3 month old Gabriel… chubby and healthy after being born premature:
Coram Deo!
Archive for January, 2010
Picture of the Day
Sunday, January 31st, 2010A Cat and a Fiddle
Friday, January 29th, 2010I know what I’m going to be watching tonight… the “biggest” full moon of the year, with Mars on the left side of the moon. I will try to post any pictures I get of it!
This picture is one of many “moon shots” I’ve attempted. Adjusting the ISO, aperture, shutter speed, and metering mode can be tricky when doing night shots.
Coram Deo~
Rescue Haiti’s Children
Thursday, January 28th, 2010Doug Phillips is headed with a team of people in the next 24 hours to Haiti.
This disaster that occurred in Haiti already ranks among the top 20 worst disasters in recorded history… please be in prayer for Doug Phillips and the team of men that are going with him as they seek to bring immediate relief to the suffering, and as they seek to rescue many of the children that are orphaned there. And, if you can, please offer them financial support, as well.
Doug Phillips: Rescue Haiti’s Children.
“Who has performed and done it,
Calling the generations from the beginning?‘ I, the LORD, am the first;
And with the last I am He.’”
The coastlands saw it and feared,
The ends of the earth were afraid;
They drew near and came.
Everyone helped his neighbor,
And said to his brother,
“Be of good courage!”“The poor and needy seek water, but there is none,
Their tongues fail for thirst.
I, the LORD, will hear them;
I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them.
I will open rivers in desolate heights,
And fountains in the midst of the valleys;
I will make the wilderness a pool of water,
And the dry land springs of water.
I will plant in the wilderness the cedar and the acacia tree,
The myrtle and the oil tree;
I will set in the desert the cypress tree and the pine
And the box tree together,
That they may see and know,
And consider and understand together,
That the hand of the LORD has done this,
And the Holy One of Israel has created it.” — Isaiah 41: 4-6, 17-20
Coram Deo!
Dark Chocolate Books
Thursday, January 28th, 2010The one fear no child will have to deal with (for as long as they live in this house, anyway) is the fear that they will run out of books to read.
I’m currently reading:
- Paradise Restored by David Chilton
- Shadowplay by Tad Williams
- At Large and At Small by Anne Fadiman
- The Fruit of Her Hands by Nancy Wilson
- The Saga of the Volsungs
- That Hideous Strength by C.S. Lewis
and
Rather light material, over all… and no, I am not reading them in that order. I have to admit, I have the bad habit of starting several books; they all look so good, I can’t resist them; it’s like trying to choose one truffle from all the other delicious looking truffles in a chocolate shop. But, even though I tend to start several books at once, I usually focus on reading only one book at a time when it comes down to reading them. It doesn’t really make sense. 
What are you reading currently? One book, or many books?
Coram Deo!
Wreck the Heaven and Earth of Heathenism
Wednesday, January 27th, 2010“Indeed the Church from its beginnings, and perhaps especially in its beginnings, was not so much a principality as a revolution against the prince of the world. This sense that the world had been conquered by the great usurper, and was in his possession, has been much deplored or derided by those optimists who identify enlightenment with much ease. But it was responsible for all that thrill of defiance and a beautiful danger that made the good news seem to be really both good and new. It was in truth against a huge unconscious usurpation that it raised a revolt, and originally so obscure a revolt. Olympus still occupied the sky like a motionless cloud molded into many mighty forms; philosophy still sat in the high places and even on the thrones of the kings, when Christ was born in the cave and Christianity in the catacombs.
In both cases we may remark the same paradox of revolution; the sense of something despised and of something feared. The cave in one aspect is only a hole or corner into which the outcasts are swept like rubbish; yet in the other aspect it is a hiding-place of something valuable which the tyrants are seeking like treasure. In one sense they are there because the inn-keeper would not even remember them, and in another because the king can never forget them. We have already noted that this paradox appeared also in the treatment of the early Church. It was important while it was still insignificant, and certainly while it was still impotent. It was important solely because it was intolerable; and in that sense it is true to say that it was intolerable because it was intolerant. It was resented, because, in its own still and almost secret way, it had declared war. It had risen out of the ground to wreck the heaven and earth of heathenism. It did not try to destroy all that creation of gold and marble; but it contemplated a world without it. It dared to look right through it as though the gold and marble had been glass. Those who charged the Christians with burning down Rome with firebrands were slanderers; but they were at least far nearer to the nature of Christianity than those among the moderns who tell us that the Christians were a sort of ethical society, being martyred in a languid fashion for telling men that they had a duty to their neighbors, and only mildly disliked because they were meek and mild.”
— G.K. Chesterton, The Everlasting Man
Watching, Waiting
Tuesday, January 26th, 2010On the lookout for mothers. Are you my mother?
Never mind that he’s looking through the wrong end of the binoculars.
Coram Deo~
Wisdom Revealed on Earth
Tuesday, January 26th, 2010“When did people being to abandon the worship of idols, unless it were since the very Word of God came among men? When have oracles ceased and become void of meaning, among Greeks and everywhere, except since the Saviour has revealed Himself on earth? When did those whom the poets call gods and heroes begin to be adjudged as mere mortals, except when the Lord took the spoils of death and preserved incorruptible the body He had taken, raising it from among the dead? Or when did the deceitfulness and madness of daemons fall under contempt, save when the Word, the Power of God, the Master of all these as well, condescended on account of the weakness of mankind and appeared on earth? When did the practice and theory of magic begin to be spurned under foot, if not at the manifestation of the Divine Word to men? In a word, when did the wisdom of the Greeks become foolish, save when the true Wisdom of God revealed Himself of earth? In old times the whole world and every place in it was led astray by the worship of idols, and men thought the idols were the only gods that were. But now all over the world men are forsaking the fear of idols and taking refuge with Christ; and by worshipping Him as God, they come through Him to know the Father also, Whom formerly they did not know.”
— St. Athanasius, On the Incarnation
To Die For
Saturday, January 23rd, 2010So, I’m sitting here getting fatter by the minute. Yep, just packing on the pounds — if you can get fat reading and drooling over food recipes, that is. The Pioneer Woman has an entire section of her website devoted to her down-home cooking. This woman should be locked up in jail for the pure corruptness of it. Causing people to stumble by posting such heinously delicious looking recipes. To think… they might actually cook some of these recipes that call for inordinate amounts of butter, eggs, cheese, white flour, and milk… oh wait, we have cooked some of her recipes before, and they are just as delectable tasting as they look. And incredibly easy.
I’m contemplating the thought of Biscuits and Gravy; I never gave them much thought before. But now I find myself wondering, after reading her recipe, just how hard it would be to whip together an imitation of biscuits and gravy. Do we have canned biscuits on hand? Nope. Pork sausage? Nope. But we can do without… I have a few ideas as to what to substitute.
And Ribeye Steak with Blue Onion Cheese Sauce sounds like it’s to die for. I think that we may have some ribeye steak lost deep in the recesses of the freezer, and blue cheese, too. Problem is, if my thinking is correct, we only have a total of two ribeye steaks. Sorry kids. 
Dinner tonight was delicious… Thai Curry Chicken with Green Beans and Sweet Potatoes. What a mouthful. Though, after I finished cooking (and eating) it, I was contemplating what I could tweak in the recipe to get it just right. More curry, less sweet potatoes, less brown sugar, more salt, and a little bit of lime. After that tweaking it should be perfected!
Goodness, I’m a little obsessed with food lately. I guess this is what happens when you’re stuck in the house for an entire week with stir-crazy kids. We really don’t eat all that much. Just enough to keep us alive; that’s the purpose of food isn’t it? Nothing more, nothing less. Don’t you be thinking about that creamy, buttery taste of homemade gravy on top of tender biscuits with crispy pork sausage on the side now, you hear?
This particular set of storms has descended on our area like an alien invasion. In times like these I learn what I’m really grateful for… mostly things I take for granted, like our generator that keeps our utilities going, even when all our neighbors have lost their power. A huge library whose rows and rows of books have provided a sizable amount of entertainment for us over the past couple of days. A well-stocked kitchen and pantry that allows me to cook creative and delicious cuisine. Oops, I’m talking about food again. The woodstove that has had a continuous fire burning in it all week long — only privileged people get to sit in the chairs right in front of it. And board games like Risk that teach children how to master the important skill of world domination. Yes, a highly important skill to possess… if you plan to get far in politics, you must make sure to have a grounded education in the rules of Risk. Cheating included.
I think tonight, as the storm howls overhead, and banshees knock on the front door, I’ll just settle cozily in with a blanket, and get back to my reading. Highly important reading, I assure you.
Food for Kings
Thursday, January 21st, 2010I’m afraid that even though I’m feeding the children well, I’m not necessarily feeding them meals that are healthy for them. Well, it may be healthy for their little bodies to eat things like homemade quiche. Individual chicken pot pies. Homemade linguine with a bolognese sauce. Whole-wheat cranberry orange walnut muffins. And hot chocolate with homemade whipped topping — As far as that goes, they’re eating well, but the standard I’m setting for them to expect from the food they eat may not be healthy for them in the long run. Because they eat like kings. Yes, like little kings.
Cranberry Orange Walnut Muffins made with half whole-wheat.
Hot Chocolate with homemade whipped topping to warm young bellies on a stormy, cold day in winter.
One of the little kings. Spoiled I tell you. Absolutely spoiled. I had better just stop cooking right now.
Coram Deo~
Stories From Mr. Mulliner
Monday, January 18th, 2010Augustine was not an unduly superstitious young man, but the coincidence of this tonic arriving so soon after Jane had told him that a tonic was what he needed affected him deeply. It seemed to him that this thing must have been meant. He shook the bottle, uncorked it, and, pouring out a liberal tablespoonful, shut his eyes and swallowed it.
The medicine, he was glad to find, was not unpleasant to the taste. It had a slightly pungent flavour, rather like old boot-soles beaten up in sherry. Having taken the dose, he read for a while in a book of theological essays, and then went to bed.
And as his feet slipped between the sheets, he was annoyed to find that Mrs. Wardle, his housekeeper, had once more forgotten his hot-water bottle.
“Oh dash!” said Augustine.
He was thoroughly upset. He had told the woman over and over again that he suffered from cold feet and could not get to sleep unless the dogs were properly warmed up. He sprang out of bed and went to the head of the stairs.
“Mrs. Wardle!” bellowed Augustine in a voice that rattled the window-panes like a strong ‘nor-easter. Until tonight he had always been very much afraid of his housekeeper and had both walked and talked softly in her presence. But now he was conscious of a strange new fortitude. His head was singing a little, and he felt equal to a dozen Mrs. Wardles.
Shuffling footsteps made themselves heard.
“Well, what is it now?” asked a querulous voice.
Augustine snorted.
“I’ll tell you what it is now,” he roared. “How many times have I told you always to put a hot-water bottle in my bed? You’ve forgotten it again, you old clout-head!”
Mrs. Wardle peered up, astounded and militant.
“Mr. Mulliner, I am not accustomed–”
“Shut up!” thundered Augustine. “What I want from you is less back-chat and more hot-water bottles. Bring it up at once, or I leave tomorrow. Let me endeavour to get it into your concrete skull that you aren’t the only person letting rooms in this village. Any more lip and I shall walk straight round the corner, where I’ll be appreciated. Hot-water bottle ho! And look slippy about it.”
“Yes Mr. Mulliner. Certainly, Mr. Mulliner. In one moment, Mr. Mulliner.”
“Action! Action!” boomed Augustine. “Show some speed. Put a little snap into it.”
“Yes, yes, most decidedly Mr. Mulliner,” replied the chastened voice from below.
An hour later, as he was dropping off to sleep, a thought crept into Augustine’s head. Had he not been a little brusque with Mrs. Wardle? Had there not been in his manner something a shade abrupt — almost rude? Yes, he decided regretfully, there had. He lit a candle and reached for the diary which lay on the table at his beside.
He made an entry.
The meek shall inherit the earth. Am I sufficiently meek? I wonder. This evening, when reproaching Mrs. Wardle, my worthy housekeeper, for omitting to place a hot-water bottle in my bed, I spoke quite crossly. The provocation was severe, but still I was surely to blame for allowing my passions to run riot. Mem: Must guard agst. this.
When he woke the next morning, different feeling prevailed. He took his ante-breakfast dose of Buck-U-Uppo: and looking at the entry in the diary, could scarcely believe that it was he who had written it. “Quite cross?” Of course he had been quite cross. Wouldn’t anybody be quite cross who was for ever being persecuted by beetle-wits who forgot hot-water bottles?
Erasing the words with one strong dash of a thick-leaded pencil, he scribbled in the margin a hasty “Mashed potatoes! Served the old idiot right!” and went down to breakfast.
— Mulliner’s Buck-U-Uppo by P.G. Wodehouse
Coram Deo~