A matter of trust

As a single woman, I am well accustomed to bringing home the bacon, frying it up in a pan and cleaning the resultant grease spatters off the stove. I'm pretty competent, but still able to recognize that thin line between doing something totally on my own and realizing I need either more learning or outside help.

But dealing with one particular area of everyday life really sends me into a tizzy: car repair.

Don't get me wrong - it's not the mechanics of the thing, so to speak, that bother me. It's the level of expense involved, along with the rather quixotic nature of unscheduled repairs. You simply can't plan for all contingencies. I already knew, thanks to a raving lunatic helpful soul, that a brake light was out. So on Christmas Eve, when I realized a piece of trim was hanging out from under the front bumper of the Civic, I started to fret.

The trim piece is actually one that is never seen - it sits behind the lower edge of the front bumper, not doing too much but acting as miniskirt to shield the tender underside of the car from passing glances. While a bit of the middle of it was loose, it was not causing mechanical problems, not dragging on the ground or in front of a wheel, but it was clearly in need of repair. The days between Christmas and today were spent mostly at home, avoiding driving long distances until I had the cash to take the car in.

Silly me.

The appointment - officially for an oil change and the brake light fix - was obscenely early this morning. The price tag?

- Oil change, covered by my service contract, no extra oil or filters needed - total cost, $0
- Brake light bulb - no charge
- Pinning up the trim piece - no charge
Total out of pocket: $0

The service tech said the trim piece was actually a design defect - while they could replace it, this would most likely happen again. They'd try to reattach it first, and if that worked, it would be fine (at least until I run through the next monster snowfall).

After a week of fretting and fussing over budget adjustments that would need to be made to accommodate car repairs, the work cost me nothing. It's the wasted energy in worry that makes me so mad at myself - I truly know better, that God has in the past and will in the future take care of me, even in what may seem to be silly, everyday things I simply need to (wo)man up and deal with.

Why can't I trust Him up front, rather than after the fact? Why not take the car in right away, rather than worrying and curtailing activities for a week, believing He knows my situation and will take care of it? Maybe it's time to rememorize Jesus' words about worry:

"Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
Matt 6:25-33 (ESV)

How does your garden grow?

While I'm well over a week into this two-week hiatus from work, I've yet to make one of my infamous vacation lists. Not that I've been sitting around eating bon-bons (although that's a lovely thought); my focus has been a bit different this break. Over the course of the last eleven days, in spite of the holidays, I've managed to spend significant time catching up with friends.

Coincidentally, I'm reading a little book called A Garden of Friends by Penny Pierce Rose (Regal Books, 2005). In it, she compares different types of friends to different flowers, each exhibiting different characteristics and each needing specialized care and feeding. For each flower, she includes a biblical example.

Roses, lilies, violets, daisies, pansies - even desert flowers and wildflowers bloom in my friendship garden. Some are annuals, some perennials, but all are needed to keep the garden fresh and interesting. And all need nourishing, or the bloom dies.

Have you fed a friendship lately? Encouraged a blossom with a deep drink of encouragement from God's word? Brought the sunshine of laughter to a plant stunted by too much time in the dark? Helped pull the weeds of sinful habits?

Take some time this week to work in your own friendship garden.

A friend is one who knows you as you are, understands where you've been, accepts who you've become and still gently invites you to grow.

-Anonymous

Disappearing day

In spite of the fact I was up bright and early at 5:30, this day has disappeared on me.

I blame it on the brownie (almost) fiasco, from which I have taken three important facts:

1. Never attempt to bake brownies (even box brownies) before having coffee.
2. Never assume the cooking time on the box is correct.
3. Never, ever cut brownies until they are absolutely, completely, not-a-ghost-of-warmth-left cold.

The brownies were made to offer to a friend who was coming for coffee around 9:30. Shortly before then, I made two phone calls - one to schedule a service appointment for the car, one to change the date of a doctor appointment. When I got off the phone after forty-five minutes of computer menus and scratchy muzak nightmares, I was signed up to schedule service appointments by phone (I'm pretty sure that was for the car, not the doctor), but my friend was not yet here.

The reaction when she heard my voice on the phone was priceless - a perfect peri-menopausal moment for her. She did come over, and we had a grand time yakking, drinking cinnamon coffee and nibbling on rather too squishy brownies.

After she left, the day just...disappeared. I know I ate lunch. A number of chapters were read in a book I will post about tomorrow. The garbage was taken out. Dinner was made (burning my hand in the process - the stove does not like me today). I've been working on the cape, but looked up to see it is close to bedtime.

And I do need my sleep. That service appointment? It's at 6 a.m.

Profitable reading

One of my goals for 2009 is to read all the way through the Bible - again. I know from prior experience that while it is extremely challenging, it can be done, yielding incredible benefits and exponential spiritual growth. This year, I'd like to challenge you to read along.

If you take a look over on the sidebar, you'll see the cryptic crossword answer has been replaced by a new section - Through the Bible in a year. The link will take you to the current day's reading selection. The entire text for the day is printed out, along with a fun little link that says "listen". Click that, and a very nice man will read the selection to you. I can't wait to hear him pronounce the lists of genealogies in the book of Numbers!

This particular reading plan is chronological, which is the type of plan that makes the most sense to me. In the old testament, as well as in the new testament gospels, there are multiple accounts of the same events. Reading one account this week, then reading another several weeks later when you finally get to that book is extremely frustrating. This plan puts parallel accounts together, eliminating confusion.

Read (or listen) when you can. Don't stress over missing a day...or three. The idea here is to begin to make regular Bible reading a part of your day. From time to time, I'll put up a Notes from the Quiet Time Files post to give you my thoughts on the readings. In between, if you are reading along and have questions, feel free to e-mail me (addy in my profile - bottom of sidebar) and I'll do my best to answer.

I do hope you'll join me. Paul, writing to his protege Timothy, summed up the benefits of reading God's word best:

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.
2 Tim 3:16-17 (ESV)

Out with the old

As the house is cleaned up from the Christmas festivities, my mind turns to the new year. Over the next few days I'll take a look at 2008, figure out what worked and what didn't and set goals for 2009.

Part of that process involves getting my new quiet time notebook ready for use. The book itself is a moleskine datebook, one page per day. The layout makes it easy to see if I've skipped any daily Bible readings. In addition to the calendar pages, there is a small address book in the back pocket and several more or less blank pages up front. I've a number of things I print out and attach to these pages.

The first thing to be pasted in the book is the following list, which I typed out from a Truth for Life broadcast a number of years ago. It's a convicting list to meditate on when thinking of the year past, and a great daily reminder. It is called "things to repent of":

1. An ignorance of God and a lack of nearness to Him.
2. Exceeding great selfishness in all that we do.
3. The fact that we are glad to find excuses for the neglect of our duties.
4. The fact that we neglect the reading of Scripture in the secret place.
5. The fact of our refined hypocrisy, whereby we desire to appear what indeed we are not.
6. The fact that we are readier to search out and censure faults in others than to see or to deal with faults in ourselves.
7. Our foolish jesting away of time with useless conversation.
8. The existence of bitterness rather than zeal.
9. Too much eying of our own credit and applause, being pleased with it when we get it, and unsatisfied when we don’t.

Our repentance needs to be clear and deliberate. Our sins, after we are converted, are not forgiven until we repent of them.

Keep short accounts with God.

The astounding thing is the relevance of the list to modern times, given that it was originally written in the seventeenth century. For all of our declarations of progress and change, it seems people haven't changed all that much in the last four hundred years. But I keep the list and pray through it often in the hopes that for this year, this day I may be just a little bit better than the one before.

Out with the old.

Is it time to take a nap yet?

Long day(s). This is going to be an early night, I can tell.

Christmas was lovely, if too full of food. Too much food is why I dozed off in front of The Nativity Story later that day (at least that's my story). I ended up having to back the movie up over half an hour in order to find something I knew I had seen before the sleeping episode.

Up early this morning to meet a friend, who then forgot we were meeting and showed up an hour late. Almost talked too long, and just made it home in time to meet the friend who was coming here for coffee.

Late Christmas evening I cleared off the dining room table in preparation for the cape project. This dining room set is the one my parents bought when we moved into our house when I was five years old. I learned to sew at that table, over the years cutting out hundreds of garments and quilts at it. The table itself is in grand shape, due to my mom's insistence on buying the half inch thick, felt bottomed, rubber topped protectors.

Since the table can be expanded to set twelve friendly folk (or ten frenemies), it makes an excellent surface for pattern cutting. I had just over two and a half yards of velvet to lay out (seven and a half feet). In spite of the food-induced semi-coma I was alert enough to arrange the fabric right sides together, but with the nap running in the same direction.

This afternoon I cut out the cape, then repeated the layout and cutting process with the lining fabric. If I can keep my eyes open, I can piece both outer layer and lining tonight, so they can hang overnight before the final assembly. With a bit of persistence, the cape will be mostly completed this weekend. The final hand sewing of marabou around the hood will have to wait until next Wednesday's payday.

Actually, I do have a white chandelle boa, but the feathers are much longer, and it would be too much around the face. Why do I have a white feather boa in my closet? It's a leftover from a Christmas-themed play we did at church a number of years ago. It's been used since, as a prop for a murder mystery dinner I hosted a few years ago. Maybe the poor thing will get another outing this New Year's eve...

Merry Christmas

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 9:6

Let there be Light

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.

The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 1:1-14 (ESV)

Reapply as necessary

The single most helpful machine quilting accessory I own (well, other than the sewing machine) is the bottle of Neutrogena Body Emulsion I keep next to the sewing machine. This particular lotion is lighter and richer than most, as well as being fragrance free. It is also non-oily, not leaving any residue on the quilts.

Prolonged handling of the fabric and batting sandwich leaches the moisture out of your hands. The cotton simply soaks up all available moisture - that's why some of the best bath towels are made of fine cotton terry. But dry hands make it difficult to maintain a grip on the fabric, leading to wandering stitches and uneven quilting patterns. Frequent reapplication of the emulsion is needed to keep hands moist and your grip on the quilt firm.

It's very much the same with our faith walks. Prolonged exposure to the world can leach out our faith, break down our commitment to righteousness. Like the wobbly quilting stitches, we begin to wander off course, into the weeds of the world. The cure? Frequent reapplication of the Word of God.

Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.
Josh 1:8 (NIV)

Read it, meditate on it, memorize it. Don't start the day without it.

Good grief

Quote from the substitute traffic reporter, up in the helicopter over the scene of a stuck semi near Miller Park:

"This happens once a year or so, the trailer is just a little bit too tall for the underpass and it gets stuck. But as you can see, they seem to have extradited it..."

I think the word you were searching for is extricated.

You're welcome.

Crazy people and revelation

One of the best ways to begin a day is by sitting in a warm coffee shop, gabbing with a friend with no worry about time. It's a sign of a true friend when she will volunteer to meet you at 6 a.m. for that gabfest - and actually makes it in spite of the three below temperature and ferocious wind chills.

The lovely, charming and smart Holly and I did indeed meet for coffee this morning. I managed to show up not only showered and in clean clothes, but with make up on and earrings in. I don't even wear earrings to work. As I explained to Holly, even without caffeine I was insanely awake and chatty, simply for the joy of seeing a friend at that ridiculous early hour.

The first time we looked at the clock, it was 10:38. I had noticed the ebb and flow of customers around us - even the usual tableful of older folks had packed up and gone, a sure sign time was marching on. Holly needed to run to get lunch and other things before going to work, so she left.

I stayed.

After going through my usual quiet time, I started the study I plan to lead after Christmas: Revelation. (Grammatical side note: It is Revelation, singular, not Revelations, plural. Misspeak or mistype it and I will hit you (repeatedly) with a wet noodle. The title is taken from the first verse: The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place...) We will be using this study guide by MacArthur.

The study guide contains not only the study itself, but the full text in the New King James translation as well as the notes from MacArthur's study bible. As I was working my way through the first lesson, I kept notes for myself on additional things I needed to look up when I got home. But I'd be in the process of checking on another, utterly unrelated reference, and stumble upon just the passage I needed to take care of the info I planned to look up later.

Cool.

It was after noon when I finally left, home to putter with fabric. Since the gifts need to be finished very shortly, I really should get back to it. But I do love not having to watch the clock!

This and that Sunday

I'm feeling a bit scattered today - can't seem to focus on doing one thing at a time. Simultaneous rounds of laundry, dusting/picking up/movie watching and dish washing going on at the moment. As long as I don't sit too long with the movie (which I'm simply checking in on every ten minutes or so) everything will eventually get done.

I'm blaming the lack of focus on brain freeze; it was bitterly cold and windy this morning. It took a major effort to convince myself to go outside to go to church. The car, thankfully, started right up, although that first shift from first into second felt as if I were shifting through ice cold molasses. And that's after letting it warm up for quite some time.

But again, if you don't like Wisconsin weather, stick around a while as it's bound to change soon. It may be minus two right now, but Tuesday we'll reach twenty-six. Above zero, that is.

The plan is to be done with most of the multi-tasking by seven thirty, as Cars is being broadcast. I've seen it before, but truthfully wasn't paying much attention to it (machine quilting a huge quilt, as I recall). I spent last night with Gregory Peck, Anthony Quinn and David Niven* - ending the weekend with the voice of Paul Newman seems appropriate.

Gee, it almost seems as if all I've done this weekend is watch movies. I've read the last three quarters of a novel, started reading another, watched several movies (always whilst doing other things), done laundry, home cooked every meal (a rarity), washed dishes, slept late, napped on the couch...perfect way to start vacation.

Beginning tomorrow at six a.m., if my lovely friend was serious, I start a round of social calls. In between I have a cape to make, more books to read, a Bible study to finish and another one to prepare to lead. Oh - and New Year's resolutions/goals to finish, plus a bunch of other things that are on the list, which is around here somewhere. I'd be able to find it if I could find my glasses...

*The Guns of Navarone, from the book by Alistair MacLean. I loved all of his books - read most of them when I was a teenager. The movie is different enough from the book to stand on its own, and is very good. The sequel, Force Ten from Navarone, isn't anywhere near as good, but does star a very young Harrison Ford. Many of MacLean's books were made into movies; many of the adaptation really, really stank.

Angel in a one-ton Chevy

"Lord, grant me the strength to dig through this snow. Send your angels to give me the stamina to move that gorgeous, shimmery, twelve inch thick carpet of snow off the car, and the three foot high drifts from around it."

I surveyed the scene in front of me. A thick layer of cotton covered everything, from cars and sidewalks to electrical wires and treetops. The sounds of traffic (what there was of it), birdsong, even snow blowers seemed muffled by the blanket of snow.

The snowfall stopped an hour or so earlier, and the plow had run down both sides of our street, sending drifts of fluffy stuff up to the windowsills of the cars. I looked back to the house. Kara was parked in front of me; ordinarily I'd be able to shovel a nice wedge in front of the car, free up all the wheels, make sure the drive wheel's path was clear down to the pavement and power out, but her car was too close to mine. Still, between us we could manage to clear a path both of us could use.

Kara came out, laughing. Last year, during our record eighteen inch snowfall, she had been on a mission trip to the Philippines. This is her first year to (repeatedly) dig her car out from under. We started clearing a path.

"Hey, is it worth twenty bucks to you for me to pull you out?"

I looked up, my bright fuchsia pom-pon bedecked hat sliding back further on my head. A black pick up truck had pulled up in the street, the driver leaning out of the window.

"How much for both of us?" I asked, gesturing to both cars.

"Thirty for both."

"Hey, Kara - what's the state of your finances? Oh, wait a minute-" I turned back to the pick up. "Would you take a check?"

Yes, there are angels roaming the earth. They just happen to drive one-ton Chevys and take checks.

If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.John 15:7 (ESV)

7 really quick takes

Again, many thanks to Jen for hosting.

1
Angels really do exist. See post tomorrow.

2
I bought new winter boots this year. They are cute, warm, water- and snowproof Totes, with a seven inch shaft. We had over twelve inches of snow today. 'Nuf said.

3
We are ahead of last year's snow totals for December. You know last year, when we set a record for the winter of over 100" of snow?

4
Tuna casserole is the perfect lunch on a snowy day.

5
Just curious - do meteorologists keep a change of clothes at the station for those days when they are on the air almost around the clock? (Elyssa, can you check with Mike?)

6
All I want for Christmas is Merry Maids.

7
I need Merry Maids because I just received a stack of new books, and I fear I will prefer to read rather than clean.

Snow day

As of 4:54 a.m. this morning, it's official: Snow Day!

Good thing, too, as the car already has at least five inches on it and the snow is falling furiously. Even with the drapes closed, there is a certain ethereal glow that invades the room - the luminosity of the snow. It is very, very pretty, though when I need to go out and dig things out I may change my mind on that.

In honor of a play day and my first day of vacation, I thought I'd link to some of my favorite time wasters.

Snowcraft is a cute little game used ten years ago as a company's on-line holiday card. The object is to win a snowball fight. You control the kids in red. To move them, left click on them and move the mouse. This also pulls back your throwing arm - the longer you hold the mouse down, the further you will throw.

Hitting a kid in green once knocks them down; they do, however, get back up, as it is the second direct hit that knocks them out. If you are hit once, a blue "dizzy" indicator flashes around that kid. As with the green kids, a second hit knocks that kid out of the game.

The best part? Listening to the kids in green giggle when they win (and they always do!)

Whack the penguin - Click once and penguin jumps. Click a second time and the yeti swings. How far can you make the penguin fly? Note this is the family friendly version of this game, not the one where the penguin...er...explodes.

Yeti 3 - what is it with Yetis and penguins? Click and hold and Yeti winds up for the pitch. Release the mouse and he releases the penguin. Penguin goes higher if he bounces off the seals. How high can you throw him?

Eight letters in search of a word - Classic "find the anagrams" game, but with eight letter words instead of six or seven, for those of you with a more erudite vocabulary.

The Impossible Quiz - Out of the box thinking for this one. I just found my cheat sheet notes on this one - not only is it impossible, it's addicting.

Assembler - Creative thinking, the ability to visualize solutions and a steady hand will take you far in this game.

Escape games - This is a class of games, where you are confined to an area and you need to find and use objects in order to escape. Try Turkey escape for your first one - it's rather easy. The escape games from Gameshandbook are beautifully done, but challenging.

Beware, many, many escape games are written by Japanese developers, and may have been translated from Japanese. Think of it as adding another level of challenge to the puzzle!

I need to go start the coffee and figure out what to do with the extra day. Until it stops snowing, hot chocolate and a book will be the order of the day, I think.

Enjoy the games!

Bonus day

A little bird told me she was in a meeting with a big bird this afternoon, who said it would not be difficult to close down for tomorrow if the snow is as bad as predicted, as the students are not in residence, and the academic side of the house is mostly out anyway. This big bird should know; he will help make the decision.

Since the current forecast includes the phrase "eight to twelve inches of snow total" I'm fairly certain we will indeed be closed tomorrow.

That would mean my vacation began tonight - bonus day!

Half our office was preparing for a snow day. I've been working on cleaning up everything anyway, as I'll be gone for the next two weeks (a whopping five work days); after the forms were signed, sealed into the FedEx envelope and delivered to the person who would call for a pick up I was done with all essential tasks. Payroll, however, is stuck in a bad spot - they may end up coming in Saturday to make up the time and get the checks out on time.

Even if it does turn out to be a tempest in a teapot, meaning I do need to work, it won't be a big deal.

Still...

Let it snow.

The beauty of the building takes the sting out of paying your property tax bill

The three year restoration of the Milwaukee City Hall is finished, with the rededication ceremony scheduled for tonight. The building was built in 1892 - 1895 in the Flemish Renaissance Revival style, the same style used in the 1895 Frederick Pabst mansion. The buildings are certainly distinctive; if you were a regular viewer of Laverne & Shirley, you may remember the face of the City Hall tower from the opening credits.

Be sure to click through the slide show, as there are pictures included from the original construction as well as the restoration. Beware, however, if you are afraid of heights; many of the restoration pictures are taken at dizzying heights.

Something I didn't know: at the time it was completed, it was the third tallest building in America.

There is one aspect of the original I miss, however; the soft green verdigris covering the roof of the bell tower. The restoration company did use copper, so in time the coloring will return. The also recently restored Basilica of St. Josaphat just south of downtown reinstalled copper on the dome (one of the largest copper domes in the world); that, too will eventually age to the beloved green.

Countdown to vacation *Updated*

As a friend said, I can't count today because I'm already at work, so it is now two work days until vacation. But all good things come at a price.

Two weeks ago today I gave a project to my supervisor for review. I've gently reminded him a number of times over this time of the deadlines, and the need to get signatures from the president and the vice president for Finance.

As of now, 8:54 a.m. Wednesday, he has not taken the time to review them.

I've called the offices of both signatories, to find out when they will be in. I know our president goes to Florida for the holidays; he is, in fact, only in the office through this Friday. Both gentlemen have free time tomorrow - assuming my boss ever gives the paperwork back to me.

Complicating things is the weather forecast - we may have twelve inches of snow fall between rush hour Thursday night and mid-morning Friday, with up to nine inches in the overnight hours. If that is the case, there is a very good chance we will be shut down on Friday.

Yay for the early start to my vacation, boo for the possibility of having one less day for a safety net.

There is nothing I can do; more nagging will only be an annoyance. Ditto standing over him until he finishes. You have no idea how much I hate working at the last minute like this, particularly when it is through no fault of my own, but another's skewed sense of what constitutes a priority.

In the meantime, I'm furiously finishing up everything else I can, just in case we aren't in on Friday. When I walk out on Thursday I'd like my desk to be vacation ready, in case of a snow day on Friday.

Why is it always so much extra work to prepare to take some time off? And where are the work elves when you need them?

Update: Well, D finally did go through the returns. No big questions, a couple of small changes and we are good to go.

Note to the State of Wisconsin Department of Regulation & Licensing: two words - fill-in forms. While I did take typing in high school, typing numbers in a form is no fun when you want everything lined up nicely, but don't want to change the tab stops on the machine (I use it once a year; AP uses it several times a week to type out-of-regular-check-run checks and the machine is set for them).

Get signatures tomorrow, run copies and FedEx out, and I'm all set in case we have a snow day Friday. Hurrah!

Goldilocks had only three choices

Too hot; too cold; just right.

She had easy choices; I wish I could say the same when it comes to the heat settings on my furnace.

The facts: A modest, little over 1100 square foot lower flat built in 1922, with forced air heat and newish (installed more than 17 years ago) double paned vinyl windows. One hundred fifty inches of the west wall of the living room is window; One hundred twenty inches of the south facing dining room wall is window. One twelve inch square heat register in each room save the kitchen. Kitchen heat vent is under the cabinet.

The history: The occupant doesn't mind the cold. In previous years, sixty-three degrees was the typical "home" setting on the thermostat, with a dip to fifty-eight overnight and when unoccupied. This was done in part out of thriftiness and in part to showcase, through use, the quilts the occupant created.

The challenge: Adjust the heat to a more "normal" level, neither too hot nor too cold. Warm enough that the leather furniture isn't a block of ice, cold enough that the heating bill won't cause cardiac arrest. Warm enough that friends are comfortable, cool enough for the occupant's broken internal thermostat.

The results: Less than optimal. No matter what the heat settings, when it is greater than thirty-five degrees outside, it feels chilly inside. At lower outside temperatures, the interior feels much too warm. The perception of hot/cold in the house also seems to shift with the direction and intensity of the wind, leading to the conclusion that over the years, as the house has continued to "settle", the windows have lost some of their weather tight qualities.

The final conclusion: After much messing around, a more or less suitable temperature range has been established. Quilts and/or sweaters are still needed when sitting to watch a movie, but it is still warm enough to consistently walk around barefoot (occupant refuses to wear shoes in the house, and prefers not to wear socks after the great over spray of Pledge + linoleum debacle).

Now if you'll excuse me for a moment, I need to go get a sweater.

Another reason not to believe everything you read

Another perspective on the shoe-throwing incident in Iraq. The author is an attorney in the Milwaukee County system. He's in Iraq as a Resident Legal Advisor, working to help establish the Iraqi justice system.

Nice to hear the stories of rebuilding rather than the constant yammering (from the American media) of "yankee, go home".

Pfft. I laugh at twelve below wind chills

Or I would, if my lips weren't frozen together.

Yesterday afternoon was warm (low forties) but windy. After sunset it started to rain, and the wind picked up even more as the temperature began to drop. The wind was a blessing, as it was enough to dry up some of the rainfall before it froze during the thirty degree plus temperature freefall. I believe it went down to zero overnight; it's all of five degrees now.

The car door was not frozen shut; the car started on the first try. It did take a bit to get warm enough to clear the windows.

Tomorrow we're having a heat wave - highs in the middle twenties. Oh - and three to five inches of snow beginning in the late afternoon.

Wisconsin: If you don't like the weather, stick around a couple of days.

Christmas confession

Every year, ABC’s Family Channel runs a season-long marathon of schmaltzy Christmas movies. Some are broadcasts of movies released in theatres in previous years; some are made-for-television movies from their extensive vaults.

In many movies, Christmas is in jeopardy, because Santa is in trouble/has amnesia/is locked out of the North Pole/wants to go on vacation/has lost the reindeer, or because an individual or a family is in danger of losing that Christmas feeling. In some, it’s boy meets girl, boy and girl hate one another, boy and girl realize the other isn’t so bad, boy gets girl, but only after some Christmas stuff.

Ninety-nine percent of the time, the movies have absolutely nothing to do with the real meaning of Christmas. But I don’t care.

I love them all.

It may have started during an all-day marathon decorating session several years ago, when I turned the television on for some noise and ended up watching three or four of the movies in a row. That may well be why the decorating took so long, come to think of it. Anyway, I was hooked.

My favorites are the made-for-television movies, with one B-list actor whose name and face you recognize as the lead, and a whole host of other B-listers whose faces look vaguely familiar as the supporting cast. In spite of the often thin plots, the acting is generally quite good.

Vacation begins at the end of the week. The plan is to spend at least a bit of the afternoon Saturday watching a silly Christmas movie, sipping hot chocolate, nibbling on a few of the wonderful cookies from today’s swap, letting the cares of the work world slip away.
After that, I just may be ready for Christmas

Generosity

This is the third year we’ve run a silent auction during our departmental Christmas party, the proceeds going to charity. The idea is that individuals or groups of people put together some sort of themed gift basket, or make a certificate for home-baked, home-made goods and services. We have the goodies displayed on a table during the party, with bid sheets and plenty of pens handy.

The first year, we had a spectacular, down to the wire bidding war – on a basket consisting mostly of Hot Wheels cars. It seems both coworkers had promised their kids they would bring something home from the auction. The second year, a coworker whose family runs a deli/catering business donated a certificate for a roast pig. The directors all chipped in to bid on it, and as a result, our picnic this year featured roast pork.

The items on auction are as varied as the personalities of the people in the department. Food items included a freshly baked apple pie and Gwen’s grandmother’s hand made chocolates (which were soon bid out of my budget). There were baskets for car care, for readers, for movie lovers. A pair of Nutcracker ballet tickets sat next to a four-pack of Brewer tickets. Oddly enough, the basket full of various forms of chocolate got more bids than the five pound hand weights, balance ball and certificate for a six week class at the Rec Plex.

The most hotly contested item, though, was the offer of six hours of yard work our associate purchasing director put up. Poor Craig; he has no idea how big Mel’s yard is!

The generosity of my coworkers astounds me. In a time when everyone is trying to tighten belts, they went out of their way to create fun, valuable, creative entries for the auction. Then, they took the added step of bidding on them, and bidding high.

The donations this year are going to places close to our hearts. Half of the funds will go to the education fund of the daughter of a coworker who passed away suddenly earlier this year. The remainder will go to our chapter of Campus Kitchen, an organization that is dedicated to finding creative solutions to the problem of hunger.

All done

I forgot the snap of the finished cookies, but these are the ones for the swap all wrapped up, first in saran, then in bright paper. I ended up with at least three dozen extra, some of which will be taken along tomorrow to provide an instant taste.

I'm on the way out to move the car - may take a side trip to Starbucks to read a while. In the final cookie baking related irony, while I have both the hot chocolate and whipped cream to create one of Starbucks' signature hot chocolates at home, I am out of the cinnnamon that is an integral part of its flavor.

Gee, I wonder why?

The cookie baker

I will eventually get to a post about the Christmas party, but I need to make the dough for the remainder of the spicy molasses cookies I need for the exchange tomorrow. When I wasn't looking, the number of participants went up by three, so I need another four and a half dozen, which means I need to double the recipe. The dough has to chill for several hours, necessitating an early start. We'll see how the live blogging goes.

7:59 a.m. Pulled up cookbook software, scaled cookie recipe to double size, printed out.

8:01 a.m. Start live cookie making post.

8:03 a.m. Go put contact lenses in to enable accurate reading of cookie recipe. Those 1/2 and 1/4 cups look awfully similar. After contacts are in, locate reading glasses to enable accurate reading of cookie recipe.

8:05 a.m. Go put hair in a ponytail, as headband will not keep hair out of eyes (and cookies).

8:10 a.m. Gather all ingredients.

8:13 a.m. Dig in kitchen-implement-drawer-that-bites (TM) for 1/4 tsp measure. Resolve to clean KIDTB out at earliest convenience.

8:15 a.m. Begin measuring dry ingredients into monster bowl #1. Realize I pulled two containers of ground cloves from the spice cabinet instead of one of cloves, one of cinnamon. Find cinnamon, return cloves, resolve to clean out spice cabinet at earliest convenience.

8:15:30 a.m. Open cinnamon container, to discover it holds a scant teaspoon of spice; I need two. Go through spice cabinet to see if extra is on hand. Find very expensive tiny envelope of saffron thought lost, four little containers of ground mustard (!?), lots of garlic powder but no more cinnamon. Briefly consider using apple pie spice. Briefly consider asking landlady, but they appear not to be awake yet. Shrug. Resolve to inventory spice cabinet at earliest convenience.

8:17 a.m. Mix dry ingredients well.

8:18 a.m. Wipe up flour spilled on counter.

8:20 a.m. Find monster bowl # 2 and hand mixer to begin combining wet ingredients.

8:23 a.m. Pause in measuring to put Christmas CDs on player. Discover that the batteries in the remote control for the stereo are dead. Search several minutes to find the manual start button. Start music, find last pair of AA batteries in stash, place in remote.

8:28 a.m. After making a mess measuring and packing brown sugar, realize container is empty and I am 1/4 cup short. Shrug and throw in white sugar. Really, I did survey all ingredients last week and thought I had enough.

8:30 a.m. Crank up volume on selections from Handel on CD player. Briefly consider possibly sleeping landlords. Shrug.

8:42 - 8:55 a.m. Add dry ingredients to wet, mixing with hand mixer. Wonder if I mistakenly measured out 5 1/2 cups of flour instead of 4 1/2. Shrug and keep adding. Mixer whines in protest. Remove mixer, stir in last addition of dry ingredients by hand, with strongest spoon in house. Resolve to add KitchenAid mixer to Amazon wishlist.

8:56 a.m. Put cover on completed dough and put it in the refrigerator to chill for at least two hours. Taste dough remaining on beaters - not bad - you don't even miss the other teaspoon of cinnamon.

8:57 - 9:02 a.m. Wipe baby-poop color and texture dough from all surfaces within a three foot radius of assembly area. Wonder if baby-poop colored stains will come out of dishcloth. Shrug.

9:03 a.m. Realize I have had no coffee yet today. Manage to start pot brewing without spilling anything or running out of any ingredients.

9:07 a.m. Use "sneak a cup" feature of coffee maker to get a cup of coffee. Take several cookies from the batches baked last week to have as breakfast. At this point, I think I deserve it.

9:09 a.m. Sit down with coffee and cookies and start grocery list. Cinnamon, brown sugar, dry mustard...

Back later.

10:30 a.m. In the interim, I've picked up the house, had another cup of coffee and gotten blazing angry with my landlord. At this point, I'm in no mood to wait another half hour for the cookie dough to chill.

10:31 a.m. Cover kitchen island and counter tops with special high-grade, biodegradable cookie cooling racks (those newspaper like things that come as junk mail). Pull out good air-bake cookie sheets; spray with Pam. I've decided to do the tedious rolling and dipping in sugar at the worktable in the office, so I can watch the rest of An Affair to Remember. Get new roll of paper towel to clean up drops and other messes in that room.

10:35 a.m. As expected, cookie dough has reached consistency of concrete. Scrape off small pieces with spoon, roll in palms to form ball, dip top in white sugar, place on cookie sheet.

Lather, rinse, repeat ad nauseum.

10:47 a.m. After rolling one tray of cookies (6 x 6 = 36 cookies so far), realize dough is rapidly turning back to baby poop consistency. Put dough back in refrigerator, put tray of cookies in preheated oven and set timer. Go back to movie.

11 a.m. The first tray of cookies comes out of the oven - I wish you could smell them. Set on stove top to cool several minutes before taking them off the tray.

11:07 a.m. The cookies were successfully transferred to the cooling racks. Other than a picture when they are all done, I'm signing off for now (don't want to get dough in the keyboard as I roll the rest out). The swap is only 1/2 dozen per participant, so I'm assuming there will be 15 people. I plan to stack the cookies up, seal them in saran wrap, then put wrapping paper around the rolls, Christmas-cracker style.

One can only hope I have enough wrapping paper on hand.

7 theoretically quick but in reality long-winded and potentially boring takes

Shamelessly stolen from the lovely Jordana, who is participating in Jen’s brainchild – 7 Quick Takes. This is to tide you over until later; our departmental party is this afternoon, and I will bring you all the action (accounting and finance professionals gone wild!) when I get home.

1
Once the sun dipped behind the horizon on the drive home, the brilliant full moon became visible. If I remember correctly, scientists have debunked the idea that people go a little strange when the moon is full. Those scientists were not with me on I-94 west this afternoon, for if they were, they would have changed their minds. While people are all sweetness and light in person during the holidays, they are secretly storing up all their aggression to vent on the roads.

2
I have zero Christmas decorations up. Usually, I finish putting them up after I come home from wherever I spent Thanksgiving (or begin after the guests leave if I host the dinner). The fall stuff – and there is a lot of it – mostly got put away last night. Then I pulled out the Christmas quilty stuff to put out, saw the green and red Christmas quilt with the soft white flannel backing, and promptly sat down on the couch with it to doze until bedtime. Putting up the (six foot tall, fake, pre-lit) tree is beyond my energy level this year, but I may make up for it by buying a real evergreen swag for one of the archways. The Boy Scouts came around selling wreaths, but they no longer have the pretty 36” swags they sold several years ago – bummer.

I’m not sure exactly what my problem is this year. I certainly feel Christmassy – not down or melancholy. But my energy level is even lower than usual, and I can never get enough sleep. Even with only four short weeks to go before I turn fifty, I should not be falling asleep on the couch at 6 p.m., no matter how early I usually get up.

3
The phone rang as I was unpacking groceries last night. By the time I dug it out of the purse, it stopped. After taking a look at the number, I hit the call back feature. The number looked familiar, and the voice that answered sounded very familiar. But after a minute of conversation, I finally had to ask, “I’m sorry, but really, can you tell me who you are?” Talk about a peri-menopausal moment – it was a friend from church who needed the address to the home at which the women’s function was being held. She couldn’t find her church directory, but apparently had my number in her phone.

Naturally, I couldn’t find my copy of the directory, but I knew where she needed to go and provided what I hope were more than adequate directions.

4
We have the sweetest student workers in the entire University. Jackie is graduating on Sunday, going off into the “real world”. She brought in a big box of pastries as a thank you for us being such good bosses the four years she worked for us. If you are so inclined, remember her in your prayers. The job she has lined up doesn’t start until February 1st, and is as an analyst for a brokerage firm. Not at all what I’d consider a stable environment at the moment. Pray her job will still be there in February.

5
Rachel, another student worker, has just completed all the grunt work on a UBIT project on which I’m working. She is an accounting major, and I’d hoped to have her continue with it and help do the analysis and the interviews we may be doing, but she opted instead to spend next semester studying in Madrid. Huh – sunny Madrid vs. cold Wisconsin and taxes. I can’t understand why she is leaving.

6
A couple of people from some citizen’s action group came to the door last night with a petition (and a fund drive, though he quietly slipped that one into the spiel) to put pressure on our state lawmakers to “develop a strong economy that creates sustainable jobs and a prosperous future.” He went on to say (after I politely declined to either sign the petition or listen to more nonsense) that “This is how things get changed” and “We’ve won every issue we’ve gone up against.”

Show me a detailed, comprehensive plan that takes into account the real workings of a free market economy, and maybe – maybe I’ll listen to you.

But I am sorry I made you stand on the cold porch to give your little talk.

7
Cookie swap on Sunday. Monday, I take most of them to work to enrich my coworkers. Our cleaning lady, however, will be disappointed. Two weeks ago she came into my office to empty the trash, and a propos of nothing said, “When you bringing in them pecans?” Seeing the rather confused look on my face (I had been in the middle of a complex calculation, and had no clue how pecans figured into it) she went on to rave about some spiced pecans I had apparently brought in last Christmas that she really liked.

I didn’t tell her, but for one, I don’t think I brought any in last year (she described them as sweet, while the ones I make are rather spicy), and for two, pecan halves are currently $9.50 per pound at the grocery store. Even at Fleet Farm they are $5.00 per pound. I’d need over four pounds to allow a 3 ounce serving for each person in our office (including Wendy, of course). Plus a pound of butter and assorted spices…I’m generous, but hadn’t planned on this. She’ll have to make do with assorted cookies.

Back later, assuming the departmental party provides some interesting post fodder.

Fellowship

I’m off in a few minutes to a Christmas party. Granted, it is usually a short party, as most of the attendees need to get to work by a certain time, but a party it is nonetheless. It just happens to begin at 5:45 a.m.

It’s been three and a half years since I joined this early morning study, and with each passing year this group of women grow more dear to me. We’ve gone through some incredible Bible studies, had lively discussions even at that hour of the morning (it helps that our waitress never lets us see the bottom of our coffee cups) and had some fun outings at more traditional hours of the day.

Fellowship – koinonia in the greek – is defined as the share which one has in anything, a participation, fellowship recognized and enjoyed; it’s commonly used of the common experiences of Christians. It’s more than simply going to a potluck and sharing a meal. Rather, it’s the sharing of lives, of struggles and triumphs, faith and doubt. It’s being involved with one another in a deeper way.

More than the good food, more than the pretty decorations and warm fire – that’s what makes it so difficult to leave and go to work.

Happy Third Blogiversary to me!

In honor of the occasion, the management organized a nice party. Due to the current economic crisis, however, some adjustments were made to the planned festivities.

We originally wanted to offer rides on the unicorn promised to each American citizen by the president-elect. The unicorn has yet to arrive (I’m sure it’s a shipping snafu) and ponies were too expensive (not forgetting the mess they made on the first blogiversary). Instead, the management has opted to offer goat rides.

Goats not only work to keep the grass shorn (eliminating the need for costly fossil fuels to run the lawn mower), they provide milk from which ice cream or cheese can be made, as well as manufacturing other...er…biodegradable byproducts.

Due to the current epidemic of diabetes overrunning our country, a sugarless carrot cake has been prepared in place of the four layer orange marmalade cake that is traditional at this gathering. The rumor that the goats got into the cake and the damage they did was repaired by an abundant application of fat-free, sugar-free air-whipped frosting substitute is just that: a rumor.

We will, however, begin cutting the cake from the left front corner and work diagonally to the right rear corner.

As stated on your invitations, you need bring no gifts to the party. The management of this blog is awaiting the sizeable amount of funds promised by the Blogger’s Omnibus Out-of-Money Bailout Sinecure Act (B.O.O.B.S.) in Washington (which was apparently sent via the same shipping company as the unicorn).

So come on in, grab a slice of cake, a scoop of goat’s milk ice cream and a glass of wine (note: breathalyzer tests are mandatory before leaving the party) have a seat and help celebrate our third blogiversary!

Early exit

E-mail came around - due to the weather, we can go home at three.

I'd quibble and say I already had a full day in - plus a half hour of overtime - by that time, but I think I'll just keep my mouth shut and leave.

Besides, it will take that extra half hour to brush, chip and push the snow off the car.

Blue painters' tape

A few weeks ago, I walked into the gym where we hold church to find blue painters’ tape laid out much like crime scene tape. These particular markers ran from the two tables flanking the soundboard back six feet to the corners of the table supporting the rear screen, effectively blocking anyone from walking through that area.

It’s not that there was a spill or mess on the floor (we serve coffee and doughnuts before church; a spill is not an unlikely occurrence) from which people had to be protected. Rather, the tape was there to prevent people from walking in front of the screen from which the worship team was reading the words to the songs.

Amazing, isn’t it, how often we need to be reminded to put the needs of others first. It seems such a little thing, to not take a shortcut to a seat by walking in front of the screen, but to the singers, it makes a world of difference that they can see the words with no interruptions.

Thinking more of others and less of self is not the current style. Those who put others first are thought of as weak and foolish, unlikely to attain their dreams because they have taken the focus off of themselves.

But that’s not the way God wants it.

Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.
Phil 2:3-4 (ESV)

It doesn't take much to start looking out for others. Make coffee when the pot is almost empty. Skip your favorite television show to spend time playing a board game with your kids. Take the time to listen to the friend who lost her job, even though you have a million things to get done. Give to a food pantry - not just at the holidays, but plan gifts as part of your usual shopping. Put the toilet seat down.

Really.

Paul continues in his letter to the Philippian church by citing the greatest example of One who looked out for the interests of others: Jesus.

There's no one I'd rather follow.

Bits and Pieces, aka I got nuthin’

It’s Monday – difficult enough to put together a single sentence (does “Coffee – now!” count as a sentence?) much less coherent thoughts. So little bits…

A young man at church has received invitations from all four service academies. He and his parents visited the Naval Academy at Annapolis last weekend. If all goes well, that would be his first choice. His high school also has some sort of flight instruction internship; he did his first solo flight last week and will take his FAA exam tomorrow.
*Any mangling of terminology or fact in this snippet is mine – not my field, but very proud of him!

The notebook with my memory verses turned up, right where I put it so I wouldn’t forget where it was, which place I couldn’t remember. I need serious help.

If a woman was madly waving at you from the car next to you at the stoplight, would you roll your window down to see what the fuss was about? In this case, I was the wavee rather than the waver; apparently, my driver’s side brake light is out, and she wanted to let me know. There are still nice people around, even if they look at first glance like raving lunatics.

Our 5:45 a.m. Bible study has its Christmas event Thursday morning. The overnight low Wednesday night? Forecast says zero. Would someone like to come and start my car for me at around 5:15 and let me know when it gets warm? Thanks.

I’m considering throwing myself a birthday party, as this is a milestone year. Appetizers and desserts, with guests bringing some of the grub. Open house style – come and go during a four hour window. Presents optional. Those of you who know me IRL, what do you think? Sat. Jan 10th, most likely. On the other hand, going out and taking advantage of the senior discount at Meyer’s is probably less of a hassle.

The next two weeks are busy, not only because of the holidays, but as I’m trying to get things done at work so I can actually enjoy my two weeks off without having to think at all about the office. We’ll see if I can pull that off, as it isn’t entirely in my control. I hate that.

A 36 hour winter storm warning starts tonight at 6 p.m. - they say from 3" to 12" of snow, preceded by freezing rain and followed by very cold temps- they just don't know how much actual snow we'll get. Gee, thanks. I have a doctor appointment (doctor's office is twenty minutes from my office, 'way on the other side of town) tomorrow afternoon. Do I change the day/time or not?

Provision

...do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
Phil 4:6 (ESV)

...casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.
1 Peter 5:7 (ESV)

Why is it so difficult sometimes to remember to pray rather than worry? Why is it easier to fret over whether there is enough, than to ask for more?

I’d been fretting a bit over the cost of the cape. Finding an extra chunk of money in December is difficult to begin with; add in the fact I’m paid monthly, the wedding is January 3rd and my next pay date is December 30th…it was beginning to appear I’d spend my New Year’s eve sewing like a madwoman.

Enter God.

The trip to the fabric store yesterday yielded blessing after blessing. The minimum anything was on sale was 50% off – the velvet ended up being 25% of the on-line price. While I still need a frog closure and the fun trim, the total cost thus far is well under my budget.

Even when we forget to go to Him with our burdens, God is caring for us. In the big things - but also in the little.

Thank you, Lord, for your provision, in things large and small in my life. Nothing is too small for You to concern Yourself with, and nothing is too big for You to handle. You anticipate my needs, and meet them out of Your depth of love for me.

In Jesus' name, Amen.

Cape crusader

Back in the days when the cost of decent apparel fabric was reasonable, in the days before I morphed in to a more or less full time quilter, I did a great deal of garment sewing.

And I was good.

It makes perfect sense, then, that when a young friend expressed a desire for a cloak to wear over her dress for her January wedding, I offered to make her one as a gift. Nothing could be easier, provided you are accustomed to dealing with projects that require many yards of fabric.

Duh.

The one bump in the road, from my point of view, is the ridiculous cost of fabric. I had originally thought of using velvet, but it runs $25 per yard. Even with the 50% off coupons I have, that’s pricey. We’ll need an additional 5 – 6 yards of lining fabric, plus thread to match, the frog closure, any trim or miscellaneous other notions. I do have a budget I’d like to stay within.

We’ll look at the velvet, but also at the velveteen ($11 per yard), panne velvet ($9) and, if they have it, the crushed velvet ($7). Color availability will drive the final choice, but my preference would be crushed velvet, not because of the price differential as much as the drape and visual difference from the others. Crushed velvet is softer and has a less stiff drape than the others (particularly than the velveteen), and has a more interesting surface texture.

Today we’ll meet at the store to fondle various fabrics and finalize the pattern choice. I may buy the main fabric tomorrow, picking up the various other pieces of the puzzle as the availability of 50% off coupons permits. Actual construction won’t begin until the day after Christmas.

Converted

No, not the way you think: converted to digital television. My paid for with money sucked from my hard-earned paycheck government coupons expire today; I finally made the trip to Circuit City last night.

PSA: A co-worker’s husband works for the FCC, currently on assignment in Hawaii traveling to talk at nursing homes and retail outlets about the big switch (Hawaii is switching a month earlier, not wanting to disturb a rare bird’s nesting habits). The PSA: the Zenith converter available at Circuit City and the Insignia at Best Buy work the best. They are virtually identical units, both manufactured by LG. Cost for each is $59.99, so $19.99 out of your own pocket.

Installation

The converter is being used on a 13” television/vcr combo with rabbit ears and front A/V inputs. A DVD player was already hooked up through those inputs.

The converter unit itself is small – 8 x 6 x 2” or so. Several types of cables are provided for various hook-up options. I ran the antenna cable to the back of the converter, the RF cable from the converter to the antenna input on the television, turned the tv to channel 3, plugged in the converter and turned it on (remote included). It took less than a minute for the box to automatically find and set the stations. Truthfully, the most difficult part of the process was neatly arranging the myriad cords sprouting from the equipment.

The verdict

This set now gets a much better picture than the set in the living room – which is hooked up to cable. As an added bonus, I picked up several digital music channels, for jazz, classical, worship music and more. The DVD hookup is undisturbed (I watch movies in here while sewing). All in all, I’m pretty happy.

The Bible or The Bard?

Score: 80% (8 out of 10)

It's harder than you think, as old Will plagiarized adapted quite a few Biblical turns of phrase. The two I got wrong are #3 and #6, in opposite directions. The average score is 6 of 10 correct. Let me know in the comments if you give it a try!

Track that package

I'm all about the anticipation. Planning and looking forward to a vacation, going over possible menus and readying the house for guests, all of the pre-event bits and pieces are just as pleasurable to me as the actual event. After all, the event only lasts for a predetermined amount of time, while you can enjoy the lead up to the event for as long as you'd like, if you start early enough.

That may be why I like the "track package" feature of on-line ordering so very much. Once the package is shipped, I can follow it from Kansas to Elm Grove, right to the very truck that will stop at my house to make the delivery. It lets me know I'll have the fun of opening a package (or two) after work.

Two boxes should be waiting on my porch tonight. One, from JP Penney, contains a couple of Christmas presents plus a gift for me - a portable language translator. (Don't even try to tell me you don't do the very same thing when you are Christmas shopping - "three for them, one for me...") The second is a totebag (I see I ordered just in time - mine is black with pale pink quilting and web handles - now they only have the pink ones left!) to replace my much loved, very well used Vera Wang tote.

That poor old totebag is well and truly dead, after a life of full service. I keep all my Bible study and related materials in the tote, easy to grab if I'm going out to study, easy to move around the house if I feel like working in the living room rather than the office. It's pretty well stuffed - Bible, moleskine page-a-day datebook, journal, crossword puzzle book, post-its, colored pens...plus whatever study guide(s) I'm currently working in.

Thanks to package tracking, I can tell you that I'm going to spend the evening finishing up some cookie baking and playing with organizing my new totebag. Something to look forward to after a long day at work.

Sometimes, simple things are the best.

Candlemats

Bad picture of a fun project follows*.

These are the candlemats I made for the Bloggy Giveaway. Yes, there are two; chalk it up to trying to find an e-mail comment in a list of over one hundred at five-thirty in the morning before having any coffee and with glasses on instead of contacts in. I mixed two Jens up, so I made one for each, because I felt badly for them that I am (sometimes) an idiot.

The snowman fabric in the border of each is different, as is the actual snowflake fabric. They turned out pretty cute. Although I've made over half a dozen of these, I still don't have one for myself. Now that I remember how easy they are, I just may make another one - for me - this weekend.

*Someone needs to tell Santa to bring me a really good point and shoot digital camera. I take great pictures with the twenty-five year old Nikon, but it takes me a year to go through a roll of 24 pictures when I only take pictures of quilts.

Life in the blood

For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life.

Lev 17:11 (ESV)

"The blood is the life!"- Bram Stoker, Dracula

Early yesterday morning, I went to visit the vampire bloodsucker phlebotomist for a routine blood draw. The needle stick wasn’t painful, but it did get me thinking: what is this obsession we see to have with vampires?

A couple of weekends ago, Twilight opened to huge crowds; the books upon which the movie is based are flying off of the shelves. We’ve had Dracula, Lestat, Angel, Buffy (who, though technically a vampire slayer, was ridiculously attracted to those she was supposed to kill). While we can tell ourselves we like them because they are generally portrayed as powerful, sensual beings that will live eternally (barring an accidental sunburn or misplaced fence picket), I think the real fascination is more elemental.

It’s the blood.

Even the undead need life’s blood to sustain them. There is power in the blood; there is life in the blood – eternal life.

Yes, in that one thing the vampire literature gets it right. The shed blood – the right blood – has the power to cleanse from sin.

Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.
Heb 9:22 (ESV)

There is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Emmanuel's veins;
and sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains.
Lose all their guilty stains,
lose all their guilty stains;
and sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains.
-William Cowper

Holi-daze

At the beginning of November, the Christmas season is a sea of blank dates on the calendar. By Thanksgiving Day, however, it’s sometimes difficult to find even a single white square in the sea of open houses, concerts, cookie exchanges, special services and other events written in from then until the New Year.

This year, however, I’m slowing down. Back in early November, I accepted an invitation to a cookie exchange, not so much for the cookies, but for the socializing that goes along with it. At that point, the holidays were a blank slate.

Since then, fun things have come up, but I’m turning down most invitations. This is the year where less is going to be more. It’s partly driven by a desire to slow down enough to savor the events I do choose to participate in, but it’s also a simple matter of scheduling: in a single four day period at the end of next week, I could conceivably be running to six different, “fun” holiday activities.

More time spent at home, enjoying the silly Christmas specials from my youth. More time to curl up and address Christmas cards while carols fill the house. More time to be home to enjoy the decorations.

More time to contemplate the real reason for the season.

About me

A saved-by-grace, forty-something fifty year old saint in progress, striving to become more Christ like each day, but sometimes missing the mark. Student of Scripture, leader of Bible studies.

Lover of well written prose, smooth writing pens and high thread count cotton. Drops everything to meet a friend for coffee. Plays cards regularly; loses frequently. Adores cut flowers from the grocery store; kills all potted plants.

Works cryptic crossword puzzles. In ink. Rarely completely solves them.

Accomplished actress, though in nothing of which you’ve ever heard. Published author (who cares if it was in second grade?). Violinist and guitarist, though no longer cares to play publicly.

Want to meet for coffee?


E-mail me at werled@hotmail.com

2009 Memory Verse List

There are a myriad of reasons to memorize Scripture. One of the best lists of reasons you can find is at Scripture Memory Fellowship, an organization devoted to helping people hide God's word in their hearts. I've used several of their memory books; their resources are fantastic.

I've been blessed with a quick mind and an ability to easily memorize anything except numbers (don't ask). Over the last few years, as I've read through the entire Bible several times, I've kept a list of verses and passages I'd like to memorize. You would think I'd find the time to do just that. But too many things get in the way.

This year, regular memorization of Scripture is back on my goals list. I'd like to add one new verse/s each week; it sounds ambitious, but it is doable. I've figured out when best to do the hard work of initial memorization, and a system for regular review. The list here is meant to remind me - publicly - of the commitment I've made. I may not end the year with 52 new passages memorized, but I will certainly end the year knowing more than a few.

Update: My plan for more memory work this year has been derailed, but this particular post continues to get a large number of hits...so, I've updated the list below to the verses I've already memorized, to help you all to a start. To find a verse, highlight the verse, right click, copy, go to Bible Gateway and paste the reference in the quick search field.

There may well be duplicates, as this represents several different memory programs I've used, plus others picked up elsewhere.

2 Corinthians 5:17
Galatians 2:20
Romans 12:1 - 2
John 14:21
2 Timothy 3:16 - 17
Joshua 1:8
John 15:7
Philippians 4:6 - 7
Hebrews 10:24 - 25
1 John 1:3
Matthew 18:20
Matthew 4:19
Romans 1:16
Romans 3:23
Isaiah 53:6
Romans 6:23
Hebrews 9:27
Romans 5:8
1 Peter 3:18
Ephesians 2:8 - 9
Titus 3:5
John 1:12
Revelation 3:20
Romans 10:9 - 10
1 John 5:13
1 Corinthians 3:16
1 Corinthians 2:12
Isaiah 41:10
Philippians 4:13
Lamentations 3:22 - 24
Numbers 23:19
Isaiah 26:3
1 Peter 5:7
Romans 8:32
Philippians 4:19
Hebrews 2:18
Psalm 119:9 - 11
Matthew 6:33
Luke 9:23
1 John 2:15 - 16
Romans 12:2
1 Corinthians 15:58
Hebrews 12:3
Mark 10:45
2 Corinthians 4:5
Proverbs 3:9 - 10
2 Corinthians 9:6 - 7
Acts 1:8
Matthew 28:19 - 20
John 13:34 - 35
1 John 3:18
Philippians 2:3 - 4
1 Peter 5:5 - 6
Ephesians 5:3
1 Peter 2:11
Leviticus 19;11
Acts 24:16
Hebres 11:6
Romans 4:20 - 21
Galatians 6:9 - 10
Matthew 5:16
1 John 5:11 - 12
John 16:24
1 Corinthians 10:13
1 John 1:9
Titus 2:11 - 13
James 4:7
1 John 3:4
Romans 5:8
John 3:14 - 16
John 5:24
John 14:6
Acts 4:12
John 10:28 - 29
1 John 5:12 - 13
Isaiah 59:2
John 8:32
Romans 6:18
Ephesians 2:10
1 John 1:9
John 15:16
John 14:2 - 3

All of the following are from Isaiah: 6:5 - 7, 7:14, 9:6, 12:2 -4, 12:5,
25:1, 26:3 - 4, 28:16, 28:29, 30:15, 30:18, 32:17, 40:8, 40:12 - 14, 40:29 - 30, 41:10, 42:8, 43:1 -3a, 43:10, 43:21, 45:6 7, 45:22, 50:4, 51:7, 52:7, 53:5 - 6,55:9 - 11, 58:11, 61:10

All of the following are from Philippians: 1:3 - 6, 1:9 - 11, 1:21, 2:5 - 6, 2:7 - 8, 2:9 - 11, 2:12 - 13, 2:14 - 16, 3:3 - 4, 3:8 - 10, 3:12 - 14, 3:20 - 21, 4:1, 4:6 - 7, 4:8 - 9, 4:11

All of the following are from Jeremiah: 10:6, 10:10, 32:17, 1:9, 5:13, 8:9, 15:16, 23:28 - 30, 5:31, 9:3, 22:29, 5:14, 20:8 - 9, 7:24, 17:9 - 10, 10:23 - 24, 33:3, 1:19, 14:7, 17:14, 9:23 - 24, 9:1, 29:11 - 13, 30:3, 31:3, 33:14 - 15, 31:33 - 34, 33:11

Technical difficulties

We often joke that our church is a “church in a trailer”. While our service is not held in a double-wide parked out on someone’s back forty, we do haul all of our AV equipment each week to the elementary school gym that is our current home. In addition to setting up chairs for about a hundred and fifty people, areas for a nursery and a kid’s Sunday School class, we have techs who run cable for mics, set up the keyboards and electronic drums, put up two projectors, rig up the soundboard, run up the screens, set out the hallway display monitor, check the batteries on a million different things…our chief sound and all-around tech guy is a genius. Most Sundays, things work efficiently and seamlessly.

And yet.

There are weeks – not often, thankfully – when all that can go wrong, does. The first person I saw yesterday morning was our chief sound and all-around tech genius kneeling at a computer hooked up to the hallway display monitor.

“Technical difficulties?” I asked.

“If it weren’t for technical difficulties, I wouldn’t have a job.”

While nothing absolutely catastrophic happened, all sorts of little things were…off. You could honestly say that the technical side of the service was not our best effort.

And yet.

The topic of the sermon? Joy.

Joy, the inward state of resting in all of the victories God has already won on your behalf, as opposed to happiness, an often fleeting emotion that is determined by outward circumstances. Joy, which leads to contentment even when things are falling apart around you.

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (ESV)