terri, September 2nd, 2010
There are certain blogs I go to every few days just to torment myself. Please, please tell me Pinkpeppers isn’t your secret torment!
One, for me, is decidedly Christian and the Christian part is fine, in fact a great Christian blog would be, well, a great thing. But the one I go to when I feel like tormenting myself, never disappoints. It always has posts that let me know I’ve missed the mark… again. Things like, “God needs to be first in your life, and if you are not waking up at 5 AM for your quiet time with Jesus, you are doomed for failure.” Or, “When your kids are sick and throwing up every hour, toss a picnic blanket into the middle of the living room and make it fun, make them little rocket ship shaped sandwiches and watch a fun movie… if you’re a godly mother” ”Cranky kids at bedtime? Just toss them in the car for a jolly ride around town and end with an ice cream cone and then they will sleep like angels.” Or, “If you are having problems with your marriage, focus on your husband’s godly traits, say godly things to him and poof he will be godly, the end.” And, I think just ’cause it’s so dang easy to do, modest dress is always a ready post, good for poking you in the eye, swimsuits are the easiest and then it moves into cleavage and the length of your skirt, and you call yourself a Christian!
Of course, somewhere in the midst there is truth; it’s just that the delivery is so, Camelot, so, life is perfect here, hope you can get your act together too.
I much prefer to hear from someone who is willing to say, “you know, I’ve been there,” I prefer honesty like, “Have you lost the reality of God, not the belief in God, but the reality of His sure presence? Do you have periods in your life when you pray, read your Bible, lead a decent life and you just feel empty and alienated from God? You’ve checked off the “Good Christian” to do list and you still feel depressed. Do not lose heart, this condition will come upon you if you are a Christian. David cries out about this in spades, Job was put through a wringer which made him question everything. Christ on the cross even asked, My God, my God why have your forsaken Me?
Even though we are mere mortals, this deadness and drought may not come necessarily because you’ve done anything wrong. “I will say to God my Rock, why have You forgotten me?… Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me?”
We need encouragement that sometimes the kids will be throwing up and you will not feel like throwing a picnic party and in fact, you haven’t read your Bible that morning (and maybe you skipped the day before too) because you were up to your ears in dirty sheets and just now you would like just a little more sleep and furthermore, you probably won’t have it together by dinner time. We need to know that we will go through periods of darkness, deadness and drought and it might not be the result of any particular sin and that there is a way out.
So, I go off into cyberspace and torment myself at Christian Women’s blogs like a cat with a mouse and then head straight to the man who has changed my life.
terri, September 1st, 2010
Add this to your favorite yogurt and it will make you want to leap out of bed for the shear pleasure of this start to your day.
One little, teeny, weeny promise you have to make though, is that you absolutely can NOT go skimping on the honey and oil. Promise? Promise!? Okay, then here it is:
3/4 cup canola oil
2 cups natural honey
2 tsp. vanilla
1 lb. 2 oz. box old fashioned rolled oats
1 cup golden raisins
1 cup dried cranberries or cherries
1/2 cup unsalted sunflower seeds
1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds
6 oz. almonds
8 oz. walnuts OR if you are feeling amazingly decadent make that 8 oz. macadamia nuts instead
8 oz. cashews
1 cup shredded coconut
Preheat oven to 300-deg F
Heat oil, honey and vanilla until warm
Meanwhile, in a large aluminum roasting pan (17 x 12 x 2) stir oats, seeds, nuts and coconut together. (NOTE: Raisins and cranberries are added at the very end.) Add warmed honey mixture and mix until evenly coated.
Bake for 1 hour. Stir every 15 minutes with a fork or wooden spoon. During the last 15 minutes add the raisins and cranberries or cherries.
Remove from oven. Cool to room temperature and store in an airtight container in the fridge. I store any extra that I won’t be eating within the week in quart size bags in the freezer indefinitely.
 Suddenly it hit me like a freight train and I have been in bed now for a week. Everyday I wake up and discover, yep, still sick, then I slink into the bathroom, down my cocktail of drugs and go back to bed. It has been this screeching halt to my life except for wedding planning in a delirium and reading books. That’s it.
Andrew has been my knight, as always, in shining armour. He’s made all the meals, oh wait, he practically always does that anyway, and he has kept the kitchen so amazingly clean right down to polishing the granite. And he comes home every evening, walks into the bedroom, and smiles down at me, as though I might just then be looking like a million bucks.
We had a visiting pastor and his son, a great friend of Matthias, stay with us Saturday night and I just couldn’t bear the isolation so I schlumped out to visit for awhile. Andrew had made an amazing bulgogi dinner.
Sunday, thankfully, Meghan and her family came over for lunch. Sweet little Anwyn came sneaking into my bedroom to say, “Hi, grandma,” and was soon followed by Canon and Athan. Out in the kitchen I heard the pastor say he could make guacamole. There was a party going on and I was missing it. Once again, I dragged myself out and just sat. It was really great to hear the commotion, the conversation.
Now it’s Wednesday, again, and I’m ready to feel better.
Here are the books I’ve read this past week. Click on them for my drug induced review.
  
A Place Called Saturday by Mary Astor
Aren’t you glad somebody‘s using your money this summer for nice little vacation? Since so many are downsizing our lives and watching our budgets, isn’t it nice to know when we pool all our money that Michelle can have a grand time on it?
“I don’t begrudge anyone rest and relaxation when they work hard. We all need downtime – the First Family included. It’s the extravagance of Michelle Obama’s trip and glitzy destination contrasted with President Obama’s demonization of the rich that smacks of hypocrisy and perpetuates a disconnect between the country and its leaders.” ~Andrea Tantaros
“In January, President Obama insisted that ‘everybody in the country is going to have to sacrifice something, accept change for the greater good. Everybody is going to have to give. Everybody is going to have to have some skin in the game.’” ~Andrea Tantaros
Consider it done, Mr. President.
The Obamas and their party are staying at the Villa Padierna in Marbella, which is rated as one of the top hotels in the world. Mrs Obama arrived by plane at Malaga airport on Wednesday morning and was driven in a 14-car convoy to the five star Hotel Villa Padierna, where her entourage has reserved 60 of the 129 rooms.
Tantaros wrote: ‘To be clear, what the Obamas do with their money is one thing; what they do with ours is another. Transporting and housing the estimated 70 Secret Service agents who will flank the material girl will cost the taxpayers a pretty penny.’
We are trying to get all our summer extracurricular activities done before time runs out and we have to get back to doing math and grammar. This week Matthias was at piping and drumming school in Coeur D’Alene, so Taite and I did some watercoloring. We found an artist who does sort of primitive, quaint watercolors for her blog instead of photos and Taite copied one of her pieces.
  
I once spent the day with a scrimshaw artist in Massachusetts who taught me how to work on ivory. The first step is to accomplishing detailed work on ivory is to work with pen and ink. One day this summer that is what Matthias tried his hand at. I bought some ivory piano keys that are waiting for a ship to sail on them.
  
Will there ever be enough stories written about World War II?
Sarah’s Key by Tatiana de Rosnay, was lent to me and I kept avoiding it. I knew it was about WWII which instantly makes it tragic, and I just didn’t know if I was up to it.
Sarah and her family are taken from their arrondissement July 16, 1942 to the vélodrome d’hiver along with the other French Jews and eventually shipped off to Auschwitz. To save her brother when the French police were at their door, Sarah locked her brother in a closet and pocketed the key promising to return. This is not light summer reading, but I am reading it and although grievously tragic, I am getting through it. Does that sound like an endorsement!?
Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry, is set in Ireland, in a mental institution. Roseanne is at or near one hundred years old and has lived in the asylum most of her life but she did once have a real life. She carefully writes her biography when no one is around and hides it beneath a few loose boards when she hears someone coming. The asylum is about to be demolished and the patients all need to either be set free or set up to live elsewhere. Another sad but beautifully written story of the evils that one human can inflict upon another.
Nomad by the author of Infidel, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, is a story that needs to be told. Escaping the hideous culture of Islam, Ayaan recounts the life of her family and extended family; it’s all tragic. Although the subject is compelling the book is a bit dry. It eventually gets bogged down in politics. But the story needs to be told.
Thankfully Ayaan persevered speaking out against the atrocities of this religion. As she acknowledges herself, “Unlike white commentators, who were hamstrung by the fear that they would be labeled racists, I could voice my criticisms of the feudal, religious, and repressive mechanisms that were holding back women from Muslim communities.”
Soooo… have you read any well written light reads you would suggest. Right about now, I am ready for one!
The Washington Post published the winning submissions to its yearly contest, in which readers are asked to supply alternate meanings for common words.
And the winners are:
1. Coffee, n. The person upon whom one coughs.
2. Flabbergasted, adj. Appalled by discovering how much weight one has gained.
3. Abdicate, v. To give up all hope of ever having a flat stomach.
4. Esplanade, v. To attempt an explanation while drunk.
5. Willy-nilly, adj. Impotent.
6. Negligent, adj. Absentmindedly answering the door when wearing only a nightgown.
7. Lymph, v. To walk with a lisp.
8. Gargoyle, n. Olive-flavored mouthwash.
9. Flatulence, n. Emergency vehicle that picks up someone who has been run over by a steamroller.
10. Balderdash, n. A rapidly receding hairline.
11. Testicle, n.. A humorous question on an exam.
12. Rectitude, n. The formal, dignified bearing adopted by proctologists.
13. Pokemon, n.. A Rastafarian proctologist.
14. Oyster, n. A person who sprinkles his conversation with Yiddishisms.
15. Frisbeetarianism, n. The belief that, after death, the soul flies up onto the roof and gets stuck there.
16. Circumvent, n. An opening in the front of boxer shorts worn by Jewish men.
A very quick trip from Washington D.C. is this idyllic land called the Eastern Shore. It is beautifully quaint, perfect for walking. You remember I told you about a wonderful blog reader who was willing to share her house with us when we were visiting our newest grandson? And you might remember that I was totally nuts and still am about the scones that were on the dining table waiting for me to devour?
When we stepped into her back garden, it just begged to be enjoyed with a good glass of wine and some fruit and cheese. Opening the fridge we found a fairy godmother had left precisely that beautifully arranged.
Later on our walk around town we had to stop and eat a piece of pecan pie while we people watched.
 
  
I received this today from a beautiful young mother and asked if I could post it. She said I could.
Once upon a time, there was a beautiful man who fell in love with a beautiful woman, fiery and tender, and she fell in love back at him. They became king and queen of a small castle and had four daughters, maidens wondrous fair, fearless and bold, with hair of sunshine gold, eyes like the sea that sparkled soft and blue or turned cold, dark and stormy.
Tales of their wit and beauty spread far and wide across land and sea. With just a touch of their fingertips, they could make anything beautiful. They spread joy and peace to the good and rained judgement and terror on the evil.
Each daughter was so captivating whichever one you were gazing upon at that moment seemed more fair than the rest. Farm boys and warriors, moneylenders and knights, lip-flappers and princes came to court them. The maidens wedded knights as beautiful and brave as themselves and gave birth to many children with very odd names.
Far, far away, in a distant island, there lived a plain dark girl who liked to read and dream. An apprentice boy over the sea magicked her and she appeared in his little village as his wife. She did not know how it happened and could not return to her home. She grew sad and fat and timid.
Many things happened, witches and poisons, and exorcisms, and dragons, and fire, and starvation and tribulations, and valiant princesses with beautiful knights who vanquished all. But that is another story for another time. (There was also a tall, moody, mute who started appearing randomly and then stuck around and asked to be in this story. But that is also another story.)
The plain, dark girl was saved from all the scary stuff, adopted by the king and the queen, and started a new life with the apprentice boy. The queen taught her how to be happy again, and how to cook, and the eldest princess taught her how to shop and dress. The king showed the apprentice boy how to become a king on his own someday. And then the enterprising queen and her daughters started a blog of beauty
Becky over at A Covenant Life just made me remember a quote that really encouraged me when I was a young mom. It shot holes in the idea that their is an apex to the Christian life that ends with “holy and spiritual missionary or pastor life,” which would be way more sanctifying than a plain old 9 to 5 job and life. That thinking crept into my life back in our evangelical days and it was such an encouragement to read from Amy Carmichael in A Chance to Die, that I should probably go ahead and change the dirty diaper instead that day.
“Amy was learning that if the Lord of Glory took a towel and knelt on the floor to wash the dusty feet of His disciples , then no work, even the relentless and often messy routine of caring for squalling babies, is demeaning. To offer it up to the Lord of Glory transforms it into a holy task. “Could it be right,” Amy had asked,” to turn from so much that might be of profit and become just nursemaids?” The answer was yes. It is not the business of the servant to decide which work is great, which is small, which important or unimportant–he is not greater than his master. ‘If by doing some work which the undiscerning consider ‘not spiritual work’ I can best help others, and I inwardly rebel, thinking it is the spiritual for which I crave, when in truth it is the interesting and exciting, then I know nothing of Calvary’s love.’”
Turned out dirty diapers and runny noses was the better way for me to learn of Calvary’s love.
Don’t you kinda feel naked if someone knocks on your door unexpectedly? You take this quick sweeping look to see what they’ll see. And you feel slightly exposed. It’s like too much information that you just were not planning to share right then. And I just had this happen when Andrew invited our neighbors in for a look around our house while I was in the midst of having had grandkids for the night and a big mess in the kitchen making food for upcoming events. Really, it wasn’t the way I would have liked to show my home their first time in…
Our homes are just the beginning though. If we are honest, we only want people to see us at our best too. We like to control what information about us gets out. And we want it to be the best, even if it’s a lie. How many times have you opened up, shared who you really are only to suddenly wonder why in the world you didn’t just keep your mouth shut?
l mean, now they’re going to know you are not perfect. There it was that perfectly calm, happy, sinless façade let down. It’s never something honest and positive that you regret let slip, like the day your house is perfect and someone happens by; it’s the times you are honest and you’re ugly that you desperately want to hide.
We don’t want people to know the negative; that we’re depressed, we get angry, we’re petty, we’re scared, we feel inadequate, we’re weak, we’re really, really sinful. We work hard to cover our flaws. And we think we will be admired for the cover up.
What is with that!? We can be very clever with the cover up. We all pretend to believe that we are all sinners. But what we really mean to get across is that you are all sinners and I am pretty much perfect; I don’t sweat, I don’t display evil tendencies, I don’t hold grudges, take offense easily,make very poor life choices, in fact, I don’t need anyone for anything ever.
We think that if someone knew who we really are they would not be able to love us; we think we can not be fully known and loved so we attempt to settle for love, false love mind you, but love. We are convinced that if someone knew you struggled with deep sin, they would be disgusted, they could not love you. So we first learn to hide from others and eventually we learn to hide from ourselves.
I recently had someone tell me she was dealing with bitterness. I felt honored to be told and I respected her for being able to admit to something that is foreign to none of us. We all struggle with bitterness at times, but when was the last time you felt secure enough to admit it? On the one hand, to simply acknowledge your humanity; on the other, to risk being known. I am not talking about venting to anyone and everyone, I am talking about being able to be real with a real friend.
Conversely, if there has been a time when you have admitted to a darker side and it was met with incredulity and tsk-tsking, you learn right away that it is time to either stuff your feelings or settle for being loved for who you are not.
I think it comes down to nakedness, the ability to stand in front of someone with all your flaws and hear them say, “I love you still.”
Before Adam sinned, he was comfortable being naked before God, in other words, fully known. After the fall, Adam immediately covers himself and hides. Adam and Eve hide from each other with fig leaves and they hide from God in a bush. Adam eventually tries to hide from himself by blaming Eve for his sin. Adam and Eve previously walked with God regularly in the cool of the day- naked. After they sin, they hide from each other, from God and from themselves and tell God they can’t take a walk because they’re naked. They were naked the day before too! But now they realize they are nakedly flawed.
A long time after Adam and Eve’s sin, Christ came and said, “I’ve got you covered,” and took what should be our sin and made it His. He came and said, “I know you and love you.” He gave us the freedom to be known in all our darkest sin and love us still. He took that vulnerable nakedness and fully covered us; covered us with His righteousness. Not because we get our house cleaned and our life right first but while we are still a total mess he comes in and covers it all.
That is why those who know and are known by God can be real, admit their faults to God, to others and to themselves. People like that can be real and accept real humanity of others, their sin.
A real friend will not allow you to wallow in your sin but neither will they recoil in shock, a real friend will allow you to be a sinner and encourage you to work your way out of it. A real friend will know you and love you. A real friend will let herself be known and allow you to love her in her humanity because she knows, she’s no better.
When you believe this, really, you will be able to be vulnerable to others. You will be able to admit to having very human thoughts and emotions. You won’t be busy stuffing your emotions, or living like you don’t need anybody ever. You will be able to admit to being fully human and full of sin because Christ has said He knows you and loves you. When you really let that seep into your very being, you will be able to be fully and honestly human and finally have the security of being fully covered.
When we try to make our own covering for our inadequacies, our sins, it’s like taking a little fig leaf and trying to hide under it. When God covers for us, He covers fully.
I saw this poster in a magazine a long time back and ripped it out and put it in a little file I have of clever ideas to make use of some day. I thought it might be appropriate in every room in my house; maybe become my mantra so it would seep into my very being. Today I found this and could absolutely not pass it up!
The story is that in 1939 Britain was on the brink of war. In anticipation of this the British Government’s Ministry of Information commissioned a series of propaganda posters to reassure the people that they would be protected.
The Posters were to be displayed all over the country using only the crown of King George VI.
The poster was never officially issued and never displayed across Britain.
A crumpled copy of the poster was later found amongst other papers in a book store in Northumberland, England.
I have been teaching school in this chair for at least a decade. I found it at a second hand store and loved the industrial look and feel. I think it must weigh about one hundred pounds!
Recently I thought about gettting a new office chair but when I tried out new chairs they didn’t seem all that much more comfortable than the one I had gotten used to. I had seen my very chair in perfect condition for sale in U.K. for £375, but mine was an eyesore. Really! Who would have such a thing in their house!? So I refurbished it and it makes me smile when I see it now.
I am a huge fan of gorilla glue and it did its gorilla job of gluing fabric to metal.
 mine needed work!  Perfect one for sale in UK  I went with a little color for now...    
I think my next little project will be an industrial style table, another terrific find at this UK shop.
I have a solid wood door that I would like to use for the surface and then these chunky legs will make the perfect table. Matthias already distressed the edge of the door when he took a saw to it years ago so it will come with distressed memories.
I have been overwhelmed by dirt for over a year; I have grown bitter looking at that bleakness day after day. Andrew and Jarrett have sacrificed many, many weekends to install irrigation and work the dirt into acceptable contours for a lawn. Friday when Jarrett and I pulled into the driveway and he yelled, “Whoaa, look at that!” I looked and there it was this very light greenish tint to our dirt. Oh thrill!!
The thrill is greater because of the hard work and waiting, because of the severe winds that blew the dirt and sent it everywhere. We would look out the window and watch as the topsoil was blown to kingdom come and Matthias voiced what I was thinking, “That wind makes me want to yell.” It just grated, the dryness the bareness. From time to time we go now to the window and gaze contentedly at our green. And hopefully I have grown too.
I am looking forward to walking on the grass, grandchildren playing out there, sitting outside and having grass all around us.
“You shall have a covenant with the stones of the field…
You shall know that your descendants shall be many,
And your offspring like the grass of the earth.
You shall come to the grave at a full age,
As a sheaf of grain ripens in its season.
Behold, this we have searched out;
It is true.
Hear it, and know for yourself.”
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