Random Musings

I've only had British tea biscuits once. They're like our shortbread cookies only excessively flat. And I don't think I've ever seen them for sale in the US. Anyhoo, the day after Prince William's wedding, the local paper ran an article about the cake he requested for the wedding. It's called a biscuit cake, and they provided the recipe. I actually tried it yesterday. Kind of. We don't have British tea biscuits here, and the only dark chocolate I had on hand (which I thought was dark chocolate so didn't buy any at the store) was actually Baker's unsweetened chocolate. So combined my chocolate with some semi-sweet morsels. After all, dark chocolate simply tastes like barely sweetened cocoa. So needless to say, my version wasn't exactly what the recipe called for. Nevertheless, it's okay. Perhaps if I had the proper ingredients it might taste a whole lot better, but I seriously doubt I'll try it again. After watching this video, (which use...

Day two was HOT! We started at 5pm, were thankful when Tim (Bobby's brother, Sammy's dad) showed up to help. Things started moving a little faster then. He could hold the boards in place a little better and I pulled boards to the sawhorse to have them ready for nailing/cutting while they put finished doors in place. All said, we "finished" (as in 96% done and the chickens can use the house) about 9:20pm. My legs are coated in 'skeeter bites (that's mosquito bites, for non-Walker County,  AL people), and I'm trying REALLY hard not to scratch but not having a whole lot of luck! Other than the fact the chickens slept on top of the nesting boxes instead of on top of their roosting posts, I think they're going to be quite happy in their house. If not, they can just get over it.

When we got home Saturday evening, we were pleasantly surprised with all the progress made during the day. Nesting Boxes BEFORE :   Nesting Boxes AFTER :   Roosting Post BEFORE : Roosting Post AFTER :   And a side view: Since there wasn't time to finish, we simply placed a board over the gateway from the house to the pen. The chickens were most unhappy about this development, pecking at the board, piling up four high trying to get inside. But this is how it remained until day 2 of work began.

 the chicken pen & house  Bobby talking with our neighbor, Todd  Bobby's nephew Sammy nailing boards. And Sammy measuring boards. Not that exciting, you say?  Perhaps not. But it will be. Starting tomorrow, you will be surprised. :)

This past weekend I overheard a conversation where a daughter was very upset with her sister. It was a typical childhood situation where they're looking into the future, but the parent's response almost made me gasp. She gave her daughter a hug, reminded her that she needed to pray for her sister, that as God continued to sanctify and change her sister into being more like Him then the problem might rectify itself. I don't think I even knew the word sanctify or sanctification at that age. I'm even more impressed that the mother recognized the heart of the matter. Addressing an argument about what might/might not happen in the future was truly futile. Helping a sister recognize 1) the need to pray for others 2) not everyone has the same strengths and personality traits and 3) only God can change a person is absolutely wonderful. And while neither Mom nor daughter were aware, that conversation ministered to me. So many times when I look in my spiritual mirror, I don...

During after-school band practices, our band director would always call us up to his tower for a "word" before we called it a day at 5pm.  On Wednesdays, he would always say, "Weeellll, we've now made it past hump day." Sometimes the arrival of noon on Wednesday scares me. The week's half-way point has arrived and my idea of what is to be done is still mountainous. Other times it comes and inwardly I mentally pump my fist and shout for I'm really getting stuff done. Today though feels a bit different. I'm at the end of a tunnel. :) Two months ago today I was very frustrated and a tad overwhelmed. I thought if I could just make it to this week then things would be peaceful and I could drop dead in exhaustion. But then I went and fell. Not once, but twice.  As if having a swollen kneecap and football-size/shape bruise on my abdomen wasn't enough, I had to add an egg-sized, bruised knot on the other knee, mis-align my pelvic bones, and fracture m...

Scottymania has hit Garner. Big time. Our town has a population of about 24 or 25,000.  We had 30,000 here for the Scotty parade on Saturday. That doesn't include the 500 waiting at the radio station at 8am, nor the lines at AT&T or Lowe's Foods where he worked. I think it's sweet that stores are putting "Go, Scotty, Go!" on their billboards or "We love you, Scotty!" It's nice that our town is behind their own.  When I saw the sign at Timber Drive Elementary, where he attended school as a child, that was neat. And then you see the sign at the YMCA, Heather Hills Clubhouse, the red and white painted sign with some crazy message about country music on the side of the road propped up against the trailer park mailboxes, and it becomes a little bit funny. But then you go somewhere. Doesn't matter where. Church, Target, the gas station, a restaurant, the gym, the Garner Republicans meeting, and EVERYBODY is talking about Scotty...how proud they...

Well, yesterday's post was deleted by Blogger's technical difficulties. so here's the long and short of it: Ezekiel 16:12 - it's okay to pierce your nose. And no, I'm not doing it, although I think the minute studs and minuscule rings are really cool. And on to today: I was very thankful to overhear people talking in the doctor's office about their displeasure of having Lady Gaga perform on American Idol. Like them, I was pleased at how Scotty performed, that he took what advice she had that was worth something and used it, and that he recognized her as the Proverbs 1 woman that men should avoid. After scanning the internet I realized just how much a minority I was in and how depraved our country truly is. And the more I think on her performance, the more I've come to this conclusion: it doesn't matter how well you sing or how many your records you make, if you dress, talk, and act like a prostitute, you are one. I don't understand why so many mo...

"I also put a ring in your nostril, earrings in your ears and a beautiful crown on your head.. " ~ Ezekiel 16:12 Last week during our Wednesday night Bible study we looked at Ezekiel 16. The chapter basically gives the history of Israel (its birth, redemption, falling, redemption, etc).  But in the passage detailing how God loved the nation so much that he desired to take care of this unwanted child, he lists all the wonderful things He did for this nation. The above verse is one of those. Now I find this really funny. One, because my parents were SO hesitant to let us get our ears pierced, and two, because I scandalized my husband be relaying to him a conversation I had with a friend about nose piercings. Lest this post start a crazy rumor, I'm not getting my nose pierced. I have enough sinus and infection problems without adding to the craziness.  But my husband was absolutely aghast that I thought the tiny nose studs or miniscule rings were cool. (note: the small one...

When we first started hearing about this "destination wedding" (something I had never been to and always thought of as for the excessively rich and exotic), we would just smile. The groom's brother would shake his head every time someone asked about it and would say, "This is going to be the most redneck wedding to ever happen."  I must say, it was very different from anything I've ever attended. Parts of it were beautiful. And I found it doesn't really matter where you're standing, when you hear God's word read by a man with a heart for God and watch someone who does try to live right listen and respond, it creates a serious and beautiful moment. So without further ado, here's the cowboy wedding: The two wild turkeys outside our cabin every morning. Bobby heard them, and I got to watch them from the window. Grace in "cowboy wedding" attire.  The bridesmaids wore hot pink strapless, mini-skirted formals with cowboy boots. ...

This year seems to hold a lot of firsts for us (and some of them I hope are also lasts!). I was reminded this weekend that the only difference between an adventure and a disaster is the attitude of the person experiencing it. So Saturday became an adventure for us. :) Mountain miles are not the same as city miles. Our place of residence was "thirty miles" from Linville Caverns, which is mostly wheelchair accessible. We didn't have to attend any of the wedding party events during the day, so we thought it would be the perfect opportunity to do a little vacationing while there. Somewhere in a book we read it would take us about an hour and a half to get there. So leaving at 10ish would give us plenty of time to eat brunch, get there, do the 30 minute tour, and get back with plenty of time to get ready for the wedding, especially if we use the fast route on the gps to get there (which would save us all of five minutes). Did I mention that mountain miles are not the same as...

Last month during our visit/vacation to Alabama, we had the opportunity to visit with my Aunt Pat. This was my first visit to her Montgomery house, and it was a special treat because a good chunk of the house was wheelchair accessible. That is very unusual, especially for older homes. In one of her rooms, this is the main piece of furniture. When I saw it, my first thought was "Susan!" (my sister-in-law), immediately bumped by "a church window" and "I LOVE It!" It's a bookcase that my cousin found at an antique store. I think it is absolutely lovely. And for this pic she'll absolutely kill me the next time she sees me, but this is her cooking. As a child I always dreamed of growing up to dress like her. And then I sadly grew up and realized that the tunic tops and long flowy skirts and knee-length boots that she wore and looked so elegant in make short people like me look dumpy and even shorter. But I still like the way she dresses, and shoul...

I've been told I have no concept of time. Evidently I'm not the only one. Yesterday I started working on a quilt top that a group of us started a few weeks back. The pattern says it's a " two weekend project ". Did I mention it's a McKenna Ryan pattern? I've finally quit drooling over her stuff and am actually going to try one. Perhaps I am ignorant. Maybe with my broken elbow I'm sewing a lot slower than normal. Today will be the fifth day to spend at least an hour or two on this quilt. This does not include the time I spent cutting out pieces. This does not include the two hours my friends helped mark and piece triangles. Need I say the end is NOT in sight? But it might resemble the pattern when I'm done. Maybe. But I think I will like it. And I want the kind of weekend McKenna Ryan has. Hers obviously has a lot more hours than mine.

Last night I was sharing some frustrations with a friend at church. He shook his head and made this comment, "Well, when people don't know Christ that's how they live." It really made me stop and think. Because I attempt to live by the ten commandments and treat others the way they want to be treated, I expect everyone else to do so the same. But they DON'T.  And if Christ is not the center of their life, why should I expect them to be a decent person? If there is no reason for a person to love others as much as they love themselves like Christ commanded, then why should I be so surprised when they act selfishly?  George W. Bush, even though he has faults, addresses this very thing in his autobiography. He started reading the Bible, not because he was curious about God at the time, but because he recognized it provided a good roadmap for a healthy society. And in times of devastation, I recognize just how true that is. If we lived in a society where people recog...