Coffee

Here's my

coffee maker.


Not what

you expected?



Huh?







In the contraption is 1 lb. of freshly ground coffee beans and 2 qts. cold water. The mixture sits overnight (10-12 hrs) and is drained through a filter.

Read more about this cold water brewing system at the Toddy website.

Since I was thirteen I've been drinking coffee and it's my favorite morning beverage. Black, please.



The results is about a quart of concentrated coffee, which I dilute with boiling water.





Join me for a cup?



We have lots to talk about.

Feast on Monday


Appetizer
When was the last time you visited a hospital?

My last visit to a hospital was in February '07 to see a friend's mother, who was enduring her final illness. She complained up being *hot.* So, standing at the foot of her bed, I carefully lifted the sheet, removed her booties and rubbed her feet. She smiled.

Soup
On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being highest, how ambitious are you?

I've been neutralized.....or zero :(

Salad
Make a sentence using the letters of a body part. (Example: (mouth) My other ukelele tings healthily.)

For ever enjoy Truth.

Main Course
If you were to start a club, what would the subject matter be, and what would you name it?

I keep thinking about hostessing an group called *HiddenArt* where we would covered the various chapters in Mrs. Schaeffer's book, The Hidden Art of Homemaking. The topics she addresses are wide and varied which I think would keep the group dynamics fresh. It might work better on a monthly schedule though.

Dessert
What color is the carpet/flooring in your home?

Salmon/peach......but it's 20 years old and faded into beige in some places. If I had the chance to replace it, I would go with a similar color 'cause I still like it.

Fashion Find Friday






















No purchase in the fashion world this week. Just the discovery of a forgotten sweater vest that will add *umph* to my fall wardrobe. I love the large buttons.

Yup. It's that time of year when the temperatures are dropping and I'm tired of wearing summer colors. The scarf is a Vera Bradley pattern, Medallion, and was a Mother's Day gift this past Spring from DD#1. I think it brightens this combination and will also go with burnt oranges/cinnamons....some of my favorite Autumn colors.

How are you updating your Fall Wardrobe?

Senior Photo















Posting this highschool picture of myself as requested by my friend, Donna at QuietLife. She's expanding her photographic skills by taking *Senior Photos* and challenged us to post our own.

Alas, I dont have one :(

I left high school a year early and headed off to college.

No velvet drapes and pearls on me......just this sporty one taken in the Fall of 1974 when I was a junior.

Random Facts

About me :) Hmmmmm...

Earlier this week, Donna at Quiet Life tagged me with the task of posting eight random facts about me. In my haste, I linked to two *About Me* posts in her comment box, but realized later that I ignored the adjective *random* which qualified the challenge. So, here I correct myself.

1) I have attended 36 Parents Nights at my children's schools over the past 20 years. Last night was the last one! Hip Hip Hooray!

2) I had a root canal on a lower incisor when I was ten years old. It hurt.

3) I lived at 111 Elm Street, Mtn Home AFB, ID when I was five.

4) I met Princess Grace and her family when I was fifteen.

5) It is easier for me to remember birthdays and addresses than the words to songs or the names of actors/actresses.

6) I try to use both sides of a piece of paper.

7) I am a *morning* person.

8) I prefer salty over sweet :)

Bonus Fact: I have two blogs.


If you stumble across this game, consider yourself tagged!

Leave me a link to your list of 8 random facts.

Apple Salad

1 head green leaf lettuce, washed, dried and torn into bite-sized pieces
(I love my salad spinner)
1-2 apples, washed, cored, diced (each apple yields 32 pieces)
(Use different colored ones (unpeeled) for pretty color)
1/2 cup cottage cheese
1/4 cup raisins
1 stalk celery, washed and sliced thinly on the diagonal
2 Tbs sunflower seeds, dry roasted

Toss with your favorite dressing. Serve in chilled bowls.

Vinagrette Recipe

1/2 cup safflower oil
1/4 cup wine vinegar
2 Tbs prepared mustard (stone ground)
1 Tbs dried parsley
2 Tbs cold water

Whirl in the blender. Store in cruet in 'fridge.

Unsolicited suggestion:
Chill the bowl in which you plan to toss your salad. It makes a difference.


Sherry over at Semicolonblog.com is soliciting apple recipes and that's what made me post this one. I've been enjoying this salad combination for years, although nowadays it is seen served more often with feta cheese.

Have you ever tried the Grilled Chicken dinner salad at Red Lobster?

It has apples in it.

Molasses Cookies

1 1/2 Cups butter
2 Cups sugar
Cream those two in an electric mixer with wire whisk.

Add
1/2 Cup molasses
2 eggs (one at the time)

Sift together the following six ingredients and then add to *wet* mixture:
4 Cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ginger
2 tsp cloves
2 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon

Stir until well blended. Chill the dough before rolling it into small balls.

Bake at 375 degrees on ungreased cookie sheets for 10-12 mins, depending on the size of the ball :)

Makes 7 dozen?

Sermon Synopsis

Three sermons into the the second chapter of I Thessalonians, I continue to ponder these first century Christians and their response to Paul's testimony. I wonder if they were really that much different than I. It is clear to me that I accept the Word of God as authentic only by His Sovereign Grace as did they.

See I Thess 2:13

JCM concluded with an illustrative quote from Spurgeon which I will turn into my personal prayer.

Heavenly Father, bless me this week by teaching me through the power of your Holy Spirit to eat into the very soul of the Bible. Nourish me so deeply there that my language will be more Scriptural than last week; that my words be more flavored with the Lord's than ever before; and that my blood be Bible-colored so that the very essence of these Holy Writings will flow through and out of me into the lives of others.

And we were given John Piper's mnemonic device for boldly accepting/believing the Bible. Treat it a precious, pleasant, and practical by memorizing it, meditating upon it, making music with it, ministering with it, and minding it.

Hymn 267 from the Trinity Hymnal (O Word of God Incarnate) concluded our service. The words fit perfectly.

Contemplating Death

Sickness

is a place...

where

there's no company,

where nobody

can follow.

Flannery O'Connor





Camille's Deathbed by Claude Monet
Oil on canvas


This painting is one of the subjects covered in Susan Vreeland's Life Studies, an interesting book which I have picked up and down several times over the past few years. The chapter is entitled "Winter of Abandon" and offers some interesting insight into Claude and Camille's relationship. Furthermore, I learned that Monet painted this canvas immediately upon her passing, shewing everyone out of the room.

Creepy?

Or *One Time Chance to catch the light in this situation?*

At any rate, I thought it an appropriate illustration to highlight some current thoughts I have had on *death*. The first is a quote from Polycarp, that great Christian martyr:

"The business of the Christian is in one sense nothing else than to be ever preparing for death."

Now have you ever thought of that? I mean what steps have you taken, either mental or physical, in preparation for your death?

Hmmmm

I think too much.........

Update:

Recent deaths of high profile individuals:
9/1 = 1983 Larry McDonald, US Congressman

9/5/07 = D. James Kennedy
9/6/07 = Luciano Pavarotti
9/6/07 = Madeline L'Engle

Theology on Thursdays

Interesting conversation with a Christian young lady over the summer prompted me to pick up again Carolyn Custis James's book, When Life and Beliefs Collide: How Knowing God Makes a Difference. On my xanga site I have written a review of the book, but here I want to mention a couple of thoughts.

Lamenting that "in the Bible there are just not enough women to talk about", the aforementioned lady continued to say that it was difficult to find enough information about the women that are mentioned and to make those stories interesting and educational to middle-school aged girls.

Keeping up my end of the conversation, I mentioned several women along with their Biblical character traits, never really seeming to make any headway with my friend. I really was trying to be encouraging by offering the names of a variety of females mentioned in Scripture.

Even now I continue to feel like I was not a good witness because I think my comments frustrated rather than encouraged the Christian younger than I. Questions came to mind: What type of Titus 2 model was I? How could I have been more persuasive in my choice of words and tone of voice? Was I a good theologian?

In search of answers, not only did I review the Bible for examples of Godly women, I began to re-read When Life and Beliefs Collide. In there Mrs. James challenges her audience: "Our task is not simply to know God more deeply ourselves but to lead our daughters to pursue a deeper relationship with him too." Pg 14

I think I failed to lead.

Either way, the Bible IS full of examples of women: old and young, married and unmarried, Godly and ungodly. It speaks to and about women.

I pray my friend found them.

Professionalism

For safekeeping I am posting this inspirational definition of professionalism taken from a commencement speech entitled "Heroism in War and Peace" delivered by Elbert Parr Tuttle in 1957, at Emory University in Atlanta, GA.

Learn about Judge Tuttle at the New Georgia Encyclopedia, or from the History of the Court of Appeals, or Life at the Bar, or Jack Bass's book, Unlikely Heroes.

The professional man is in essence one who provides service. But the service he
renders is something more than that of the laborer, even the skilled laborer. It
is a service that wells up from the entire complex of his personality. True,
some specialized and highly developed techniques may be included, but their mode
of expression is given its deepest meaning by the personality of the
practitioner. In a very real sense his professional service cannot be separate
from his personal being. He has no goods to sell, no land to till. His only
asset is himself. It turns out that there is no right price for service, for
what is a share of a man worth? If he does not contain the quality of integrity,
he is worthless. If he does, he is priceless. The value is either nothing or it
is infinite.So do not try to set a price on yourselves. Do not measure out your
professional services on an apothecaries’ scale and say, “Only this for so
much.” Do not debase yourselves by equating your souls to what they will bring
in the market. Do not be a miser, hoarding your talents and abilities and
knowledge, either among yourselves or in your dealings with your clients . .
.Rather be reckless and spendthrift, pouring out your talent to all to whom it
can be of service! Throw it away, waste it, and in the spending it will be
increased. Do not keep a watchful eye lest you slip, and give away a little bit
of what you might have sold. Do not censor your thoughts to gain a wide
audience. Like love, talent is only useful in its expenditure, and it is never
exhausted. Certain it is that man must eat; so set what price you must on your
service. But never confuse the performance, which is great, with the
compensation, be it money, power, or fame, which is trivial.. . . The job is
there, you will see it, and your strength is such, as you graduate . . . that
you need not consider what the task will cost you. It is not enough that you do
your duty. The richness of life lies in the performance which is above and
beyond the call of duty.

Now I can read and re-read these fine words and be encouraged that anyone can be a professional.

Everyone should be.

It's a virtue.

Exercise

I

set out

to find

where

the sidewalk

ends.







Walking with purpose is what I had in mind when I left home. In my mind's eye I had charted the journey to maximize my safety, avoiding the busier, curvy road. About two miles from my subdivision is a newly constructed multi-use development packed with new homes and a shopping center. And although walking alone can be lonesome, I purposefully left behind the earphones and audio files. It would be important to hear and pay attention to my surroundings. I was investigating. Over the course of the next two hours, I covered about six miles of new territory, found the end of that particular sidewalk, and made it back home safely.

Only Shel Silverstein says it better -

There is a place where the sidewalk ends
And before the street begins,
And there the grass grows soft and white,
And there the sun burns crimson bright,
And there the moon-bird rests from his flight
To cool in the peppermint wind.

Let us leave this place where the smoke blows black
And the dark street winds and bends.
Past the pits where the asphalt flowers grow
We shall walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
And watch where the chalk-white arrows go
To the place where the sidewalk ends.

Yes we'll walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
And we'll go where the chalk-white arrows go,
For the children, they mark, and the children, they know
The place where the sidewalk ends.

Shel Silverstein

Manners on Mondays

Funny story………

When our eldest was five, I signed her up for an Etiquette Class. It was being taught after school where she attended half-day Kindergarten. The teacher was a well-respected socialite in our community. The curriculum was cute and based on the tale of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Not only do I not remember all the details but I also wont bore you with the ones I do.

The point is the way the lessons backfired.

I ended up with a five-year-old reminding everyone ELSE to mind their manners!

Broccoli Salad


2 bunches broccoli
washed and trimmed
1 pint grape tomatoes
1 can water chestnuts, sliced
1 can black olives, sliced
Salad Dressing




Steam broccoli only slightly about 4-5 mins in the microwave. I cover tightly the glass dish with saran and release it immediately after cooking, so that the flowerettes dont get smashed. I suppose it is possible to skip this step.

Evenly distribute the water chestnuts, tomatoes, and black olives on top of the lightly steamed broccoli. Pour salad dressing (Paul Newman's is my substitute when there's no homemade) over veggies. Refrigerate.

Voila!














We eat broccoli several times a week. Mainly steamed. No cheese sauce or butter. A little freshly squeezed lemon is acceptable. But it's easier to count calories, if one learns to eat food without sauces/gravies/toppings.

At any rate, I also prepare the broccoli/raisin salad which is popular and more rarely one with swiss cheese/bacon/onion. Yum - but caloric!


What's your favorite broccoli recipe?

Fashion Find Friday


Call me a bag lady.

'Cause I like all kinds of purses, pocketbooks, or handbags (whatever you call it)

Here's a picture of my current organizer/wallet.

Only it's red :)





Years ago, I realized that my sloped shoulders would not hold in place a heavy purse; nor would my shoulders/neck tolerate the stress/pain caused by carrying a heavy handbag or satchel. Furthermore, purses are personal.

I had to lighten up.

First (around 1990), I bought two wallets: one brown and one black and kept them in a larger bag in the car. When I needed to shop, I took into the store only the wallet (which had a strap like the one in the photo.) Eventually those wore out.

Plus I graduated to the 21st century, got a cell phone, and needed a spot to keep it. Hence, the newer organizer/wallet, which I highly recommend.

Loose the over-sized bags that will carry everything but the kitchen sink, ladies!

Be feminine.

Why I Blog

This entry is more a self-reminder to organize my thoughts in this area.

And so, in my *research* to justify the time I spend writing/blogging/reading/surfing,
I am creating a link to a wonderful blurb from Melissa at Mentalmultivitamin, so I won't loose the article. I did print out a copy for myself and will *file* it appropriately.

Filing? Hah!

Have you see my desk?

Now that's what I call *full disclosure!*

Back to Melissa though. She is a good writer: a little outrageous from time to time (she likes Jackson Pollock), but also very down to earth (she likes birdwatching). She recommends a couple of books which I will look into. Actually she recommends lots of books.

I will see if I can come up with an *Artist's Statement*...more so, than my quote from Mrs. Schaeffer.

I have tried to explain myself before. Read this xanga entry.

Have you?

Russell Kirk















Highlighted today is an author whom I first met in 1975. That Fall I headed off to college and took a seminar entitled The Roots of American Order, which is also the title of one of Kirk's book. Two years later, I took another seminar from him, The Adams Family, in which he chronicled the long and illustrious history of this family's influence on American life and culture. My research paper for that class (where all the authors were male) was on Abigail Adams, well-known in her own right.

Thirty years later, I am still chewing on the information Dr. Kirk presented. Off and on, I will pull one of his books off the shelf and read one of his essays. They are inspiring to me. They help keep my thinking in line (consistent) and my enthusiasm for the permanent things high.

Most recently I have been re-reading his works because Cindy keeps writing about the way she homeschools. After looking at her references, I realized that many of the people she's quoting have relied on Dr. Kirk's writings and influence.

You can find where I have mentioned Kirk on my Xanga site by clicking on the authors and/or books tags.

Much of his work is available at his own website.

I am posting this for Laura to encourage her to read more Kirk :)

Book Table
Dark Torte by Deborah Mott Davidson
The Turning Angel by Greg Iles
What No One Tells the Bride by Marg Stark
Heart by Gail Godwin
Coot Club by Arthur Ransome
Too Soon to Say Good-bye by Art Buchwald
The Intelligent Woman's Guide to Conservatism by Russell Kirk
St Elmo by Augusta Jane Evans
Life Studies by Susan Vreeland
Redeeming the Time by Russell Kirk
Ex Libris by Ross King
The Judgment of Paris by Ross King
Fifty Celebrate Fifty by More Magazine


A dozen or so books to keep me entertained for the next few weeks.

And a quote, first seen at Quiet Life, then recogized at Writer's Almanac today, where Goethe is remembered because it's his birthday.

"One ought, every day at least, to hear a little song, read a good poem, see a fine picture, and if it were possible, to speak a few reasonable words."

Happy 80th Birthday!


















Born on a farm in Ninette, Manitoba, MIL moved to Thunder Bay, Ontario when she was a teenager. There she worked in a department store where she met her future husband. They married in 1953, and had three children, the second of whom is my DH.

Let's see if these five facts give a good description....

Favorite color: Pink
Favorite meal: Roasted Turkey
Favorite music: Big Band style
Favorite chore: Painting
Favorite pasttime: Redecorating

Fashion Friday









Wooden beads mixed with a little silver strung on fishing line. Inexpensive.

I happened upon this bracelet in a hair salon and it has become a favorite this summer. The *matching* necklace has spent more time in the drawer. Not sure why.

Do you have a Summer *Fashion Find*?

Art and Poetry

Where Are the Shows of Yesteryear?


Where now is Jean-Leon Gerome,
One of the greats of heretofore,
Who made the Orient his home?
His "Woman of Cairo at her Door"
Immortalized an unknown whore;
Imprisoned in its little cage,
Her pretty finch shows evermore
The mark he made upon his age.







And where is Bouguereau, on whom
Fortune outdid herself to pour
Her golden favors? Overcome:
The modernists thought him a bore.
And yet it is hard to ignore
Those nymphets that he loved to stage--
He should have been arrested for
The mark he made upon his age.






Fabres y Costa's Prix de Rome,
His silver medals and much more
Availed not when his time had come
And gone, and left him very poor:
His prices fell right through the floor.
Now exercising righteous rage,
Defenders of the new deplore
The mark he made upon his age.



Envoi:
O Prince, may those well-known before
Find new collectors to assuage
Their disregard and to restore
The mark each made upon his age.

by Charles Martin


PS I had fun looking up the artwork referred to in this poem. At first I was only familiar with Bouguereau.

Paperwork


One of my duties is to complete/print this form for billing purposes.










And lately, I've been having a little trouble with claims being rejected because the information in ONE of the hundred fields on the form was not printing properly.

Today I figured out a way to correct that.

All by my little lonesome.

Just for the record.

Sunday Dinners


Tomato Soup

Roast Beef in Pita

Cheese Straws

Stuffed Cherry Tomato





Easy prepare ahead menu for any time of year, I served this meal after church on Sunday. This is one of the ways I make Sundays special; that is, by having everything ready before church; eating in the dining room, and having everyone help with cleanup.




Are your meals on Sunday

different

from those on the weekdays?

Tomato Soup


8 cups fresh, August tomatoes, peeled and seeded

NOTE: I strained my peelings and garnished 1 cup fresh juice.

Save it!


1 large yellow onion, chopped finely
6 stalks celery, very finely chopped

Cook the above ingredients in a saucepan for 20 minutes until the veggies are soft. Strain them in order to separate the pulp from the stock, pressing gently to extract as much liquid as possible. As a result, I had approximately 5 cups of cooked tomato pulp ( including onions & celery) and 4 cups tomato stock.

Place the stock only in a small saucepan and simmer until reduced by half. Set aside. Puree the pulp in a food processor. Set aside.

In a large pot, melt 6 Tbs butter; and add 6 Tbs flour, stirring with a wire whisk until well-blended and smooth. Cook until this roux turns slightly brown. Dont walk away! This will burn easily.

Add 5 cups beef stock. (I cheated and made mine with bouillon cubes. This is why I dont have to salt the soup in the end.) Stir the roux quickly as you add the stock to create a smooth base. Add 2 tsp sugar and 1 tsp paprika. Cook over medium heat until the mixture starts to boil.

Reduce to low heat and add the tomato pulp. Stir well. Cook for 5 minutes without boiling. Thin with the tomato stock (I used the two cups mentioned at the beginning of the recipe.) I suppose one could thin with a little warm milk or cream, making the result *Cream of Tomato Soup*, but I'm getting off topic.

DD#3 tasted and approved.

Here's the end result.














Enjoy!

Fine Art Friday

Picture Framing


















Yesterday I took a field trip with a friend to purchase a frame for her oil painting: an Italian landscaped by my DD#2. She chose this one displayed horizontally. I forgot to get a picture of the finished product, but will do that soon and add it to this post. Here's a link to the painting in progress.

We traveled to JFM Enterprises and spent the better part of two hours *trying on* different frames. This was *work* for me as decorating decisions do not come easily. And as you know, a frame is an integral part of presenting the artwork and can make a big difference.


Here's how a copy of Sargent's The Breakfast Table looks in the above frame.




















What do you think?

Italian Landscape















Tuscany 2006
Oil on canvas 18x24


Found a quick photo taken of the landscape in progress. There is more to the foreground - sunflowers and the like. Plus it seems I've cut off the gardener who is in the left-hand side of the finished work. And I'd still like to have a picture of the framed painting in its own setting, ie friend's living room. I will call her.

So, enjoy regarding it.

Imagine we are there........taking a walk on that path.

Oh, yeah :)

Doing the Next Thing

Saturdays are full of choices: what to do and where to do it?

And today is no different for me. Because it didnt work out that I head to Unicoi State Park to hike the Smith Creek trail, I headed to the office to catch up/get ahead on some ever-present paperwork: posting, balancing, billing, scheduling, filing, organizing, et cetera. Even if I'd stayed at home, there is laundry, cleaning, cooking, and ironing.

It makes me happy to be busy. Read Robert Service's poem.


And for safekeeping, here's a poem used by Elisabeth Elliot, to encourage us in our daily lives.

"At an old English parsonage down by the sea,
there came in the twilight a message to me.
Its quaint Saxon legend deeply engraven
that, as it seems to me, teaching from heaven.
And all through the hours the quiet words ring,
like a low inspiration, 'Do the next thing.'

Many a questioning, many a fear,
many a doubt hath its quieting here.
Moment by moment, let down from heaven,
time, opportunity, guidance are given.
Fear not tomorrow, child of the King,
trust that with Jesus, do the next thing.

Do it immediately, do it with prayer,
do it reliantly, casting all care.
Do it with reverence, tracing His hand,
who placed it before thee with earnest command.
Stayed on omnipotence, safe 'neath His wing,
leave all resultings, do the next thing.

Looking to Jesus, ever serener,
working or suffering be thy demeanor,
in His dear presence, the rest of His calm,
the light of His countenance, be thy psalm.
Do the next thing."

What's keeping you occupied this particular Saturday?

Spinach Salad

10 oz fresh spinach (Popeye brand-already washed/bagged)
8 oz mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 lg mango, sliced (substitute madarin oranges,drained)
1 egg, hardboiled and diced

Toss with salad dressing of your choice.

Serves 8.

This is one of my favorite foods to take to pot providence dinners after church.

Salad Dressing:

1/2 C safflower oil
1/4 C vinegar
2 Tbs prepared mustard
2 Tbs water
2 Tbs dried parsley

Whirl in blender. Store in cruet in 'fridge.

Prayer
Curtsy: Carol

Send me, O Lord, into the tasks of this day rejoicing.

Teach me that I labor to Thee,
that I eat and drink to Thy glory,
that I think and plan to the ends
which Thou hast laid before me.

Do Thou strengthen me that I may
become willing to sacrifice for others.

Teach me to look upon my life today
as given me to help my fellowmen.

Let me see in my profession,
in the need of those who depend on me,
in the want and struggle of the world about me,
my field for loving service.

Remind me again that my life,
my speech, my faith
is nothing without love.

Grant that I be ready to forgive,
quick in sympathy,
earnest in my rejoicing with those who are happy,
and zealous in bearing the burdens of my fellow-men.

In Jesus's name, Amen.

~ from the Lutheran Prayer Book

Sunday Dinner



Continuing the conversation after the meal is almost as important as the food itself.

Like Mrs. Schaeffer's said,*Food and meal-times shared have always been thought of as a closer kind of communication than simply talking to people, without eating together.*








More discussion here, too.












Last, but not least, DD#2 loading the dishwasher!











DD#3 is off camera putting leftovers in the 'fridge.


This week's after church meal was more simple: ham sandwiches and there were only three of us.

Walking/Hiking

Muggy and hot after the morning rain, the weather was not ideal for walking, but I needed to get moving. I hadnt walked since last Friday! The temperature registered at 81 degrees with *Realfeel* at 95!


But again, I needed to accomplish my walk. It takes me 45 minutes to walk the neighborhood. Going up and down nine hills is sufficiently aerobic to be called a true workout. And I need to think of myself as *in training*!





These sandals are very comfortable and perfect for walking. Ordinarily I wear Nike cross-trainers with socks. But I'm wondering if I'll need some real hiking boots for my upcoming hike?



In eight weeks a friend and I will trek five miles to the Len Foote Hike Inn and enjoy a weekend in the north GA mountains. And I have to be able to walk five miles back out again.

I'm thinking the Smith Creek Trail might be a good training, too.

What are you doing in eight weeks?

CWAC or Cousins Week at Callaway

Leftover Picnic


Now it is the end of the week and it's time for another picnic.

This time we bring out whatever is leftover from our week's meals.

Voila!

Dinner!








We've placed the chairs in a large circle,

blessed the food,

and give the troops permission to serve their plates.








Here I am with Jasper, one of the parrots at the Day Butterfly Center.

Thanks for visiting.

Y'all come back now,

ya hear!

Little White House














Last Thursday, we drove over to Warm Springs, GA and visited FDR's home. He started visiting Georgia in the early 1920s after he was stricken with polio. This is BEFORE he was President. He purchased the *resort* and turned it into a medical facility, as swimming (physical therapy) was being acknowledged as a bone fide treatment for polio victims.

This historic home is part of the State Park organization ,and therefore, enjoyed *free* entry with my annual park pass. There is a new (2003) welcome center complete with museum, introductory film, and gift shop, where I noticed a George Grant book, The Patriot's Handbook!


This visit dove-tailed historically with my May visit to Harry Truman's home in Independence, MO.

Pine Mountain







After walking with my friend, Clare, around the Azalea Bowl at Callaway Gardens, we lunched in my cottage on pimento cheese and brownies. Yum.

Then it was time for a litte window shopping in downtown Pine Mountain. It's a quaint little main street with old shops and stores. We did stumble across a china cabinet like I have at home for $350, a paperback set of books, The Children of Pride, and some pretty quilted, scalloped matching placements/napkins.

No purchases were made :)

Callaway Fauna

Duck Family

There is a host of wildlife to see at Callaway Gardens and I captured pictures of only a few.

Besides the ducks, I happened upon a gaggle of Canadian geese who were strangely sunning on a stretch of beach.





Here's a huge turtle of which there were many. Now they didnt make any sound I could detect, but they were worth of a picture.





Although it is very hard to see, there is a bird in the center of this photo. He's on the railing. Can you see him?

I think it is a catbird, whose sound I do recognize, but he was busy pursuing another bird....his companion, I assume.



In addition to self-guided nature walks, there are a host of *Discovery Programs* where educational naturalists conduct a short lecture and demonstration about wildlife or gardening. There are programs all day long. So many that one cant possibly take them all in.

One such program which I have always wanted to do, but have yet to, is *Discover the Stars* It takes place on Monday nights from 9 - 11 pm at the Pavilion Overlook. This year I brought my binoculars in preparation, but alas, I was already in bed!

Family Reunion

Patriarch

Here's my father going over some details related to the early lineage.





Cleverly designed family tree printed so that each child/grandchild could find his/her name and place in the line-up.



Matriarch

Photographer, par excellence, my mother works diligently to record our family events for posterity.


Legend has it that she received her first camera at age 7.





In addition to maintaining family albums, my mother has one for each grandchild. Here's an example of the family calendar she creates for each of us: one per familly plus one miniature one for each grandchild.

Who's the photographer/keeper of the record in your family?


PS She also is webmaster at our family webpage.

Sunday Dinner

Baked Chicken Piquant
Brown Rice
Sauteed Summer Squash
Pole Beans, steamed
Five-Grain French Bread

Tea, sweet and unsweet
Red Rose

Fresh Georgia Peaches
Breyers French Vanilla
Peachtree Schnapps
Cream Cheese Pound Cake
Pecan Bars

Coffee


With twelve for dinner after church today, I have set both the dining room and kitchen tables. The fresh peaches are my centerpieces even tho' we will have to remove them just before dessert.

More later.

Chicken Piquant

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

4 - 5 lbs chicken, cut up and placed in large roasting pan. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and paprika according to preference.

In a blender, whirl the following six ingredients

1 1/2 cups rose wine
1/2 cup safflower oil
2 Tbs ground ginger
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1/2 tsp dried oregano
2 Tbs brown sugar

Pour over chicken pieces and bake for 60 - 75 minutes, depending on the size of the pieces, until done.

Serve with brown rice, using the extra liquid as gravy.

This is an easy recipe to serve company. It smells like baking bread and creates a delicious aroma. I'll be serving this for tomorrow's Sunday dinner.

Picnics

Earlier this week I commented on Donna's query about picnics (scroll down entry to find fill-in-the-blank-question) and said that a picnic is not complete without fried chicken. On Sunday we'll kick off our annual family reunion with a picnic. In this case, every family packs their own and brings out their plates to a common area. This year in addition to serving my family, I've invited my parents and two old family friends (who're just dropping in for the day) to join us.


Our menu:

Krispy Fried Chicken (a local Pine Mtn favorite)
Green Beans
Rice Salad with artichokes
Sliced Tomatoes
Bread Ring

Iced Tea
Bloody Marys



Cookie Cake (common dessert shared by about fifty of us)














Even though meals are shared throughout the week, each family can retreat to their own cottage kitchens for meal planning and preparations. By the end of the week, there are usually leftovers, soooooooooooo on Friday night we have a final picnic where everyone brings out *leftovers*! It's loads of fun and it really helps clean out the 'fridges before we have to pack up and leave the next day.

One rainy year, we had a progressive picnic, in which we went from cottage to cottage with umbrellas, sampling leftovers.

Circle Time

Every afternoon we gather
to *visit* - that is, sit around,
tell stories, ask questions,
get to know one another better.


L-R: DD#4, DD#2 behind DH, Me, Brother, SIL

Sunday, July 17, 2006













Getting a little larger, at any time of the day during our week-long family reunion, the circle is a special ingredient in our family fellowship.

Check my xanga for a picture of our little neighborhood away from home.

Wild Rice Salad














My sister-in-law brought this dish to the birthday party last week along with the recipe.........which she states is *different* every time she makes it, depending on what's in the 'fridge. She adapted it from Southern Living.

2 - 6 oz pkgs long grain and wild rice mix, cooked as directed, excluding the butter.
2 11 oz cans white or shoepeg corn, drained
1/2 C chopped fresh parsley
6 chopped green onions
4 peeled and diced carrots (these appear to be missing this time)
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced
1 tsp dried dill weed
1/2 tsp black pepper

Dressing:
1/4 C lemon juice
1 or 2 cloves garlic
2 Tbs safflower oil
1/2 tsp dry mustard.

3 Tbsp sunflower seeds or slivered almonds

Combine salad ingredients. Mix dressing in blender until smooth and pour over salad. Toss well. Chill. Add seeds/nuts just before serving.

This is very yummy.



Another favorite is Artichoke Rice salad, which recipe I will post later.

Influential? The 100 year test

Having just finished a delicious dinner salad concocted with leftovers from the previous week's dinners, it's time to reflect on the day's sermon.

We sang from the Trinity Hymnal: #295, #30, #301, and #488.

Genesis 18:1-19 was read and the congregation was exhorted with twelve principles which, if applied, are likely to yield far-reaching effects in years to come.

Here's the list.

1) Believe that the people of God have a future - a victorious and glorious one at that. Matt 13

2) Believe that God has entered into a covenant with His people in Christ. Gen 17:7, Ex 20:5-6, Deut 7:9 Jer 37:17-18

3) Multiply - Be fruitful and have a family. Plan to outpopulate the wicked.

4) Create an inheritance - a material one, a spiritual one, an intellectual one, and an economic one. Pv 3:22 Job 27:13

5) Purchase land and keep it in the family. Job is a good example.

6) Obey God's Word when parenting/rearing your children. JCM read from Calvin's commentary on Gen 18:19

7) Give your children a distinctly Christian education. Deut 6:4-9

8) Pray for your children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

9) Work to reconstruct our culture so that it will be less evil for your progeny. Gen 1:28 and Matt 28:18

10) Guide your children in their life choices using Scripture to substantiate your advice. Neh 13:23

11) Teach your children to think *futuristically*. JCM has preached an entire sermon on this topic and it covers the down-side of living only for the moment and not saving. See this sermon on Luke 16 delivered 4/2/06.

12) Pray earnestly to God and beg that He would be faithful to His promises. Is 65:17-19

Application: Around the dinner table, I gave each daughter an opportunity to comment about one of the twelve. We had some lively conversation.

Personal note: I pray for my children; I pray for their future spouses, and I try to pray for their children and grandchildren. It's not easy to do, not *knowing* them or their names. I have some pretty neat family stories and genealogy books, but none which say *I'm praying for my progeny*

Here's a link to one daughter's sermon notes.

Happy Birthday!




















Just coming in the back door after running five, say F.I.V.E., miles!

At 6am!

And then he walks in the evenings with me.

He says it's to keep his joints from tightening up ;)

Independence Day















Birth of Old Glory
Edward Percy Moran


Seems like an appropriate day to talk about two of my pet peeves:

1) lack of respect for our flag.

Educate yourself today by reading about how to treat the flag. Here's a link. Hopefully there are no flag plates on the table today. Red, white, and blue, yes!

and

2) the misnomer *Revolutionary War* which was really the *War for Independence*.

Briefly and for the purposes of this post, the definition of *revolution* is the overthrow of one government and its replacement with another. I maintain that the colonists neither intended to overthrow the government of Britain nor replace it. To wit, England's form of government still operates. Back to the colonists - they simply wanted to be INDEPENDENT, to start their own nation.

Thanks for reading.

P S Ribs is what we're doing today.

Chocolate Pie


Prepare a baked pie shell.

In the blender combine:

1 cup sugar 2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup all purpose flour 3 egg yolks
1/2 tsp salt

Pour contents of blender into a double boiler and cook over - not in - boiling water for 10 minutes or until mixture thickens. Stir constantly and do not walk away, as it is easy to curdle this mixture.

Remove from heat and add:

2 Tbs butter
2 oz cut up or grated unsweetened chocolate
2 tsp vanilla

Cool slightly before tourning into the crust. Top with meringue made from the remaining egg whites.


Meringue Topping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Whip until frothy 3 egg whites and then add 1/4 tsp cream of tartar. Continue to whip until they are stiff, but not dry. They should stand in peaks that lean over slightly, when the beater is removed. Beat in one tablespoon at the time 3-4 Tbs of sugar. Do not overbeat. Add 1/2 tsp vanilla.

Spread over pie. Bake 10 - 15 mins in preheated oven.

Taken from Joy of Cooking.

Sunday's Sermon

Title: Here We Raise Our Ebenzer
Text: I Samuel 7 (read from Geneva Bible, which is one used by early settlers)
TE: JCMIII
Hymns: 616, 621, 293, 400 (all from blue Trinity Hymnal)


















Photo Credit: Jay Shepherd


Brief Outline using Scriptural references and historical examples.

Introduction:
Psalm 145: 1-7 King David was a student of history
Proverbs 22:28 and 23: 10-12
Purpose of landmarks/memorial: remind and move (motivate)
Our country is busy tearing down boundaries and renaming landmarks.

Body:
A)OT examples of erecting monuments/memorials
1) Abraham at
2) Jacob at Peniel (Gen
3) Joshua at Gilgal (Joshua 4)
4) Israelites at Ebenezer (I Sam 7)

B)Larger Catechism Questions 107, 108, 109
1) Duty implied in second commandment: according to each one's place and calling, removing all monuments of idolatry. Scriptural supports: Deut 7:5 and Is 30:22

C)National Confession and Covenant Renewal
1) Samuel's prayer for his people (I Sam 7)
The people gathered, drew water and poured it out, fasted, and confessed their sins.

This sermon/speech was delivered at the dedication of the Children's Memorial to the settlers of Jamestown. I'm wondering if there was any confession of sin by the group gathered. Does anyone out there have access to a program?

D)Historical examples in early America for whom we should give thanks
1) John Tyler's speech given at 250th anniversary celebration of founding of Jamestown.
2) Richard Hakluyt - cartographer for Virginia Company - see its charter for purpose
3) John Smith - Puritan - read parts of his last will and testament.
4) Pocahontas - became a Christian
5) Robert Hunt - 1st preacher to the Jamestown settlers
6) Alexander Whitaker - most well known preacher to settlers
7) Sir Thomas West Deleroix (sp?) - abolished communal farming
8) Sir Thomas Dale - governor of Jamestown - read example of a law as well as excerpt from charter of third Virginia Company.
9) Edwin Sandez (sp) - responsible for representative government
10) Powantan - Indian boy who warned the settlers of impending attack and thereby preventing a massacre
11) Africans in Jamestown - next Sunday evening's sermon topic.

Application
Jamestown Childrens Memorial

Conclusion
R L Dabney quote - make sure we retain all that is TRUE
Cranshaw's preface to Alexander Whitaker's sermon, Good News from Jamestown, re: great prize placed in the hands of fools.