February 22, 2009

Joy comes in the morning . . .

Little Flock #216

Lord, we rejoice that Thou art gone
To sit upon Thy Father's throne:
Thy path of shame and suffering o'er,
Thy heart shall grieve and mourn no more.

With joy our wondering hearts retrace
Thy ways on earth, of power and grace;
We sit as learners at Thy feet,
Thy words than honey far more sweet.

O cross of Christ! O glorious tree!
What place can be compared with thee,
Where God's own Son was crucified,
And for our sins a ransom died?

We love to look within the tomb,
Thy death has robbed of all its gloom;
The stone for ever rolled away;
Thy death the power of death did slay.

We joy to see Thee, Lord, arise
Triumphant through the opening skies;
And hear all heaven united own
Thee worthy to ascend the throne.

Lord, now we wait for Thee to come,
And take us to Thy Father's home;
Oh what ecstatic joy 'twill be
To spend eternity with Thee!



Echoes of Grace #275


We are by Christ redeemed,
The cost - His precious blood;
Be nothing by our souls esteemed
Like this great good.
Were the vast world our own
With all its varied store,
And Thou, Lord Jesus, wert unknown,
We still were poor.

Our earthen vessels break;
The world itself grows old;
But Christ our precious dust will take
And freshly mould.
He'll give these bodies vile
A fashion like His own,
He'll bid the whole creation smile,
And hush its groan.

Thus far by grace preserved,
Each moment speeds us on;
The crown and kingdom are reserved
Where Christ is gone.
When cloudless morning shines,
We shall His glory share;
In pleasant places are the lines;
The home how fair!

To Him our weakness clings
Through tribulation sore,
And seeks the covert of His wings
Till all be o'er.
And when we've run the race,
And fought the faithful fight,
We then shall see Him face to face,
With saints in light.

February 4, 2009

25 Things

Here goes:

1. I really don't mind doing laundry, but hate dusting.

2. I don't like fruity candy - chocolate or caramel, please!

3. Volleyball is my favorite sport.

4. I love milk (goes well with the chocolate, you know).

5. I seriously considered joining the military in high school.

6. I was a cheerleader for 4 years in high school (yes, I know - :oP ) - boys basketball and football. I've always regretted not staying in sports instead.

7. I love historical Christian fiction. I hate reading mysteries, or anything with crime or intrigue.

8. I hate hot weather, unless I'm at the lake. Sweatshirt weather is perfect!

9. My (earthly) dream home is a lakeside log home with my own dock and beach. (I'm not asking for much.) 2nd choice is a big old farmhouse. But I'm very thankful for and comfortable in my present home. And really looking forward to my heavenly one!

10. I have large hands.

11. I used to work at Dairy Queen and could make a pretty decent Dairy Queen Swirl (you know - the little curlie-Q on top of the cones and sundaes?). Sometimes they let us take home the mistakes (frozen solid).

12. Some day I'd like to go to the symphony.

13. My favorite kind of pizza is ham and pineapple. Favorite pop: A&W Rootbeer.

14. My favorite fruits, in order: peaches, blueberries, and strawberries.

15. I'd love to travel more. And see the ocean.

16. The loudest noise I've ever heard is the squeak that happened when the dentist pulled one of my wisdom teeth. It was awful.

17. I wish I could see the places my ancestors lived in the old country - Norway, England, and Germany.

18. My parents were both teachers and sometimes let me correct papers.

19. I've never been able to float on my back - I sink.

20. When I was 3 or 4 someone asked me what I was going to be when I grew up and I said I was going to go to robber school to learn to be a robber.

21. I'm afraid of heights.

22. I sleep with a noisemaker set on "waterfall".

23. I have TMJD - a jaw joint problem - and wear a mouthguard every night.

24. I rarely played with dolls when I was little - I thought they were for sissies. My favorite toys were my gun and holster set, semi truck, and Rubik's cube - but I mostly played outside having imaginative adventures with my best friend Ginny.

25. My feet are not the least bit ticklish.

January 30, 2009

Mmmm - Apple Pancakes

I made this scrumptious recipe the other day - first time in probably two years. I grew up eating them - I think the recipe is German and was handed down in my dad's family. Whenever Grandma came to visit, or when we went to visit her, these pancakes were a MUST! Mom included the recipe in the books that she was making up for my sister and I when she was battling cancer. We didn't find the recipe books until after she died - tucked away in a drawer. I really treasure that book!



I usually double this:

4 eggs, beaten slightly
1 1/2 cups milk
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup vegetable oil
5 medium apples, peeled and sliced very thin. Set aside. (I don't slice the apples until I've made the batter)

Add milk, suger, salt, flour, and oil to eggs. Blend well but do not overbeat.

Pour about 1/3 cup batter on 350 degree griddle. Place sliced apples on top. Flip when browned on underside. Remove from griddle when apples are browned.



Make each one a little smaller than a dinner plate. Two fit on my griddle, but I only pour the second one once I've got apple slices on the first one.






This is the apple side when done:



They are so yummy spread with butter, sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar, and rolled up. We won't talk about the calories and carbs. It's not something I make every day!



Mmmmm - pure comfort food!

January 21, 2009

The little brown sparrow and me

Not One of Them is Forgotten of God

God spread out the heavens as curtains,
Placed boundary to ocean and sea;
But He does not forget for one moment,
The little brown sparrow and me.

The moon and the stars in their courses,
His hand guides unceasingly;
Yet He stoops to give each day a portion,
To the little brown sparrow and me.

(Author unknown) - from NH's 'Gems From My Reading' today

January 15, 2009

Time to tie up some loose ends . . .

Remember back before the kids' Christmas vacation - I needed to pick up something for K's Secret Pal at school? Here's what I ended up getting - a stretchy lizard, alligator gummy candies, and Pop Rocks. Apparently the kid was happy, so K was happy, which made me happy:



For my birthday in October (I was 29 again) my family got me tickets to a Lorie Line concert. Lorie Line is an amazing pianist from Minneapolis and she puts on her "Holiday Extravaganza" every year, complete with lots of costumes. I've been wanting (and hinting) to go for several years. The concert was in Grand Forks, ND on December 21 (a bitterly cold day!) and J and I went together. Lorie puts out nice piano sheet music books, so we came home with 3, and have been enjoying them a lot! Here's a pic from the concert - at the end they invite all the kids there to come backstage, and dress them up in costumes, too. Her husband is the MC and at one point he dressed up as Martin Luther and talked about salvation by faith in Christ instead of works - it was pretty neat.



And here are a couple shots taken on the way home from our trip to Minnesota over the holidays. Rascal slept most of the way, but did have opportunity to bark at strangers during stops for gas. And the kids were a little goofy.


January 14, 2009

It's cold in them thar hills! (or prairies, as it were . . .)

The picture below was taken this morning and is one of our kitchen windows. Icey windows are not at all unusual in these parts, but consider that this is a triple-pane window. We normally only get ice like this on our double-pane patio doors. As C used to say when he was little "It's beezing dold!"




No school in our school division yesterday or today due to extreme wind chills. Ahhh . . . winter in Manitoba. Maybe we'll do some baking today!

This was in the e-mail inbox this morning:

WIND CHILL WARNING

TEMPERATURES OF MINUS 30 TO MINUS 35 COMBINED WITH NORTHWEST WINDS OF 15 TO 20 KM/H ARE PRODUCING WIND CHILLS OF MINUS 45 TO MINUS 50 OVER ALL SOUTHERN AND CENTRAL MANITOBA THIS MORNING. EXTREME CAUTION IS ADVISED AS THESE EXTREME WIND CHILL VALUES WILL PERSIST THROUGH THIS MORNING. UNDER THESE CONDITIONS EXPOSED SKIN MAY FREEZE IN AS LITTLE 5 AS MINUTES. WIND CHILL VALUES ARE EXPECTED TO MODERATE THIS AFTERNOON BUT REMAIN NEAR OR BELOW MINUS 40 FOR MUCH OF THE DAY. LIGHT WINDS ARE EXPECT TONIGHT SO WIND CHILL VALUES WILL CONTINUE TO RISE. HOWEVER TEMPERATURES ARE ALSO EXPECTED FALL BACK BELOW MINUS 30 OVERNIGHT.

Now that I've posted the obligatory "NO SCHOOL TODAY" notes on the kids doorknobs and turned off their alarm clocks, methinks I'll go crawl back beneath the covers . . .

January 9, 2009

Zimbabwe and Trip to Minnesota

I'm quite relieved to have just now gotten an e-mail from my friend Fiona in Zimbabwe. I hadn't heard from her in so long that I was really beginning to wonder if they were all right.

They were able to make a trip to South Africa for a medical need. They're spending more time in court over title to their farm. They have had more death threats, and one of their cows killed by poachers and sold to a butcher for cash - people there are just desperate for money. Fiona was recently able to buy a few basics, but because cholera has spread to their area she's afraid to buy certain things, understandably.

I was watching a news video on Zimbabwe on the internet a few days ago - a lady was saying how sad it is that Zimbabwe is now in such dire straits. It used to be one of the most prosperous African countries. We take so much for granted here in North America, but have no guarantees.

I've been a very negligent poster lately - it's hard to find time to blog when everyone's been home over the holidays, but it's been good to be together. We've done a few big puzzles together, and purchased a Wii, which has been fun. We made a trip to Minnesota to visit my Dad and B from last Wednesday until Sunday, getting there just in time to ring in the new year with them. We even took Rascal along - we've never done that before, but there was no room at the doggy inn! :o) It worked out quite well to take him, even though he barked at the border official on the way down. Rascal quickly settled right in at Dad's, and by the last day was even jumping on their laps. The worst part of bringing him was taking turns babysitting him in the vehicle when we stopped for meals. The roads were not great for the trip down, but were fine on the way home.

While we were there, A put a tub surround in Dad & B's main floor bathroom so they don't have to shower in the basement anymore. It's not quite finished - we're headed back as soon as Dad gets his part done (refinishing the window trim - they opted to keep their bathroom window). And then A needs to do the final silicone application.

I had a really nice visit with Dad's next-door neighbors. They lived there when I was growing up, and are believers. Mrs. O. was such an encouragement during our visit. I remember her as an example of a godly woman when I was growing up. She gave me a New Testament once, and encouraged me to read it. I know the Lord used her in my life. It was so good to see her again. I tried to get together with my good childhood friend, G, but it was not to be - we played telephone tag instead. Next time!

It was so nice to be able to go to meeting in Lowry and be with them for their fellowship tea. It was fun to see everyone again, and visit. As usual, I brought our camera along on the trip, but didn't take any pictures. My excuse is that the camera is bulky and doesn't fit in my purse and I hate carrying an extra bag. Lame, I know! I did take a few pics on the drive home, of the kids actually getting along and enjoying themselves in the backseat of the truck. Now that was a sight to behold and remember! ;o)