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Sunday, August 14, 2011
Sunday snippets...
Tomorrow begins the 27th straight school year at Granny's House. As I've mentioned before, we have only two high school students left, our two youngest boys. Since we're using a co-op and community college for several courses, my role will be limited to math (geometry, this year) and history. Well, and driving! It's a far cry from the years when I was preparing all summer long to teach five or six subjects to five or six kids at a time. Occasionally I'm nostalgic for those years, but I'm also relishing the extra time these days to sew, read, decorate, and travel. Twenty years ago, I remember moms telling me, "I just don't think I could give up all the things I love to homeschool." And I responded, "I don't look at it as giving anything up. No, I can't do it all, but I prefer to think of it as doing the important things now and 'setting aside' some things for later." Well, later is here :-)
Yes, you need to try this recipe for cauliflower. Some people at my house tonight, and there were hordes, said it was as good as candy. So make it, and tell me what you think...
Can't tell you how distressed I am when people with graduate degrees don't know the difference between "then" and "than". Few errors make me madder THAN this.
I thoroughly enjoyed seeing The Help this week. What a movie! I completely expect it to win at least Best Actress and Best Picture and hopefully a handful of other Oscars. I will stop short of recommending it here, only because there's some profanity which might prevent some of my readers from appreciating it. But the tender, and sometimes horrifying, insights into the racial segregation of our country makes it worth an honest look. I don't remember the last time I laughed AND cried so much at a film. And for those of you who've read the book, the movie will disappoint you only in that it is too short...
Is there a fast forward button on summer? Really, I'd be much more ready to start school if it weren't so hot. And yes, you can put that in the category of complaining.
First person to bring me some genuine, authentic mochi gets...gets...gets to share it with me :-)
Random thought: At some point in the past decade I came to the realization that I will never get to see the Mayan ruins in person. It was a lifelong desire. But even though I can still travel, I'm not good on my feet, and I'm sure I wouldn't get to enjoy them like I wanted to without trudging through the rough terrain that surrounds these wonders. I'm looking for a good virtual tour.
Is it time for Season 2 of Downton Abbey yet?
Our family is in the throes of one of the year's most momentous decisions: what to wear in the family portrait. No sooner has the group agreed on a color scheme or a theme than four people want exceptions, two think we should have picked something else, one person wants to know if prints are acceptable, one wants to be allowed a vest, and three or more are conspiring to put Granny into shock by wearing orange, the hue of her nightmares. This year we're hashing it out on a private Facebook group. Picture day is September 3. Stay tuned.
Whether this is your first week of school, just another work week, or whether you're still enjoying a long, lazy summer, make it a good one. And don't forget to give thanks to the Giver of all good things...
Labels: Family, Food, Language, Movies, Political Observation, Sundays, TV, Weather
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Midweek snippets...
Had a wonderful three hour visit with my Mom on Sunday. I loved seeing the surprise on her face when I walked in...I realize it might not be too long before nothing will register when she sees me, but I hope that can be a long time from now. She was calmer and more coherent than she's been in months (at least when I've been around) and it was a joy to show her my needlework and look through hundreds of Facebook photos with her.
I've just ordered and received my copy of The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions, on the recommendation of Ann Voskamp from A Holy Experience. When I get home I'm going to work my way through it in 13 weeks per her suggestion.
Rick Perry looks closer to running every day, and it appears that Mitt Romney will be the loser. Ah well...
I believe I've mentioned YNAB budget software before, but if you're not familiar with it, here's a nice review by Tim Challies. If I swore, I'd swear by it.
My conversion to Apple gets more complete all the time. I'm now running a MacBook Pro, an iPhone4, and an iPad2. As soon as life slows down, I'll finish the conversion by getting a Windows platform on the Mac so that I can run all the programs I use that aren't compatible with Mac or that Mac just hasn't mastered yet. Like Office 2010.
For you natural history and biology buffs, this is simply astounding.
And despite the references to evolution, here's another fascinating study:
Researchers from Oxford University studied the eye sockets and brain capacity of 55 human skulls from 12 different populations across the world and found that the further human populations live from the equator, the bigger their brains.
It's not because they are smarter, however, but because they need bigger vision areas in the brain to cope with the low light levels at high latitudes, the scientists said in a report of their findings in the journal Biology Letters.My summer is flying by, and it's time to start getting serious about the school year. With just two students left, my workload is not what it used to be, but I am determined to finish well. This year I will be teaching geometry to my boys and assisting in their history (still Tapestry of Grace). The rest they'll be taking at co-op or, in the case of John Caleb, the community college. I think I'll be driving more than teaching. 26 years ago I could hardly have imagined where this journey would lead!
And now, it's time for me to cool off with (another) Diet Coke. Have a great weekend, y'all!
Labels: Decorating, Devotional, Homeschooling, Money, Political Observation, Science, Technology, Texas, Weather
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Sunday snippets, Ava June edition...
I've been at the Okla-home for nearly four weeks now. It's been one of the sweetest times of my life, waiting for and then greeting our little preemie granddaughter, Ava June. Wasn't it just yesterday that I was posting her parents' wedding pictures and making sure CJ had all the kitchen stuff she needed? And now they're a family of three...a perfect little family with a perfect little girl that doctors predicted shouldn't be here yet and certainly shouldn't have been strong or well enough to come home yet. We've been reminded that God uses doctors but He doesn't consult them on timing. On my way home from the hospital on Friday, knowing that Ava was just a couple of hours behind me, I was flooded with the praise chorus:
Thy lovingkindness is better than life
Thy lovingkindness is better than life
My lips shall praise Thee
Thus will I bless Thee
I will lift up my hands unto Thy Name
Don't know why that particular one flooded my heart, but it's exactly what I'm thinking and feeling this weekend...
This week I made the prediction, on Facebook, that the winner of the next election and the next president of the United States will be my state's governor, Rick Perry. I am a far cry from endorsing him, but I just feel it in my bones. That said, I'm growing increasingly interested in Michele Bachmann, a woman for whom I have tremendous respect. I don't know that she has the money or the backing to go the distance, but I'd be willing to bet that she has a future.
Yes to Hobby Lobby. LOVE that store. I'm glad to have one close to my house, but the one in Midwest City OK is the best one I've ever been in! And while I'm not one of those who will never shop on a Sunday, you gotta love a company that still has the courage to stay CLOSED on Sundays.
While I've been in Oklahoma, I've crocheted two baby blankets...one for Ava and one for Van. It's been a long time since I crocheted, and it was nice to have something to do to help pass the hours in the hospital as we waited for Ava to be released. Now I think I shall make one for Savannah, slightly larger since she's almost 1!
I'm also venturing into another area from which I've been absent for a long time...I'm going to make curtains for Ava's room. This would have been standard operating procedure for me a few years back, but it's been so long that I may have to re-teach myself to thread the machine!
During my long drives in the past three weeks, I finished A Patriot's History of the United States and Song of Saigon. Both were excellent listens. Echoing my previous recommendation of the former, let me add two points: 1) It's very long. But then the history of the US is, well, long. If you get the audio version and the thought of 50+ hours is daunting, choose the 2X speed. The narrator reads slowly enough that even at double speed it's perfectly understandable. It takes a few minutes of getting used to, but it really helped me to have this option. 2) If you really think you can't get through it all this summer, listen to the second half. We've all gotten much more misinformation about history in the 20th century than in the first few, so a review of the 20th from a non-leftist position will be extremely valuable if you got, as I did, the public school version.
Thoroughly enjoyed watching, via Netflix, the 4-episode Daniel Deronda.
I'll be returning home on Tuesday, with just enough time to do laundry, repack, and stock our van with enough groceries to get us through our one-week stay in Red River, New Mexico. We always enjoy the cool respite from the south Texas heat and the time to do absolutely nothing but rest and visit (well yes, and cook!). This year there will be more than 40 of us congregating in the little mountain motel--I can hardly wait to get going!
Okay, time to pay attention to the littlest Snippet...here are some favorite moments from the past three weeks. Hope your week is fabulous!
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| This was the very first time CJ got to hold her little one, 24 hours after delivery. |
Labels: Babies, Books, Grandparenting, Homemaking, Homeschooling, Political Observation, Sundays, TV, Vacations
Friday, June 17, 2011
Weekend snippets...
The past few weeks have brought some surprises and this hasn't been the start to the summer that I envisioned...but then I suppose it's not summer yet! And when I get thrown curves, blogging is one of the first things to go. So since I have a little bit of time, I'm going to snip some snippets instead of waiting for Sunday, when I may or may not have time for more...
It's time for a pedicure. Past time.
Gov. Perry for president? Uh...Head-to-head I'd vote for him over Obama for sure. But seriously, we have to do better than this. I applaud much of what he's done in Texas, but I just don't trust him. But then, trust (in men) is relative. Trust compared to whom?
You can survive in a small town if there's a Chinese buffet.
Please, please...read or listen to A Patriot's History of the United States before you pass Go or Collect $200. Please. (Approximately two of my readers will not appreciate this book. The rest of you will be asking, like me, "Why didn't we hear this in school?")
Can't bear one more Weinergate joke. But you gotta wonder whether he's now sorry he eschewed his name's German pronunciation, not wanting to sound too Jewish. And that wasn't his worst mistake.
I have taken up crocheting again after several years of neglecting the art. Stitching up a lusciously soft blanket for my granddaughter Ava and when finished I'll make one for Donovan.
Lots of things get old. Hospital cafeterias get old much faster.
Watched Masterpiece Theatre's Wives and Daughters this week. It's not Downton Abbey, but it's a nice distraction during the wait for Season 2. It would have been worth it just for the hair, costumes, and decor!
I like cities laid out in numbered streets. San Antonio, I'm lookin' in your direction...
Construction workers should not stop to stare in the 4th floor hospital window at new mommies who are trying to pump milk. This is very bad form.
I do not want to like Golden Grahams. Really I don't. Someone save me from myself.
Have a great weekend :-)
Labels: Books, Food, Political Observation, TV
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Atlas Shrugged watch...
No matter what fancy name you put on it, this stinks:
Ed Morrisey at Hot Air notes:
Meet the White House's New Story Squasher
Just so you know, your tax dollars are now paying for a “director of progressive media & online response” within the White House. Translation: a dedicated enforcer and story squasher that loves the liberal media.
“This week, Jesse Lee will move from the new media department into a role in the communications department as Director of Progressive Media & Online Response,” Communications Director Dan Pfeiffer said in an internal memo provided to The Huffington Post. “For the last two years, Jesse has often worn two hats working in new media and serving as the White House’s liaison with the progressive media and online community. Starting this week, Jesse will take on the second role full time working on outreach, strategy and response.And how many euphemisms can we think of for "Minister of Propaganda"?
Ed Morrisey at Hot Air notes:
There’s an old axiom in politics: Don’t punch below your weight. Getting into fights with secondary and tertiary media outlets only benefits those organizations and individuals. One would have thought that Obama learned that lesson in his disastrous wars with Fox News and Rush Limbaugh. The only story here is that this administration doesn’t learn from its mistakes.They don't learn much.
Meet the White House's New Story Squasher
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Sunday snippets...
Well, the Snippets are back after a two-week hiatus. I had a wonderful vacation in Hawaii with Lyric, and two nights at her house in California on either side of the Hawaii week. While in Hawaii we took a short cruise, read books on the sand, shopped for clothes and jewelry, got a little too much sun, and had unbelievably good evening here. I returned on Monday, refreshed and ready to take on summer :-)
During the past couple of weeks, I finished up reading Nurture Shock by Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman, Words that Work by Frank Luntz, and Poke the Box by Seth Godin. All three were excellent and are on my "Recommended" list. (Links are in the sidebar.)
Watching Herman Cain. Closely. Would still like to be "wowed" by someone I hadn't even thought of yet.
Ever signed the paperwork to enter a clinical trial of a drug? It's worse than buying a house!
This weekend I purchased two new vacuum cleaners. Have I told you about our vacuum curse? Yeah, I thought so. And no, I'm not divulging what brands I bought until I know if I'm going to keep them. After a week of research I'm convinced that there are no good brands. And I'm disgusted with Consumer Reports for highly rating brands that actual real-life users end up hating. What's up with that? If it turns on the first time and doesn't start smoking, it's Recommended?
So Kristen and children are with us as we wait for SlaughterBaby's arrival. Due date is Tuesday, and no sign of anything yet...but we're ready!
And yesterday, Aubrey and Cori gave a lovely baby shower for CJ and her little Ava LongenBaby, wherein we ate way too many delicious carbs and oohed and aahed over the sweetest little baby things ever. We still have a couple of months until we get to meet Ava...she'll be born on July 19th in Oklahoma City.
Are you watching The Voice? I love the concept even if some of the personalities really annoy me.
Tonight I'm going to make a list of the things I want to accomplish this summer. We're going to be doing so much traveling that I need to be very purposeful and organized about the things I want to do. The last two years I haven't done very well on that score and my intentions were, for the most part, never realized. See, I do really well with New Years resolutions...I just don't do well with summer.
Congrats and goodbye to our dear friend Nicole, who graduated yesterday with her BSN and will be leaving, along with her family, to reside in the great northwest. We love you!
Have a great week!
Labels: Babies, Books, Political Observation, Sundays, Vacations
Sunday, May 01, 2011
Sunday snippets...
Okay, just let me get this out there. I watched the Royal Wedding. From the pre-game shows until the Royal Kiss. Well, all right, just before the Royal Kiss. I did miss that part after falling asleep right before dawn. But I watched. I watched because I enjoy the Royals way more than I enjoy reality shows and Entertainment Tonight and the red carpet before the Oscars. But I have a beef. If you didn't care to watch it live, then I think you should be happy to watch short clips of the really interesting bits the next day. I get really annoyed when the news shows and other bona fide programming get pre-empted to show the ENTIRE. WEDDING. OVER. AND. OVER. But I suppose that if you've paid big bucks to send the likes of Shepard Smith over there to eat the overpriced food and stay in a fancy hotel at jacked-up rates, you want to get the most for your money, so you replay all his gaffes OVER. AND. OVER. AND. OVER. And I'm not picking just on FOX, though their choice of correspondents was particularly offensive. CNN seemed to be colluding with FOX to make sure they both replayed THE. ENTIRE. WEDDING. OVER. AND. OVER AT THE SAME TIMES. ENOUGH!
And while I'm on the wedding topic, wasn't The Dress exquisite? Do you think maybe, just maybe, sleeves and gorgeous necklines will now be back in style instead of every single bride in the country looking like a clone and worried to death (or hoping, in some cases) that her strapless bra is going to fail during the meet-and-greet at the reception? Probably too much to ask, but I can dream. Lace really is lovely.
Please. Don't even get me started on the hats. I'm so embarrassed for the Brits I can hardly speak about it.
Some of you may have caught my note on Facebook that I gave up on the book Fall of Giants. I would never watch a TV show or a movie with THAT level of graphic, lurid activity, so why should I have John Lee read it to me? It was shaping up to be a great story, but I have my boundaries and Ken Follett went way beyond them. Pillars of the Earth I could handle and truly enjoy...but World Without End (another one I couldn't finish) got worse and this one was promising to be off-the-charts pornographic. Some folks grew up reading this stuff in teen "romance" novels, but I didn't and I'm thankful that the needle on my meter can still be exploded.
So what did I do? Picked up an audio book about the history of Hawaii (Unfamiliar Fishes, by Sarah Vowell) that I couldn't wait to be done with. I did finish, but I'll recommend that you not bother with it. After living in Hawaii twice and visiting there quite often, I love the state and its history, and I grieve over how the US treated Hawaii. But I had little interest in hearing a pseudo-historian with a hatred of all things American read her caustic, one-sided rant. To make it even worse, she read her own work, and her voice is the most grating I think I've ever heard. No wonder she does silly voices in animated movies...but does she have to do the same voice while reading books to grownups? Fortunately she reads at a snail's pace, so I dialed up the audio to 3x normal and just gritted my teeth and got through it. Not sure I'm any the better for my trouble.
On a happier note, this past week we had our upstairs re-carpeted (with vinyl in the bathrooms and one bedroom), and that gave my kids the impetus to a lot of cleaning, de-cluttering, rearranging, and decorating on the second floor. Every single one of them got involved, signaling that it really is a different era around Granny's House :-)
Tomorrow Kristen and the elves arrive for an extended stay...they'll arrive with five children and leave with 20% more than that, and in the meantime we'll enjoy their presence with us, not to mention that we'll enjoy having another one of them born in our home. If you've got an extra slot on your prayer list, please use it to ask God to get Dave down here in time to see the little one born! (And no, we still don't know if it's a boy or a girl. Some of us are positively medieval that way!)
Summer around here is going to be much more math-heavy than it usually is. Due to some hiccups that I won't go into (or for my daughters: "into which I will not go"), my remaining two students need to put a couple more months into finishing this year's math, so none of us will get a complete summer break. I think I'll schedule summer math for 6 am on weekdays, and maybe that will encourage them to speed through the rest :-)
So I see that Mitch Daniels, GOP governor of Indiana, signed into law a bill that will make his state the first to ban federal Medicaid funds from being used to slaughter babies (or to fund organizations that say they give mammograms but make their profits from the slaughter of babies). Looks like he's trying, as I heard someone say this morning, to "get right with the right"--as he should. I think his statements about not fighting cultural wars hurt him even though many misunderstood him, and this will go a long way toward regaining the trust of those who acknowledge the sanctity of every life, no matter which end of the birth canal a baby occupies.
Will Daniels run? Perhaps...it's a strange field so far. My opinion is that we've got a lot of people that are right on many of the issues but they're either annoying for some reason or another, or they have a habit of shooting off their mouths, thinking they need to have expertise or opinion on everything all at once. Gingrich? Please, no. Trump? Uh, can we talk? Bachmann? Smart lady, but something about her just doesn't say "President" to me. Romney? I may have to eat this, but right now I say NEV.ER. Huckabee? I think he's already decided not to run and I don't think he has the fire to raise the obscene amounts of money necessary. Pawlenty? Still has the "Pa-Who?" factor going against him. Paul? I might have softened a LITTLE on this guy, but I'd rather wait for his son, who seemed to inherit the brains and respect for the Consititution without the wacky factor. Palin? She peaked during the last campaign and she's definitely climbed higher on the annoying scale. Stay tuned...maybe The Papa will run.
Note to self: next time you get a survey in the mail on how you feel about your military medical care, don't be specific. Every time you do, that particular aspect of care gets worse. (And David C., that was NOT about you!)
Labels: Books, Family, News, Political Observation, Social Observation, Summer, Sundays
Monday, April 25, 2011
Monday edition of the Easter Sunday snippets...
I bid you good morning (it is still morning as I write this) after one of the loveliest Easters ever. When it was over last night I had no desire to blog or to do anything but bask in the light of the Resurrection and the joy of being with family and friends. Alas, the snippets went to bed unwritten.One of the joys of the day was my completion of a goal I set right before New Years: memorize the book of Philippians by Easter Sunday. I actually finished two days ahead of schedule and had some time to review the entire book a couple of times before yesterday. It was a beautiful feeling to have done this with thousands of others on the Partnering to Remember journey this year. So..."Thanks be to God who gives us the victory through Christ Jesus our Lord!"
This Easter, my consistent thought has been that someday I will have my own Easter! If Christ is the firstfruits of the Resurrection, then something else follows--ME! And YOU! For all those who belong to Him, we will follow Him into an eternity of being like Him...He "will change our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself." (PHILIPPIANS 3:21)
After Easter, I can always "smell" the end of the school year and I begin looking forward to the change of pace (if not the heat) of the coming season. We have two vacations in the works and another one or two in the talking stage, so we intend to make full use of the summer. Never mind that a couple of our students (guess which: we only have two left) will be scrambling to finish their algebra courses this summer...they'll be lugging books along if necessary. I remember my days in school. If we got only 2/3 of the way through the book, oh well, it was over. I don't remember that we ever finished a textbook, math or otherwise. But algebra isn't the place to do that, so we'll plug on until the last page.
Things that make you go "hmmmm...": Facebook's brand logo on their site and other places is spelled with a lower case f. But if you're typing a status on facebook and you use the word "facebook", with the lower case f, you get the squiggly red line that indicates it's misspelled. Then if you type it with an upper case F, you're good to go. Go figure.
As I type, there's a lot of banging going on upstairs. The carpet and vinyl installers are here, hoping to do the entire upstairs by the end of the day. This is one project that is WAY overdue and I'm going to be smiling really big when it's done...
Enjoying the epic Fall of Giants via audible.com. John Lee is a great narrator.
I've written many times before about Peggy Noonan and her uncanny ability to step back out of the blur of current events and visualize with clarity "the big picture"--politically, sociologically, culturally. If you agree with me that it's important to have people who can do this, go over and read what she wrote late last week about our efforts in Afghanistan and other parts of the world where we find radically different world views. This issue isn't going away any time soon.
Not sure whether I should be giddy or depressed over the fact that there are, as of yet, no serious challengers on the Democratic side to Obama's re-election. Part of me knows that a Democratic "Obama Shrugged" could be less damaging than what we've got...on the other hand, Hillary Clinton could be a much more formidable challenger for what seems right now to be a weak field of Republicans. So I'm watching with interest...
This week I'll attempt to do some bulk cooking to get ready for the swelling of our household for several weeks. It'll be nice to have some large-batch meals already done!
Happy Easter Monday--have a great week!
Labels: Books, Holidays, Homemaking, Homeschooling, Political Observation, Summer, Sundays
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Sunday snippets...
I've just returned from seeing Atlas Shrugged with Steph K. and we had a great time. The movie was almost exactly what both of us expected, very much like what we'd envisioned as we read the book. So what did I think about the movie? For a film that was made on a meager $10m budget and shot in 26 days, it was remarkable. This is the movie that Hollywood didn't want made and that was rejected at every turn for the past 20 years, so the fact that it made it to the big screen at all is surprising. There were places that it was a little rough and that showed the lower production costs, and there were places that would have been fairly mysterious to those who haven't read the book...and of course it's a little disconcerting that it stops a third of the way through the story. All in all, though, I was delighted with it. If you've read the book, even part of the book, go see the movie. If you haven't read the book, go see it anyway and then dive into the book and get it read before Part 2 is released next year! (Better yet, get it from audible.com and listen to it.)And please, listen to or read the biography of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. It might just change your life.
We're getting ready for a major upheaval here. Sometime in the next two weeks we'll have the entire upstairs re-carpeted or re-floored. I'm about to find out what's under the kids' beds. I think I should be afraid.
You know your kids are growing up when you have to spend a day helping them with their tax returns :-/
Can it really be Holy Week already? I'm thinking I just now made my New Year's goals. Looking forward to our church services this week...
Don't know what to make of Donald Trump. Should I be petrified or just laughing?
If this is true, it's very sad. Not that I would take 60 Minutes' word for anything, but once in a while they've been right.
Okay, update on my Mac story. Thursday I took it in to the Apple Geniuses, and guess what? They're geniuses. Who knew? I do still have "issues" with the Mac, but do you know what the main and most worrisome problem turned out to be? FIREFOX. Firefox 4, to be exact. Evidently it has major memory leak problems and it was eating up 25% of the 4 gigs of RAM just by being loaded. I was using it because I really do not like Safari, Apple's preloaded browser, and so I thought I'd minimize my adjustment to the Mac by sticking with the browser I already loved. FAIL. Lesson of the story: if you're a Firefox user and you are having trouble with your Mac OR your PC slowing down, especially after it's been on a while, check and see how much of the memory Firefox is using. You will probably choke. Answer, for me: Google Chrome. LOVE.IT.
One more week and I'll have memorized the book of Philippians with tens of thousands of others. Speaking of memory leaks, it hasn't been easy...even after learning the last few verses this week I think it will take me several weeks to really solidify the whole thing, but it's been oh-so-worth-it. I'm looking around now to decide on another book or chapter to work on next...
Yesterday The Papa returned from a 16-day trip to Australia. He came back loaded with stuffed kangaroos, boomerangs, Australia ball caps, and Tim-Tams. He said he was tired of living in the future.
And since the present day is quickly drawing to a close, I'll close also and wish you a beautiful Holy Week and a blessed Easter at its end. Hosanna!
Labels: Books, Holidays, Homemaking, Kids, Movies, Political Observation, Sundays
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Sunday snippets...
So...what snippets do I have this week? Let's see. A lot of folks are going to work tomorrow who wondered for several days if they would. Glad to see that we averted a government shutdown for the sakes of those who would suffer (including, as it turns out, this family). But I can't say I'm jumping up and down at the meager concessions toward spending reductions. As Karl Rove said in the wee hours of Saturday morning, this only matters if it's the first step in a long road. Otherwise, it was a waste.And now on to the struggle over the debt limit. Let me see if I've got this. I've maxed out all my credit cards. I still want stuff. Good stuff, you know? Not just selfishly, but to help other people. But to be honest, I can't even come CLOSE to making the payments on all the stuff I've already borrowed. But if I don't borrow more, I can't keep doing all the good stuff I do. I can't feed hungry people or donate to charities or take my kids to the museum. So, maybe I can figure out a way to shame the credit card companies into raising my limit and giving me more money! After all, there are people depending on me, and those nasty scoundrels who have all the money need to just give it up! What do they need it for, anyway--they're filthy rich! If I make enough noise, and keep saying over and over that those fat cats should "pay their fair share," public opinion will turn against them and they'll have to cave! Especially if I can get on TV! (I'll let you know how that works out.)
Bethany (almost 21) and Tim (14) took off Saturday morning to drive north for a visit with the faraway siblings and other family members. Still seems funny that my kids are old enough to just take off on the interstate, but I'm very glad that they can and that they'd rather spend their time that way than in pretty much any other pursuit.
Peach salsa. It works.
We'll see how brave I end up being, but I'm planning to hit the theater Friday night for the opening of Atlas Shrugged. If I chicken out and don't feel like braving the crowd, I might wait a few days, but I definitely want to see it while it's still on the big screen. I've watched some of the trailers, and other than a level of business dress that's uncharacteristic of the era in which it was written and about which it was written, it is much like I've pictured. Go Dagny.
And who is John Galt, anyway? And where is he when we need him?
A big hug to those of you who have experienced some disappointments this week. You know who you are.
Update on my computer saga: this week, my second full week with the new MacBook Pro, the words "buyer's remorse" have been creeping into my consciousness. I've beaten them back a few times and I'm still not ready to admit to a complete mistake, but I will admit I am not thrilled. I can see the arguments that photographers and graphic designers and web developers use for the superiority of Macs, but I don't do those things. And most of the things I do are either clunkier or at least no better on the Mac. And for this, I paid 400% more than I would have spent on another PC. No, folks, not just a hundred dollars more...two thousand dollars more. I realize that I'm paying for terrific Apple support and Apple reliability, but I think this is a higher price than I would have paid had I known that the functionality, for me, just doesn't rate that kind of money. And so right now, with a very guilty look on my face, I'm typing this post on the HP with the brand new hard drive and staring over at the beautiful and very expensive Apple across the room. For those of you who ask me why I won't just run Windows on the Mac, it's easy: for me, it will be less stress to just use two computers. The reviews about what Windows does on a Mac are for the most part not encouraging. I use multiple high-RAM applications simultaneously, and I can't afford to have a platform like that (which I'd have to spend yet more big bucks for) drag down my speed. I'll just shuttle back and forth, thank you. (And speaking of dragging, the Mac is already dragging and spinning and acting like it's working too hard, and I have an appointment to take it back to the Apple "Genius" bar this week. Something else I didn't want to have to take time for.)
Okay, that was more than a snippet, I realize. That needed to be a separate post.
On the constant urging of friends and family, I have started in watching seasons of old (or not so old) TV shows via Netflix. When The Papa is gone, this is a nice way to spend late evenings. So here are my thoughts on the ones I've started and/or finished. Doctor Who: Not too far into this one yet, but I don't think I'll be able to hang with it very long. Having seen the original in the UK years ago, I thought I'd probably love this, but..... Monk: YES please. More. Pushing Daisies: I watched the first two and was in love, and by two more I was ready for a divorce. Not from The Papa, just from PD. Cute idea, very silly very fast. And not the kind of silly that holds my attention. Downton Abbey: I can't get enough of this! I'm mad at myself for watching Season 1 so quickly and now I have to wait nearly a year for Season 2. Maybe I'll just watch them again.
I'm loving the Bonhoeffer bio on audio. I know there's some controversy about this book, but just what's in the historical record sans any personal bias of the author is enough to move me to tears...
I'm nearing the home stretch of my goal to memorize the book of Philippians by Easter: just sixteen verses to go. God has been so good not only to lead me to this goal but to lead me through it. He's taught me so much directly from His word and also about my own brain and how it works best. I know more than I ever did about what times of day are best for me, which life circumstances and moods help and hurt my ability to retain what I learn, how sleep affects my memory, what the optimum size "chunk" is for me to remember in one day, etc. This wasn't meant to be an intellectual exercise, but it has hammered home to me how we are whole beings, and the same God who saved me and made me His own is the Creator of this brain that He's using to store up His word. Lovely lessons.
And now, I need a pot of coffee, ya'll. Not a cup. A whole pot. Have a great week!
Labels: Books, Devotional, Food, Kids, Money, Movies, Political Observation, Technology, Theater of the Absurd
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Sunday snippets...
We're just back from our very pleasant, uneventful spring break in north Texas. I will sum up 
its loveliness with a comment from Shelley, our 18-year old: "You know why I love spring break? No one judges you for taking multiple naps in one day." Yep.
its loveliness with a comment from Shelley, our 18-year old: "You know why I love spring break? No one judges you for taking multiple naps in one day." Yep.And while much of the country has succumbed to March Madness, we in San Antonio are still consumed with our NBA favorite sons. The Spurs have the best record in the NBA, far ahead of our nearest rivals, and they are one of only three teams in the country to have already clinched a spot in the playoffs. Of course, what happens in the playoffs is often very different than the season at large, but we're hopeful for a great end to the season. Yeah, we're kind of nutty around here, already counting down the weeks until the first pre-season NFL games, and, naturally, the Fighting Irish season!
Spring, of course, wouldn't be complete in this part of the country without bluebonnets, and as we drove south yesterday we were welcomed home by just a few 
whispers of our favorite flower, as well as by the many precociously cheerful Texas Redbuds, two of which were planted in our yard last fall and were definitely showing off when we arrived.
whispers of our favorite flower, as well as by the many precociously cheerful Texas Redbuds, two of which were planted in our yard last fall and were definitely showing off when we arrived.Before we left, we made the purchase that wouldn't wait: a new lawn tractor. Ten years had made ours a shadow of its former self, so the Papa used this as his permission to buy himself a bigger, badder John Deere. It will be delivered tomorrow, and I think he's outside right now watching for the Lowe's truck.
Well, that's a lot said about spring, seeing as how it's my second least favorite season, stealing my favorite winter away each year. Maybe it's easier to welcome spring this year since we had such a lovely, unseasonably cool and long winter! Can I hope for the same next year?
Nathan comes home this week! He'll arrive from Biloxi on Wednesday, having completed both AF basic training and tech school this year. We will be glad to have him back in the fold, even if he'll soon be looking for his own place :-)
You know you have a house full of young adults when the decibel level and the calorie consumption go up AFTER 11pm. I've learned to enjoy it rather than fighting it...just like every other season of life, it doesn't last long enough.
Halfway around the world, this season will always be remembered for the historic earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear "event." Hundreds of thousands are still homeless in bitter cold, and tens of thousands, maybe more, injured and bereaved. May God show mercy to the hurting and show us all ways to help...
I have no idea what to think about Libya and our involvement in yet another conflict. Seldom is something like this attempted without it escalating, and I ache for the men and women we may lose along with all we've lost in two other ongoing wars. I fear that, in the long run, there is nothing we can do to make a difference in Qaddafi's territory...and yet the people there are hurting and I long for something to make a difference. Earthquakes aren't the only things that ruin lives.
Plans are piling up for our next school year: co-ops, dual credit college classes, driver training. It will be John Caleb's senior year, and most of what he's taking will be done away from home...in this case, homeschooling means "home-directed" education and not necessarily the kind that's done at the kitchen table. Tim will be a sophomore next year, which means that we have only three years remaining in this homeschool journey. My eyes and ears are already open for ways I can participate more actively in the education of the grandkids!
Speaking of homeschooling, if you haven't already read this excellent post by Susan Wise Bauer, please click over and read it when you're through here. She's been one of the steadiest, most seasoned voices in the home education arena for years now, and she's worth hearing out.
In the next few weeks we will undertake the huge job of recarpeting and reflooring the entire second floor of the house. We had the downstairs done about four years ago and the upstairs has been begging for it ever since. I dread the whole process of moving everything, but it will certainly be an impetus to clean everything out!
During the trip this week, I "Kindled" (new verb, with a capital K) John Piper's Think: The Life of the Mind and the Love of God. I highly recommend it.
And I've taken up a new book, Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything by Joshua Foer. My interest in the power and the workings of the brain seems to know no end, and this is my latest fuel for that interest. When I took up the challenge to memorize the book of Philippians in 16 weeks, I had my doubts that a brain like mine, unaccustomed to memorization, could even do such a thing. I didn't embark on it as a mental challenge...I really wanted to plant the Word in my mind and heart to a greater extent than I had in years. But now that I've gotten halfway through the third chapter of the book and think that my goal might just be accomplished by Easter, I am even more interested in the theories involved in memory storage and active memorization.
Hope you're having a wonderful Lord's Day and a wonderful first day of spring!
Labels: Books, Homemaking, Homeschooling, News, Political Observation, Sundays, The Papa
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Atlas Shrugged watch...
Yes, folks, you knew it was going to happen. Now you won't be disappointed.
Chevy Volt: The Car From Atlas Shrugged Motors
Patrick Michaels, 03.16.11, 06:00 PM EDT
Who is going to buy all these cars?
The Chevrolet Volt is beginning to look like it was manufactured by Atlas Shrugged Motors, where the government mandates everything politically correct, rewards its cronies and produces junk steel.
Drive it and weep. Alone.
Labels: News, Political Observation, Theater of the Absurd