Goings On and Ponderings

Time for a new post.  But if I tell you what's new, then what will I say for my month in review??  Hmm... resolved.  I will tell now and show later.

There is some crochet going on here, another table topper for my dear mom, thanks to Alison redeeming her free time.  She hauls that thing along in the car and hooks away on it at the table when we are done eating, having devotions or just having a nice family chat.  It's almost finished!  Photo to come.

Amy is photographing, and that's all. No, wait, make that photographing and blogging and reading books about photography.  She has started a new blog for her photography only, MimiBeth Photography.  Check it out.  For now it only contains postings of her 30 Days / 1 Thing pictures, the subject of which is a red HotWheels Corvette.  My dad has no idea what a HUGE gift that "old" camera was to her.  It's about the closest thing you can get to a DSLR and still have a point-and-shoot.  She LOVES it! (Thanks again, Dad!)

Elisabeth is tinkering with leathercrafting, learning how to use some basic tools.  There are some nice tutorials on YouTube.  Of course!  You can learn how to adjust your bike gears, fix a washing machine, do calculus, use Sibelius, make a bomb, or do anything else on YouTube!

With much determination, Emily is learning the clarinet.  Well, she was the other day.  You never know what she is going to get into next, or how long it is going to last.  All I know is that whatever she begins, there will be a mess left over when she tires of it.  Paper doll scraps, Monopoly pieces, wooden blocks, Legos, sheet music, flour.

Monocogman keeps a calculator handy, as he is constantly juggling numbers (mathematizing, we call it).  He loves numbers.  Numbers tell the monthly temperature average, the price of a round-trip train ticket to Wichita, the percent of people in the USA who work for the government, and our gas mileage.  This is important information!  :)

As for me... there's not much to say about me.  Here I am.  I pitted four sorry, two gallons of dates the other day, (it seemed like four!) and we are now enjoying the "fruits" of my labors.  It doesn't take long for a family of six to devour a loaf of date nut bread.  Even with Amy abstaining!  Amy says she doesn't like dates (she's never tasted them), and that they look like cockroaches (it's true, they do).  That's fine with me.  Normally I make my kids try new things, but if Amy finds out she likes date bread, there won't be enough for the rest of us.  My concession makes her suspicious.  I predict her resolve is weakening, and that she will try a bite of bread soon.  But maybe not.  It is loaded with walnuts, too.  Oh! Aha!  A light bulb moment!  If I put walnuts in the brownies... :D

We are almost finished memorizing Hebrews chapter 11, which is the great chapter on faith.  In almost every case, the person's faith was proven by his obedience to God.  Even where their obedience isn't obvious, it's not hard to figure out where it occurred.  Where do we get this idea that as long as we don't drink, smoke, or dance, we are obeying God?  (Of course, some people think they are obeying God even when they do these things.)  I'm sure there is something more that God wants me to do.  I think that in the days to come, our obedience to God (our FAITH in him) is going to be tested.  Have you ever had to decide whether to give your tithe or not, because you knew you couldn't afford to?  (I wonder how people think they can afford NOT to, but that is for another time!) I am grateful for my husband's resolve.  As long as we are blessed with increase, we will be giving the Lord his tithe.  But right now I am thinking about what I can do to either keep money from flying out the door so fast, or else to get some to fly in.    Anyone know a great job I can do at home, with little work?  You know, like, I just hit a button on the computer, and the money rolls in?  :D   (No, Jane, not the slot machine, hee hee! You wouldn't do it, either!)

Back to the kitchen.  I have ten pounds of skinless, boneless chicken thighs (obtained really cheap!) marinading in Italian dressing, taco, or teryaki marinade.  If you have any tips about how to use them, I'd love to hear your ideas!  Tonight's supper, teryaki chicken and French fries.  Let's eat.