Embroidery and Rice Custard

A Christmas project for a special four-year-old niece of ours, whom I'm assuming isn't old enough to be reading my blog.  ;-)

Comfort food.  :-)

Little Encouragements and Little Pests

No, these aren't from John.  And, no, they're not from anyone else!  Just listen to the story!

While I was getting ready to leave one of the self-checkout lines at Kroger yesterday, the girl behind the desks asks, "Ma'am, would you like some flowers?"

"Um, excuse me?"

"Would you like some flowers?"

"Would I like some flowers?!" 

"We ordered too many this week and we're giving them away!" 

Wow, that never happens.  Of course I would like flowers, and of course I chose roses.  :-D

The next encouraging thing happened at JC Penney.  Weeks ago I went online and signed up for their mailing list.  Yeah, I do get e-mail ads regularly now, but I was hoping I would also get coupons in the mail like my mom does.  And last week I did, the best being a "$10 off a purchase of $10 or more" coupon.  Nice.

I needed to buy black tights for our CSD concert on Saturday, so I headed to Penney's with my coupon.  Wouldn't you know, there was a "buy one, get one for $1" sale on all hoisery!  Nice.  I found some nice, $10 tights and picked out the most durable pair of regular beige stockings I could find, which happened to be marked $9.  With the sale, the two rang up at a total of $11.  I handed the cashier my coupon, paid my $1.08 and left encouraged. 

God is kind.

Jenni, if you're reading this now, just be glad that you're on the other side of the Atlantic. 

You see, we have a mouse problem.  I've been finding mouse droppings in the kitchen towel drawer and in the napkin basket since we returned from Thanksgiving.  John found a half eaten peanut butter cup in his bag of Reeses.  But, being the laid-back couple that we often are, we dealt with the symptoms and hoped the problem would go away.  Still, I kept finding droppings.  I'd heard that Bounce will keep mice away, so yesterday I also bought some store-brand dryer sheets and tucked one into the towel drawer and one at the bottom of the napkin basket.  Yay, no more droppings!

And yet . . .

And yet, now the little beasts are digging holes into my precious growing herbs!  I'm angry with them now and John agrees that it seems to be trap-time . . . updates to come, with no pictures for the sake of the squeamish.  ;-)

Our Gingerbread Cottage

O Christmas Tree!

Today we got our first Christmas tree!  Now, some people buy a potted Christmas tree and plant it after Christmas, but we did things kind of backwards. 

Here's John wielding the "big toe cutters."  :-)

Yeah, John decided he didn't care for a tree planted amid bushes in one of the flower beds, so we chopped it.  My only desire was for a tree and a real tree, and getting to chop it ourselves makes it even better.  :-)

I wore my boots, even though it's 70F outside. 

 

 

All ready to go!  I potted him in dirt in the large pot which held the artificial plant in the dining room which I brought to Good Will this week.  And now he is in the living room, awaiting white lights, a cranberry string and gingerbread.  :-)

O Christmas Cookies!

Saturday was the day, finally, for some Christmas baking.  I had the motivation of an assignment to make cookies for the monthly luncheon that a group from our church hosts for the international students at our local university.  But I already knew what kinds I wanted to make!  I've had Grandma Reid's gingersnaps on the brain for probably over a week, when I realized I'd have to get some molasses before trying them.  Somehow hers always seemed rounder and puffier, even though I followed her recipe exactly.  Maybe I'll try my own mother's trick of the trade next time and cut the butter in half.  (And maybe I'll actually use butter . . . I did use shortning this time, against my better instincts, but wishing to produce a genuine Grandma Reid gingersnap!) 

We received a pizzelle maker as a wedding gift from a wonderful pizzelle baker at our old home church and this seemed like a great chance to try it!  I could hardly believe that the recipe called for 3 teaspoons of vanilla!  My mother doesn't have a pizzelle maker, so this was a true experiment, but thankfully our instructions were very detailed - just a teaspoon of batter on each half of the iron, clamped shut for 30 seconds, and then gently lifted off and left to harden.  They came out well and tasted yummy. 

John even had rose-tinted plastic wrap in the drawer!  I think it's more likely that it was in the house when we moved here than that he bought it himself.  :-)

And ALL my cookies got eaten at the luncheon, which is a dream come true for every potluck-contributor.  :-) 

Getting in the Christmas Mood

Frankly, it's been a little challenging to get in the Christmas mood today with the weather in the 60's.  But, since today was shopping day, I went to Walmart and picked up a few pretty things.  This evening, with Christmas music playing on my phone (thank you, pandora!), the decorating began. 

I have to admit that neither of these ideas with lights were originally mine!  For now, our fire place is merely ornamental, so I made it a little more ornamental by strewing lights over the wood inside.  It literally took about 5 seconds.  John's opinion on the effect is that "it works," which always means that something looks good.  :-)

I LOVE how the kitchen looks with lights!  I wedged push pins into the joints between cabinets to pull the string taut and keep it at the front edge of the cupboards.  So fun.

I picked up this gold-glittered "peace" ornament at Walmart, too, without any particular design for it until I got home.  Sticking it onto the wreath (which also came with the house!) took, again, literally five seconds.  Yay.

Now, I think I'm officially in the Christmas mood.  :-D

Dining Room Meditations

Eventually, I'd like to post before and after pictures of our house.  It will be more to show our faraway friends that we're using their wedding gifts than to show off how our house looks now because, frankly, there isn't much to boast about in what I've done to the place! 

For example, the dining room hasn't changed much since John first saw it during his walk through.  We were blessed with a house that came furnished and we like a lot of the furniture to boot!  It has changed considerably, but that's because in his bachelorhood, the dining room was a place to store his bicycle and the extra bed that needed a home.  But now it's largely back to how it looked when he first moved in. 

I'd like to redo it with this color scheme: 

This pic is actually an apron which a friend from NY made me!  I love toile and like the almost-teal blue put with a golden brown.  Now, this is what our dining room looks like now: 

Plans include to bring the fake plant to Good Will and eventually take down the quilt on the wall.  It's not bad, but it's not me.  But, like many other things, for a while, I left it up because it added color to a wall I hadn't paid attention to yet.  Now that Christmas is coming, its fall colors are pleading with me even more to be replaced.

We love the table, by the way!  And the chairs have cloth seat covers which I know that I can remove and re-cover with a toile that matches the color scheme. 

But there are some issues.  Looking at the table, here's the wall to your left: 

The issue isn't so much the portrait (which was John's, by the way!) but the color of the mat.  It could be changed, I suppose, but it beautifully matches my beloved tea box underneath it which was a gift from my beloved sister and which could not be so easily changed.  It also matches this: 

This article of furniture is an old entertainment center left at the house which is holding many of the bowls, vases, etc. we received as wedding gifts.  It's on the wall opposite the table.  And it could be repainted, or perhaps ultmately replaced . . .

Another shot: 

We received this table as a wedding gift, and isn't it gorgeous?  But you can see that not all our special dishes fit in the maroon entertainment center. Hence, I'm hoping that we'll at least add another shelf to its enormous TV-shaped space inside.   I also think that our blue and white china will go prettily with almost-teal and a golden color. 

On top of the little chest are the four pieces of a gold-toned frame which I'm hoping to put back together and get mirror glass for.  It belongs above our keyboard, facing the windows. 

Perhaps someday there will be a piano there instead.  :-)

So, almost-teal and a golden color.  But do I boldly paint the upper walls that almost-teal?  Or do I keep it for an accent color on the chair seats and entertainment center?  And if I do paint the upper walls that color, what color do I paint the entertainment center? 

Thoughts most welcome.  :-)

A Few Days Late

For all who try to be careful with how they use words (and I applaud you!), maybe the lyrics "each of us must find our truth" don't clearly refer to a relative or objective truth . . . I believe in objective truth, y'all, and do think that each of us needs to find it, at risk of eternal punishment.

But the main point of the song is that we have much, much to be thankful for! So true.  And Josh Groban's voice is amazing, as always.

Exciting new things:  I drove John's car (standard transmission) by myself while we were in NY!  I also helped drive back down here, including through stop-and-go traffic around Fredericksburg, and never stalled it once that I can remember!  Yay.  John says that my next test will be to see whether I can eat while driving standard, hee hee.  We had a great, though pretty short, time in NY with our families. 

(Quickly posting while I quickly get sucked into Christmas mode!)

My hope in life and comfort in death

(photo taken by John in Italy)

What is your only comfort in life and death?

That I with body and soul, both in life and death, am not my own, but belong unto my faithful Saviour Jesus Christ; who, with His precious blood, has fully satisfied for all my sins, and delivered me from all the power of the devil; and so preserves me that without the will of my heavenly Father, not a hair can fall from my head; yea, that all things must be subservient to my salvation, and therefore, by His Holy Spirit, He also assures me of eternal life, and makes me sincerely willing and ready, henceforth, to live unto Him.

(from the Heidelberg Catechism)

The Life of a Pumpkin

This week has been busy and full with some tutoring and gingerbread-house-making (no pictures yet!), hence there hasn't been time for much blogging.  But I did cook my very first pumpkin. 

Perhaps the following series should be titled "The Death of a Pumpkin" or, less morbidly, "The Life of a Pumpkin Pie" . . .

It started with a small, cheerful pie pumpkin from Walmart.  He made our kitchen more festive for a number of weeks, but the time had come for "the chop" (reference Chicken Run).

In retrospect, the entire process of baking a pumpkin pie from scratch was extremely easy.  The hardest part (physically, not emotionally, I assure you!), was chopping it in two.  But it was at length done,

cleaned, and baked for about an hour under some foil.

Now, what to do with the seeds?  I decided to go to the "trouble" of roasting them.  But for today, I just let them dry. 

I pressed the pumpkin through a colander in an effort to rid it of stringiness, yielding this lovely golden pulp.

Day 2:  Time to mix up the goodness in my beautiful mixing bowl from the beautiful Sarah Brackbill.  :-D

It's just enough for one pie.

Delicious!

The seeds came out ok, too.

Community Contacts

Yesterday morning found me sitting in my car in the Walmart parking lot waiting for a call before driving the 30 minutes home.  (And, no worries, it was completely light out, it was a public place, my doors were locked and my windows open only a little!)  Anyway, two people stopped by.

The first was a pizza boy, giving me this:

I said "thank you" and went back to my, ahem, sudoku game.  I recently tried sudoku for the first time and am already finding it a little addicting. 

The second was a 50ish man in a white-collared shirt.  He spoke to me first, betraying a very southern accent, "Ma'am, may I ask you to read a gospel tract?"  And he stuck these through my window:

I was quick to reply, "I think you should save them for somebody else, because I'm already a Christian!" 

But he interrupted me with a, "It wouldn't do any harm!" 

At that point I realized my Bible was on the seat beside me.  "See?  I just came from a Bible study!"  Well, I think he believed me then, because he said "Praise the Lord!" and asked me where I went to hurch.  He must have really wanted to get rid of those tracts, though, because he left them with me and asked me to pray for his church. 

And that is what happens when you're sitting in the Walmart parking lot. 

Of perhaps a more serious nature, on Friday night when I was getting gas I accidentally locked my keys in my car.  Since I always pay at the pump, I wouldn't have gone into the gas station otherwise.  But as it was, I went in to keep warm while I waited for AAA. 

It turned out, the other guy sitting at the lone table inside was homeless.  I see homeless people a lot (and John says, "Welcome to our town!"), but this one was different.  Usually they're waiting by the side of the road holding up a sign asking for help.  John and I have decided that, when presented with the opportunity, we'll offer them food instead of money.  This time, however, there was no sign, and we chatted for about 10 minutes before it came up that he was living in a tent near the gas station.  There's a construction project going on nearby and he's hoping to get work there.  It sounded like he was doing all right until the economy hit bottom.

I realized how blessed I was to be going home to a warm, cozy place filled with necessary and unnecessary life goods.  I asked him if he ever went to church, but didn't have the boldness of the man who accosted me in the Walmart parking lot. 

Sunday evening, on our way to church, John and I stopped at the gas station to see if we could pick him up.  The ladies behind the counter said that they hadn't seen him all day.  He missed Pastor Fisher preaching on why God is good to unbelievers from Romans 2, which would have been perfect.  But later that evening as we drove by, we noticed him outside in front of it.  So, we plan to try again next Lord's Day.  If you remember, I'm sure that this man could use your prayers.

Two Tee Shirts

Sometime in January of 2002 or 2003, I bought a long-sleeve tee shirt on super clearance from American Eagle.  I think it was something like $3.

And sometime in January of 2006, I bought this long-sleeve tee shirt on sale from Old Navy.  It was around $6.

                                      

You might not be able to tell from the pictures, but the first tee shirt is pretty much still in brand new condition, whereas the second tee shirt is considerably pilled.  I still wear it, of course, especially since it's a great color.  It's just interesting! 

A New Blog

Why is she starting a new blog?  She just started this one! 

Yes, that is the case!  But this new blog has an entirely different purpose:  to archive my old sermon notes in a more organized, usable, and hopefully lasting way.  You can read it, if you wish, here: 

http://preachingandhearing.blogspot.com/  And I explain it all in more detail here:  http://preachingandhearing.blogspot.com/2009/11/intro.html

Nerds R Us

This morning after breakfast, I was about to start up the dishwasher when John, who had been helping load his dishes, pointed out that there was one more glass in the sink.

"There's always room for one more," he said playfully. 

"Yup," I agreed.

"Which means that we have a dishwasher of infinite capacity!"

I started to see it.  He went on,

"By induction!  You can fit one dish in it, and if you have n dishes, by the law that you can always fit one more in it, then you can put n + 1 dishes in it.  Therefore we have a dishwasher of infinite space!"

God knew what He was doing when He ordained that I would marry another math person.  :-)

Veteran's Day

John told me this morning that it was at eleven o'clock in the morning on the eleventh day of the eleventh month that World War I effectively ended.  I should have known that already, but at least I was glad to hear it today. 

When I think of our veterans, though, I immediately think of my favorite World War II veteran, Grandpa Smith.  He fought in Italy back when you didn't get to go home until the war was finished.  He didn't talk about it very often, but we learned a bit more about some of his experiences fighting "Jerry" when Heidi interviewed him for a history project in high school.  And though he wasn't much of a student as a youngn person, my Grandpa had a lot of common sense. 

His job was to drive a truck, and I remember him telling a story about when he picked up a passenger once.  He happened to be driving a load of dynamite (or something explosive!) covered with a canvas tarp.  Well, his passenger was smoking and tossed his cigarette out the window.  It ignited the tarp and Grandpa flew out back and flung it off his truck bed onto the road . . . thankfully, he knew how to tie quick-release knots, probably from all his farming knowledge.  Grandpa was so mad at the passenger's carelessness that he threw him out!  It was kind of a funny story to hear, and one of the milder of his war memories, I am sure.  When I think about it seriously, though, I am thankful.  If it hadn't been for his common sense, neither my mother, nor any of her siblings, nor any of us grandchildren would be here. 

For those of you who don't know, Grandpa is in heaven now. 

It was also on Veteran's Day last year that Mom and I found the dress.  As a teacher, I had the day off school, and we set out in the morning to visit the dress shops in Saratoga.  The first glimpse into the white-carpeted showroom(?) of Something Bleu nearly took my breath away.   Rows of delicate dresses with exquisite lace detailing hung freely about the room, instead of under plastic covers.  A soft spoken lady led us on our European tour, and as I described my ideal dress to her, I was surprised to find more than one waiting to be tried on.  Yes, many of those dresses were really expensive, but we ended up getting a pretty good deal on mine.  I loved it. 

(photos taken by Rachel Tribunella)

The Last Rose of "Summer"

One of the surprises awaiting us when John and I drove home as newlyweds for the first time was a rosebush.  Near it was a card--it was a wedding gift from John's realtor!  I like this realtor.  :-)  The name of the rose is "Double Delight," fitting for a wedding gift, and very fragrant and lovely.  There were a couple of buds on the bush when it came to us, and as they opened it became apparent that its name comes from its color.  While the bud is a vibrant pink, when it bursts forth into full bloom, the dominant color is a creamy white, with its first pink petals singing back-up vocals along the outside. 

Besides dumping water on it occasionally and moving it to the sun, I neglected the rosebush for the first couple of weeks in favor of more pressing house-matters.  Finally, when things were somewhat settled and I discovered that we did indeed have a digging-type-of-shovel, I had no more excuses.  Without realizing it, John even pushed me toward action by some reverse psychology . . .

"We probably don't even need to plant it.  We can just enjoy it the way it is."

"But it will eventually die!  And it would be sad to lose a rosebush." 

I listened to my own voice of reason, picked up some bone meal and potting soil and started digging, hoping it would "take" to its new home in our little backyard. 

It did. 

And now, though it seemed to be done for a season, the third of a recent series is in full array, her head drooping with her own weight on this rainy day. 

I think it will be a good day for baked beans and sweet potatoes.  I hope the beans get soft this time.

My little herbs are still growing, too!  The cilantro is growing several frilly, characteristic leaves, and the parsley is starting a few of its own. 

Recent Kitchen-Doings

Monster Cookies

They used to make Monster Cookies (I think they called them "Montana Monster Cookies," am I correct?)  at Grove City and they were AWESOME!  I thought they would be fun to try for Heidi's birthday, and wouldn't you know, Southern Living had a recipe for them!  Even more exciting, they don't actually have any flour in them, but they do have an entire (16 oz.) jar of peanut butter and several cups of oats.  And M&M's, obviously.  :-)  The KitchenAid did most of the work for me, but I didn't want to overdo it, so I ended up doing some of the final mixing with my hands!

Looking up Southern Living on amazon.com just now made me realize even more how blessed I am.  During the summer of 2008, John and I were not engaged yet, but I knew that I loved him and was probably going to marry him.  This led me to do some "serious" thinking.  That means I'll be moving to a different state.  I'll get to cook all the time.  I won't have Mom's Southern Living cookbook anymore!  So, I went online and found it barely used for less than $3, plus something like $4 shipping.  And it was a hardcover copy!  At the moment, there appears to be nothing posted so low!

Anyway, here's the next pic. 

Guacamole!

And thanks, Derek, for going to Costa Rica and teaching us how to make it!  I don't think this came out as good as yours, though.  Can you tell I left the pits in like you taught us?  :-)

Last night, I also packed up our Operation Christmas Child box, bringing back more sweet memories from Grove City days.   

Happy Birthday, Sis!

"If you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans"

Keith (John's best friend/best man) took this photo last night and I love it.  :-)

I've been wanting to post about the movie Bella (2006) because, in my opinion, it's amazing!  As soon as John sees that I'm posting on this movie, he will probably groan.  That's partly because it's serious and, at times, very sad.  "But it's beautiful!" I always protest.  He agrees with me, but he's a (wonderful) guy and an engineer, so he doesn't usually choose a movie for its beauty. 

Contrary to imdb, I wouldn't say that it's a love story, at least in the eros sense of the word.  Contrary to the DVD cover, I wouldn't say that it's about a "gorgeous" waitress in New York City.    There's a lot of love in that film, but it's more like agape love, and the waitress, Nina, is portrayed as an ordinary girl.  It does take place in "the city" and there is a lot of color and Spanish (with subtitles), though the movie itself is in English.  When I saw it for the first time with Heidi, she warned me to pay close attention from the start, and she was so right!  Not only does it begin with the excellent words "If you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans," but the artistry of the cinematography is stunning.  Every moment counts.  That's impressive coming from what I believe is a small film company.

The story is compelling, inspiring, and expertly thought-provoking.  There is a strong pro-life theme, but it's not done in a preachy or obvious way.  In fact, the movie is more about people, and the viewer is drawn to admire Jose, played by Eduardo Verástegui, for the man that he is and the love that he is not afraid to act upon.

If I were much younger, I probably would have had a hard time watching it because of the weight of the plot.  It was hard enough for me to watch the first time last year as it was!  But now it is among my top favorite movies ever, followed closely, perhaps, by the vastly different Harvey with Jimmy Stewart. 

When Heidi and I watched it for my first time last spring, we were making headpieces for the flower girls. Seeing it again reminds me of those times, and they're very sweet memories!

(This photo taken by Rachel Tribunella)

Light of God

I am quickly beginning to love the music of Keith and Kristyn Getty more and more.  One reason I love it is that it's proof that there are some hymns being written today that are doctrinally substantial and not merely emotional.  Another reason is that they're Irish.  :-D  And, finally, it's just plain beautiful and true. 

We sang this one in church last Wednesday and Sunday.

Light of God

Light of God, come dwell within Your people, as intended from the dawn of time.
Make Your goodness, echoed through creation, our desire; Joy of the Divine. 

Light of God, come to Your fallen people, as we follow in the steps of Christ.
May Your fragrance beautify Your people, as we mirror our Creator's light.

Light of God, come claim Christ's stolen glory.  Burn the shadows with the flame of Truth. 
May Your church rise, stars within the darkness, giving glory to the Lord of Light.

Light Divine, come Father of all beauty; Son of goodness, Spirit of all Truth.
Move us, use us, people of Your vision, as we wait for our returning King.

Refrain:
Holy Spirit, break through our darkness;
Holy Spirit, breathe through our lives.
Light of God come, radiant and glorious;
Perfect wisdom in this world today.

Do not the words appeal to the depths of your very soul?  We are His church--I love how the Gettys treat God's people as the church and not just individuals in this song--and we desperately need to be people of His vision.

Blessings and Bread

When the doorbell rang on Friday morning, I immediately thought it was going to be a package! We don't get many visitors, especially drop-in visitors during the day, but we have gotten several packages since we've been married, and the doorbell rings every time! (Hopefully I won't go Pavlovian and start drooling when it happens!)


It was indeed a very large package. It was too large to be the latest book I requested from paperbackswap.com (Lasting Love by Allistair Beg). And I didn't think that John had ordered anything recently.

Inside was this lovely thing:

 

It's a rice cooker from my dear cousins and aunt and uncle in Albania, as confirmed by a facebook message which shortly followed.  I had to add it to the list of thank you notes still to write, and as I did, I was reminded of how spoiled/blessed we are. 

 

I don't really like using the word "spoiled," because literally it means, well, ruined!  The word "blessed" is better because every good thing is a gift from the hand of our merciful God, but it almost doesn't cover it, because often blessings aren't exciting, new, or material.  Sometimes they're disguised in trials.  Surely, I'm not going to say that John and I are more blessed than my parents were as newlyweds, even though they only had $17 a week to spend on groceries and never dreamed of owning a kitchenaid or a rice cooker or going on a honeymoon in Italy.  In comparison, we seem spoiled.  And why?  Why is it that life is so easy for us right now?  Surely, surely more difficult times will come.  Hopefully, in the face of future trials, our joy together, with each other, will never once waver.  But I don't want to become complacent, expecting God to continue to bless me with worldly things when He has already blessed me so abundantly with His Son, and now with John. 

 

"Keep deception and lies far from me, Give me neither poverty nor riches; Feed me with the food that is my portion,

That I not be full and deny You and say, "Who is the LORD ?" Or that I not be in want and steal, And profane the name of my God."  Proverbs 30:8-9
 
On another note, I made bread yesterday!  It's Ezekiel bread, from a recipe in Taste of Home.  I thought it was sooo beautiful . . . .
 

But then, when I cut one load open to freeze half of it, I discovered this: 

Does anyone know what would make bread do this?  

Besides that, it's quite delicious, and according to my calculations, approximately $1.83 a loaf, until I can start finding wheat germ, honey, etc. at better prices.  And John likes it too, yay!