stuff that had grown up inside it, and dug us a new, enormous pit of despair! Gotta love heavy equipment!!! I'm stoked and re-energized to spiff up the place!

In the "If I Knew What I Was Doing..." Department

2010-06-20T07:45:00.002-04:00

Quite a while ago, we bought an Olympus Digital Camera. I let Little Man's Father use it for several years. Then I decided I wanted to photograph the bowling balls, so I started messing with it. At that time, it held 20 pictures on its memory card. Then I learned about memory cards and bought one with more capacity. Mind you, this was a smart media card, which was considered an antique when I bought it, since now everything works on a scandisk card. Anyhow, this new card gave me 153 pictures, which was quite an improvement. In my quest to photograph bowling balls and jewelry, I discovered the macro button (VERY COOL!) and other features, and have had a lovely old time snapping pictures.

Enter the card reader! For Christmas, my sister received a digital frame. (Speaking of VERY COOL!) We all thought that Little Man's Grandmother would enjoy a digital frame, so we bought it for her January birthday. At that time I learned about card readers. Since our Olympus camera takes forever to download pictures, being able to move them around with a card reader was a huge advancement. In May we decided that Little Man's Grandfather should also have a digital frame, so when I purchased it I bought myself a card reader. It even handled the smart media card. I love this thing!

Fast forward to yesterday. Little Man's Grandfather had a huge auction, and as his bookkeeper, I took pictures of each lot. Somehow, when I was moving the pictures from my camera to my computer, I deleted the formatting on the card. Yesterday I couldn't use the camera since I didn't know what was wrong with it. This AM, with some time to look at the instruction book (look at the instructions - what a concept!), I found out about the formatting. Also, the card must have had a fingerprint or something on it, because it wouldn't work until I wiped it off with a tissue.

Here's the whole point of this entry. Since the re-formatting, I now have the capacity for 257 pictures!!! No, I didn't change the resolution - it is the same as always. But for some reason, I can go longer before I have to dump the pictures. Like the title says, "If I knew what I was doing, I'd be dangerous!" (and also wouldn't have to work so hard!)

And in case you are wondering, Little Man's Father has a Kodak digital that holds about 4000 pictures. I could update, but even though my camera is older and doesn't have as much memory, I think the picture quality is wonderful, and since I'm still learning new things about it, I'll keep playing with it for the time being. Sometime soon, we might make the leap to an SLR camera that works with all the old lenses we had with our 35 MM camera. Reading the Pioneer Woman's blog makes me want to learn more about photography and photoshop. That should keep me off the streets for decades!

Tea Kettle Inn

2010-06-11T09:31:00.012-04:00

Last weekend my mother and I went to a wedding in Harrisburg, PA. We stayed at the Tea Kettle Inn in Manheim, PA and had a lovely time there. Here are some pictures:

Fun With Fruit

2010-06-02T05:30:00.001-04:00

We LOVE rhubarb. Here is a recipe we have been enjoying:

Rhubarb – Blueberry Crisp (adapted from Betty Crocker)

4 cups cut up rhubarb
3 cups blueberries (frozen are fine)
Salt (divided)
1 ¼ cup flour
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 ½ cup sugar
½ cup oatmeal
2/3 cup butter
2 tsp cinnamon

Place cut up rhubarb in a 9 x 13 ungreased pan. Sprinkle with ¼ tsp salt. Place 3 cups blueberries over the rhubarb.

Combine the flour, sugar, brown sugar, oatmeal, cinnamon, ¼ tsp salt. Cut in the butter until crumbly. Sprinkle over the rhubarb and blueberries.

Bake at 350 for 50 minutes.

For your further use are the two original recipes that I combined to make the one above:

Rhubarb Crisp (Betty Crocker’s new & Revised Cookbook – 1978)

4 cups cut up rhubarb
½ tsp salt
1 1/3 to 2 cups sugar
¾ cup flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/3 cup butter

Arrange rhubarb in ungreased 8 x 8 backing dish. Sprinkle with salt.

Mix sugar, flour & cinnamon. Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly, sprinkle over rhubarb.

Bake at 350 for 40 to 50 minutes.

Blueberry Crisp (Betty Crocker’s New & Revised Cookbook – 1978)

3 cups blueberries or 1 package (16 oz) frozen (I used 3 cups frozen)
2 tbsp lemon juice
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
½ cup flour
½ cup oatmeal
1/3 cup butter – softened
¾ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp salt

Arrange blueberries in an ungreased 8 x 8 baking dish. Sprinkle with lemon juice.

Mix brown sugar, flour, oats, butter, cinnamon & salt. Sprinkle on top.

Bake at 375 for 30 minutes.

Binky

2010-05-16T16:16:00.004-04:00

Black cats are VERY hard to photograph. Couple that with the fact that usually when I get the camera out, Binky stops doing whatever cute thing he was up to and comes over to get petted and lick the camera! Today he actually slept through this photo op, so here's a current picture of the big brother, resting up up Daddy's feet, plus a couple from a few days ago. He's an in & out cat (not my first choice) which fascinates the other two, who are not allowed out.

Birthdays

2010-05-16T16:10:00.005-04:00

The darlings arrived in July of 2009 and the vet thought they were each around 10 weeks old, which makes their birthdays sometime around now. Last night we went out with the couple that brought us Raquel, so we made it a birthday party. Since the guest of honor couldn't make it, we printed out this picture of her and took it to the restaurant in a frame! The waitress was a cat-lover, so when she brought me dessert, she had written "Happy Birthday Raquel" in chocolate syrup around the rim of the plate! Nice to know we're not alone in our feline goofiness.

Re-Living My Childhood - part 3

2010-05-16T15:40:00.003-04:00

Spoiler Alert! I might give away too much, so if you haven't read Smoky the Cow Horse by Will James and you want to, be warned!

I remember my father getting this book for me from the library. It is memorable because Dad was not much of a fiction reader. However, he had read this book as a boy and brought it home for me to read. I read it several times as a girl, along with everything else Will James wrote. I loved the illustrations, which were by the author, and I loved the casual way he spoke directly to the reader, as if he were telling a story around a campfire.

This time, I listened to Smoky as a book on tape. It was produced in 1981 and wasn't the greatest audio book I have ever listened to. The audio book industry has come a long way in 29 years. I thought the reader was kind of ordinary. I would love to hear this book read by someone that sounded more like a cowboy - like Clint Eastwood. The recording was 5 tapes long and I almost stopped after the 3rd tape because I remembered the last half of the book being sad. My memory was correct and it made me heartsick to listen to the description of Smoky being abused, but I carried on because I also remembered that there was a happy ending.

It was interesting to read reviews of this book. Some people loved the whole book. Some people liked the second half because there was more "story" happening. Some people were offended by the racism. Some people hated the bad grammar and cowboy slang. I was just interested to observe how much our outlook has changed since this book was written (1927) and took it as a glimpse into a slice of the American West that has slipped into history.

If you google Smoky The Cowhorse, you will find an Australian site that has the entire book on line, including the illustrations. Also, there is major spoiler information on the wikipedia site about this book. www.willjames.com will take you to a site that sells Will Jame's artwork. www.willjames.org will take you to the Will James Society. I was interested to learn "Lone Cowboy" by Will James, which was sub-titled "an autobiography" was actually completely fiction up to his mid-teens and a mixture of fact and fiction after that. (The things you learn from the internet!)

Re-living My Childhood Part 2

2010-05-09T09:35:00.004-04:00

Finding one childhood favorite prompted me to try some more books on tape and voila - "The Black Stallion"! I still remember discovering these books. Our neighbors gave me "The Horse Tamer" by Walter Farley for my birthday one year, probably when I was 12 or so, and I loved it. I was a total bookworm (and horse-crazy to boot!) as a kid, so I would lug home armloads of books from the library. Walter Farley could make a horse race last 3 chapters and it was IMPOSSIBLE to put the book down! Once I read one of his books, I was always haunting the library for more. I'm sure that enjoying his books early on paved the way for my love of Dick Francis books as an adult.

I was interested to find that there is a website, www.theblackstallion.com, run by Tim Farley, the author's son. They have used the popularity of the books and movies to promote literacy. They also work with the Arabian Nights dinner show, which features the horse that starred in the Black Stallion movies.

We went to see the Arabian Nights show a while back and it was very entertaining. I particularly remember the Black Stallion because he was absolutely gorgeous and his entire performance was hands off! His trainer used verbal and hand signals while standing at one end of the arena, while this beautiful creature did his moves without halter, saddle, bridle or rider. Very impressive!

Arabian Nights has a blog that features behind the scenes looks at their entertainers and horses. You can find that at www.arabian-nights.com.

Re-living My Childhood

2010-05-08T10:32:00.004-04:00

We live about a mile south of Lake Ontario, so we drive the Ontario Parkway frequently. A common site is to look north across a cattail filled pond to see a row of houses, then the lake. It reminded me of a book I remembered called "Gone Away Lake" by Elizabeth Enright. I looked it up on the library's website and discovered that it was available as a book on tape. What a treat! It was interesting to listen to it as an adult and think about why it had appealed to me. I think it was the idea of finding a whole bunch of houses that had been abandoned, still totally filled with their original contents, and exploring them. That treasure hunting instinct... I was also interested to see how things had changed since the book was written in 1957. The main characters in this book would leave the house in the AM and not show back up until dinner and their parents didn't worry about them or call the police. Also, a 12 year old and a 6 year old were put on a train for an all-day journey and it wasn't a big deal. On the other hand, the older folks in the book living off the land and using the natural resources is as current as today's headlines. Fascinating!

There's a sequel called "Return to Gone Away". The library doesn't have it on tape, but maybe I'll get it out in book form and enjoy it soon, as well as some of the author's other works.

Easter Morning

2010-04-04T09:02:00.004-04:00

The first picture was taken 7-11-09. The second picture was taken this AM, 4-04-10. They just take up more space on the desk! Happy Easter to one and all!

Clovis & Raquel

2010-03-20T17:20:00.002-04:00

Here are some shots of Clovis and Raquel from yesterday, when they were helping me in the office.

Winter Sowing

2010-03-12T19:45:00.009-05:00

I finally started this year's winter sowing on March 6th. We won't discuss last year's crop, except to say that it got away from me. I planted most of the vegetables, which germinated pretty well, but then I mulched the patch with dried grass clippings, a HUGE mistake. I blinked twice and the whole patch (in front of the red shed) had weeds about 3 feet tall!!! I never did finish planting the flowers and today I dumped what was left of last year's efforts onto the red shed patch, which I managed to get mostly cleared before the snow came. This year, other than the strawberries and rhubarb, I think I'm going to stick with annuals in that patch.

In an effort to remind myself why I bother, I looked at some pictures from 2008, when I had some success. That's also when a lot of what I winter sowed and planted in 2007 filled in and looked wonderful.

Also a few years ago, I made planting areas on both sides of the paddock fence using the lasagna method. They got completely out of control also last summer, so this year, hopefully, I'm going to abandon the south patch, transplant anything worth saving (not much - some tired lavender and a sedum) and focus my efforts on the north patch. That side is where Little Lady, The Baby, Cammie, and Little Man are buried, marked by bowling balls, so I hope to tidy the whole thing up and make it look good this year.

Hooray for Spring and second (and third) chances!!!

Binky is IN!!!

2010-03-01T17:39:00.005-05:00

Last Fall, I was busy talking to Spooky (so I thought) who was out by the pole barn when she brushed my leg. OK - if you're here, who's that??? That was our introduction to Binky. Since then, he has put on a steady campaign to become a house cat, including pawing at the back door and then at the dining room windows, meowing frantically all the while. Friday, February 26, he won!

So, after the requisite trip to the vet and layout of cash, Binky was pronounced healthy and ready to join the family. He is a neutered male, probably around 2 years old, 11 lbs, 4 oz, and has short black fur with a touch of white on his chest. He is a lover! He was also a yappy cat, but has hardly uttered a meow since he came in. (thankfully!)

Clovis wants to be friends but Binky is not too sure about that. Meanwhile, Raquel just does that low growl in her throat whenever he comes near. Today they all went into the Blue Room together and survived, so hopefully they'll bond soon. At least they aren't actually fighting, just walking cautiously around each other.

Typical of black cats, he is very hard to photograph. One of these days maybe I'll follow through on my resolution to learn more about photography so I can do my darlings justice.

Today's Roasting Experiment

2010-03-01T17:08:00.003-05:00

Today's attempt to clean up the fridge reinforced my premise that you can't go wrong with roasted vegetables. I cut up plum tomatoes that were starting to look tired, some red peppers, a green pepper and part of a zuchinni (the rest was definitely too tired). I also added an onion. Everything was cut in chunks. Then I sprinkled garlic powder (because I ran out of garlic cloves), basil, oregano, and rosemary and drizzled olive oil over all. It roasted in a 400 degree oven for about 40 minutes. I reached in a couple of times and gave it a stir. (Also, I lined the pan with foil - easy on the dishwasher [aka-yours truly]).

Meanwhile, I put 2 jars of plain spaghetti sauce that we had received in a gift basket into the slow cooker. When the veggies were done I dumped them in, juices and all, and let it warm up and bubble for a few hours.

The final touch was some low carb meatballs. I adapted this recipe from one I found on line:

2 lbs ground beef
2 beaten eggs
3/4 cups parmesan cheese
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder

Mix all of the above together and roll into golf ball sized balls. Place on a baking sheet (use foil for easy clean-up) and bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes.

I put 12 meatballs into the sauce and put the rest into the freezer for future use.

Some cooking show I watched recently said to work the ground beef gently and not squash it together, so I stirred it with a fork and used a light touch on rolling the balls. I thought they came out good - not too hard or dense.

I had a box of Dreamfields Rotini in the cupboard, so that's what we enjoyed the sauce on. Little Man's Father liked it and so did I!

Dick Francis

2010-02-16T05:25:00.000-05:00

Sadly, one of my very favorite authors, Dick Francis, passed away on February 14 at the age of 89. I have enjoyed his stories for years, especially in audiobook form, and am saddened to think that this era has come to an end. His last few books were collaborations with his son, so perhaps Felix will carry on the tradition. Reports are that most of the books were collaborations with his wife, and many criticized that they were formulaic. True - but I still loved them! The crimes were always ingenious and I always thought it was a good thing that he decided to be a writer instead of a crook.

There is a Hope

2010-01-25T04:50:00.002-05:00

Stuart Townend is one of my favorite Christian songwriters, and this song of his is one of my favorites. There is a wonderful video of it on youtube. Someday maybe I'll master how to embed it in my blog. Until then, you'll have to google it. Anyhow, here are the lyrics - perfect for a rainy Monday morning in January!

There is a Hope by Stuart Townend and Mark Edwards - 2007

There is a hope that burns within my heart,
that gives me strength for every passing day;
a glimpse of glory now revealed in meagre part,
yet drives all doubt away:
I stand with Christ, with sins forgiven;
and Christ in me, the hope of heaven!
My highest calling and my deepest joy -
to make His will my home.

There is a hope that lifts my weary head,
a consolation strong against despair,
that when the world has plunged me in its deepest pit,
I find the Saviour there!
Through present sufferings, future's fear,
He whispers "courage" in my ear.
For I am safe in everlasting arms,
and they will lead me home.

There is a hope that stands the test of time,
that lifts my eyes beyond the beckoning grave,
to see the matchless bueaty of a day divine
when I behold His face!
When sufferings cease and sorrows die,
and every longing satisfied.
Then joy unspeakable will flood my soul,
for I am truly home.

Happy New Year!

2009-12-31T09:33:00.003-05:00

Christmas Music

2009-12-14T05:39:00.000-05:00

The other day I created a station on Pandora using Mannheim Steamroller (holiday). The resulting song list is wonderful - great songs to work to. I also made stations using Hillsong (holiday) and Kathy Mattea (holiday) and they are equally enjoyable.

Happy Thanksgiving from Clovis and Raquel

2009-11-27T11:19:00.005-05:00

I have yet to take a photo of Raquel that does her justice. That's one reason why learning more about photography is on my list of goals for 2010. Meanwhile, these shots of Raquel were taken yesterday, and the ones of Clovis were taken on 11-21. Raquel is now 8 lbs. 8 oz. and Clovis is now 7 lbs. 10 oz. They continue to be sweet and affectionate.

Chicken and Leek Soup

2009-11-25T18:46:00.003-05:00

I made this soup this week in an effort to use up some leftover chicken and some very tired leeks and it came out better than I ever expected.

Chicken broth - I used chicken soup base from Sam's Club, using about half the recommended amount. (ex. if it calls for 1 tsp per cup of water, I use 1/2 tsp., etc.)

Chicken - I had a cooked boneless chicken breast and a little bit of rotisserie chicken, so I cut it all up into bite-sized pieces.

Leeks - I cut these into bite-sized pieces, tossed them in some olive oil and roasted them at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes until they were tender.

I combined all of the above and heated it to "eatin' temperature". Little Man's Father raved about it. Mission accomplished!!!

Chicken Rice Soup

2009-11-25T18:40:00.003-05:00

I made this soup for this year's hypertufa party and was very pleased with the end result.

Chicken broth - I used chicken soup base from Sam's Club, using half the recommended amount. (ex.-if it calls for 1 tsp per cup of water, I use 1/2 tsp.) I think any chicken broth or stock would be fine.

Rice - I cooked a batch of basmati rice in the microwave per the directions on the package.

Chicken - I bought a rotisserie chicken from Sam's Club and pulled all the meat off it.

Vegetables - I chopped up carrots, celery and onions and roasted them in the oven in some olive oil - 400 degrees for about 20-30 minutes until they were tender.

I combined all of the above together in a large pot, brought it to a simmer, then left it on the burner on low for 3-4 hours until lunch time. A crockpot would also work well.

Prime Rib Soup

2009-11-25T18:33:00.003-05:00

I made this recipe based on a soup that used to show up in our local diner on a Monday, presumable to use up the beef that didn't sell on Saturday night.

Beef broth. I use beef soup base, the paste type that comes in a jar from Sam's Club. My secret is to use about half of what they call for in the directions. Otherwise, in my opinion, it is too salty. I also chucked in a can or two of beef consomme, which adds nice flavor.

Beef - I used what was left of a rib roast. I think steak or London broil would work also. Just cut it into bite-sized pieces.

Vegetable: I roasted mushrooms and onions tossed in olive oil at 450 degrees for 20-25 minutes and then added them to the mixture.

That's it! Mix it all together and let it simmer on low or sit overnight in the fridge to blend the flavors. Enjoy!

My Secret Weapon

2009-11-25T18:17:00.003-05:00

Pssst - wanna hear a great secret??? Roasting vegetables is the way to wonderful food! Several years ago, Wegman's (our local grocery store that has won national awards) did an in-store demo and companion hand-out on how to roast vegetables. Basically, you cut up vegetables, toss them in olive oil, and cook them at a high temperature until they are tender. Since then, every single time I have roasted vegetables, no matter what kind, they have come out FABULOUS!!! At first I used to add salt, pepper, minced garlic, and various herbs. Lately I've just done the veggies and oil. No matter what, they come out tasting fantastic. How can you not love something so easy that makes you look so good? Here's a list of various veggies and their times and temperatures:

carrots, onions, peppers, zucchini, summer squash, mushrooms, potatoes
cut into chunks of about the same size, any mixture of the above
450 degrees for 40-45 minutes

brussel spouts - whole - 400 degrees for 35-40 minutes, quartered - 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes

Mushrooms - 450 degrees for 20-25 minutes

Leeks - 400 degrees for 35-45 minutes

In each case, give them a stir about half-way through.

Any vegetable not mentioned above - just google it for approximate times or use the above as a guideline.

If you have leftover roast vegetables, they can be pureed with a little chicken or beef broth for a hearty soup. It's good as is or can be jazzed up with meat, etc.

Today's Tidbit

2009-11-24T17:02:00.001-05:00

Today I created a new radio station on Pandora called "Dennis Jernigan". The resulting songs were wonderful! I would call them vintage worship songs - a lot of Heritage Singers, Maranatha Singers, and some quiet, contemplative songs from more contemporary artists.