{Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real}~ October 4, 2015

It's October and today I'm wearing a sweater and boots for the first time this fall.  There's an extra blanket on the bed and I'm thinking about new soup recipes.  By the end of the month the last vestiges of Indian summer will have disappeared and we will be prepared for the cold winter months.  It sounds very appealing right now though I know in February I will feel like it's always winter and never Christmas.  But at this moment, I'm looking forward to it!

{Pretty}

The distilled, mellow, autumn sunshine makes our front "yard" more beautiful than ever.

{Happy}

Yesterday, Dave and I drove to Village Lutheran Church in Ladue, MO, to hear Craig Parton speak on "Christianity for the Academic and the Artist," a topic of keen interest to us.  Craig is a lawyer and apologist and serves as the US director of the International Academy of Apologetics, Evangelism, and Human Rights.  He's an excellent speaker and thinker with many insights into bringing the gospel to people of various stripes.  Afterward, there was an exhibit of liturgical art by the talented Kelly Schumacher.  Thomas Winter, violinist, provided music. We had dinner with my mother on the way home.  Such a lovely day!

There was a good crowd.

Signing the books Dave bought

  

If you live within shooting distance of St. Louis, I urge you to check out Village Lutheran's on-going lecture series, which focuses on issues relating to the intersection of Christianity and culture.  This is the first one Dave and I attended and we thought it was well worth the drive. We are already planning to attend the one in April.  

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Visit Like Mother, Like Daughter for more {phfr}!

{Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real}~ November 9, 2014

Joining Leila at Like Mother, Like Daughter for {phfr}.  Let's just dive right in, shall we?

{Pretty}

It's high time I shared pictures of my kitchen.  The kitchen, living room, and dining room are all one big space.  (Remember when I showed you those?)  It's not a big, luxury kitchen~ that would have been entirely against my in-laws' principles and way of life~ but it does have some nice features such as two full-sized sinks, a double oven, and plenty of cabinet space.  Plus, there is a good-sized pantry just a step away.

You can see how it connects to the dining area, which is the blue space on the left.

The gargoyle sees all . . .

Yes, the walls are really the intense red-orange you see in the pictures.  The camera did not exaggerate one tiny bit!  The color works here, I think, because there is not very much wall space and it is an open area.  On the other hand, the master bath is this same color, and let me tell you, it is very . . . shall we say?. . . exuberant in that small, enclosed space.  My in-laws liked color; what can I say?

I love the big open expanse of countertop that divides the kitchen from the dining area; I love it if I can manage to keep it cleared.  It does insist on becoming a catch-all, but it is being trained out of that Very Bad Habit.  I don't love the white appliances, but they are all good and serviceable, so they are here to stay.  The floor is a hard, stone-like tile which is pretty but unforgiving to anything that is dropped.  So far, nothing of consequence has been broken.

Remember when Leila did "pretty over the kitchen sink"?  Here's my sink area now:

From the picture, it looks like the truck dominates the view, but in reality, it is easily overlooked for the wooded hills and sunsets.

If you stand in the middle of the kitchen and turn around, this is what you see:

So you can see that the three areas~ kitchen, living room, and dining room~ are really all one big, open space.  This arrangement requires that the kitchen stay picked up, but since I don't like an untidy kitchen anyway, it doesn't really bother me.

{Happy}

Man of the House and I attended a symposium on bioethics at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis yesterday.  During the lunch break, we headed over to the library to look at this:

It is J.S. Bach's personal Bible!  With margin notes in his own hand!

A close-up of said margin notes

This Bible has a surprising history.  It was listed on an inventory Bach had made of his books, but no one knew where it was or even what it was as it was listed by the last name of the author whose commentary is included as part of the three-volume set.  All three volumes turned up in an attic of a Michigan farmhouse in 1934!  Mystery solved!  And now I have seen it.  *happy sigh*  

{Funny}

When my girls were babies, parents did not usually dress their infants up for Halloween, but the times, they are a-changin', and my newest little granddaughter went as a bag of popcorn.  Attached to her baby carrier was a red and white felt popcorn "bag," and she wore the hat you see below. Very clever!  She, however, was unimpressed by her cuteness and cleverness, as you can see~

Thank you for visiting!

{Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real}~ March 17, 2013

 

Let's just plunge right in, shall we?

{Pretty}

Here's a glimpse into our new sewing room.  It's been painted and a new table bought.  Every scrap of fabric and paper, every bit of notions and trimmings has been sorted and organized.  Maybe now the dining area will no longer look like an explosion in a New York garment factory.



The windows still need curtains.  The cabinet holds fabric and how-to books.

 

 

The closet~

 



These also hold gift wrapping supplies.

 

 

 

I think an organized space is pretty in its own way, don't you?  It's certainly prettier than a big, jumbled mess!

 



{Happy}

 

My cheerful, delightful, kissable granddaughter, Arane (photos courtesy of Elizabeth via Facebook)~

 

Such sweet, chubby legs!

 

{Funny}

 

Arane's hair has been a challenge from day one.  It's particulary unruly here because it had been up in a Pebbles-esque "sprout" all day . . .

 

 

 

 

{Real}

 

 

Alas, alas, I mourn for an old friend that I broke this week.  I began collecting mismatched blue transferware about a decade ago, and this was the second piece I ever bought.  *sniff*

 

 

Go to Like Mother, Like Daughter for more {phfr} fun!

The Online Resources That Have Been Most Helpful to Me in My Efforts to Educate Myself

If you're like I am, you received an "okay" education from your government school system. The more I talk to people, the more I realize that my schools were actually better than average. Some vestiges of the classical education model that had been universally pervasive before the advent of John Dewey in the early twentieth century still remained. The old, time-proven methods hadn't been entirely jettisoned in favor of the new educational progressivism. That being said, there was still much lacking in my formal education, including my college education, though it is unfair for anyone to think that any form of education is going to give him all he needs or wants for life in twelve or sixteen relatively short years. There is so much to learn and know and understand and the world is so interesting that education should be a lifetime pursuit. But very few of us have the luxury of continuing our formal education indefinitely. There are livings to be made, children to be raised, needs to be met, other people to think of. Nor do I think formal education is always the best way to achieve a true education. A lot can be said for pursuing wisdom and knowledge on one's own, and a lot can be gained from it.

So, here are a few key online resources that have been invaluable to me as I pursue self-education. These have been the most helpful and valuable to me overall, and they are ones I keep returning to over and over.

Circe Institute

If you are interested in true education and not just the information-processing that modern schools engage in, then you can do no better than reading, marking, learning, and inwardly digesting what Andrew Kern and his fellow Circe-ites have to say. Read the blog and listen to the podcasts to enrich your life. Circe aims at helping the classical educator, but you don't need to be a teacher or homeschooling parent to gain wisdom and understanding from its resources. If you're alive and breathing, then Circe will help you to understand what "the good life" is and how to live it. There is much wisdom here . . . and it's FREE.

Issues, Etc.

IE's motto is "Talk Radio for the Thinking Christian." Hosted by Pastor Todd Wilken, this two-hour daily program (which is available on-demand at their website) is a treasure trove of political, intellectual, theological, philosophical, and sociological insight as relates to life in the 21st century. Guests are really top-notch and come from a wide diversity of fields and theological persuasions. Topics cover current events, recent scientific research, historical discoveries, theological debates, ethical conundrums . . . just about any issue you can think of is intelligently discussed by Pr. Wilken and his guests. . . and it's FREE.

ClassEd

ClassEd (short for CLASSical EDucation) is a Yahoo Group of eighty to a hundred classically homeschooling Christian parents (mostly mothers) who offer each other support and advice via email list. The month of May will mark my tenth annuiversary as a member of ClassEd, and I am so thankful that I have been a part of this group since almost the beginning of my family's homeschooling journey. I am a better educator, parent, Christian, and person because of the input of ClassEd members over the past decade. The collective wisdom and experience of this group is astounding. I sometimes feel like a swindler and a fraud because my contributions to the group are exceeded by far by what I receive from them. It's not a fair exchange, but the benefits for me and my family have been tremendous. If you are a Christian and are homeschooling classically (or attempting to), then I urge you join this list. There may be a bit of a wait, but it is worth it. . . and it's FREE (if you don't count all the books that you'll be tempted to buy based on member recommendations!).

Cranach: The Blog of Veith

Dr. Gene Edward Veith, author, literature professor and provost of Patrick Henry College, has a knack for finding news stories that get to the heart of American culture and for providing insightful and cogent commentary on those stories. He is adept at applying the Bible to the ethical and theological questions of modern life and excels especially in the application of the doctrine of vocation. He is humble, wise, and thoughtful. . . and, of course, it's FREE.

So, there you have it. There are many other online resources that are worthy of attention, but these are the four that I go to almost daily and that have had the biggest influence on me and input into my educational development. I heartily commend them all to you.

Commitment to Loveliness Update

Last week I joined Emily at Charming the Birds from the Trees for her "Commitment to Loveliness." So how did I do? Update below ~

1) Pick out paint for the bathroom. I've been stumped about this bathroom since we moved here in June, but I think I've gotten myself unstuck by deciding to get a new shower curtain. I just couldn't reconcile the old one with the large swaths of white tile. And since Girl of the House only has vague recollections of the shower curtain before this one (which means it must be twelve or so years old), I decided it was okay to buy a new one. Here 'tis:



Now that I've made this decision, everything is beginning to fall into place in my mind. I'll share pictures when it's finished. So while I didn't pick out paint, I did get the ball rolling in the right direction. That counts in my book. :-)

2) Get started knitting new dishcloths for the kitchen. I've got one about half finished in pretty Peaches~n~Cream yellow. I did just say I'd get one started . . .

3) Move the box of Christmas dishes out of the laundry room into the garage. (Help required.) Man of the House did this for me (without help!) while I was gone last Monday. Thanks, honey! It's so nice to have it put away!

4) Write a thank you note on a pretty card for the lunch we enjoyed today with an elderly parishioner. (Spread the loveliness, yes?) Sent Thursday. Mission accomplished.

5) Attend Ash Wednesday services and contemplate the loveliness of the Savior. Said service duly attended, though I am sure I never contemplate Jesus as much or as well as I should.

Not bad, eh? I'd say it was a successful week as far as this is concerned. :-)

Commitment to Loveliness

Emily from Charming the Birds from the Trees has designated next week as a "Commitment to Loveliness." She's invited other bloggers to join in, so here I am. This is a time of year when a little extra beauty goes a long way!

Here are five ways I hope to add a little loveliness to this week:

1) Pick out paint for the bathroom.

2) Get started knitting new dishcloths for the kitchen.

3) Move the box of Christmas dishes out of the laundry room into the garage. (Help required.)

4) Write a thank you note on a pretty card for the lunch we enjoyed today with an elderly parishioner. (Spread the loveliness, yes?)

5) Attend Ash Wednesday services and contemplate the loveliness of the Savior.

I will report back next week to share how it went.

2011 Reading Challenge ~ Books #45 and #46

One of the things I like best about Allan Carlson, the author of Conjugal America: On the Public Purposes of Marriage, is his ability to write substantial, well researched books for the layman. This is a book that a person of average intelligence can read with reasonable ease. In Conjugal America, Carlson traces the importance of one man/one woman marriage with resulting children~what he likes to call the "natural family"~ throughout the history and therefore national identity of America. He demonstrates how, contrary to the typical ideal of the rugged individual as the basis for American settlement and expansion, America was built by and for families in a way that the Old World never was nor could be. He traces the fortunes of the family through the Pilgrims up to the modern day. He overthrows some of the misconceptions many of us hold regarding marriage and the family. For instance, young people in early America tended to marry younger and have more children than their European counterparts because abundant, cheap American land meant that it was easier for a young man to get an economic foothold, thus encouraging him earlier in his life that he could support a wife and family. Young men in Europe may have wanted to marry sooner but thought they couldn't because they couldn't afford it until they had spent more years establishing themselves economically. Carlson's book is chock full of historical and sociological support in the fight for traditional marriage.

Carlson also encourages what he calls the "child-rich family" and helps the reader to understand that marriage is the union of the sexual and economic. He writes convincingly about the community's interest in promoting and aiding strong marriages, and most interesting of all, he shows how some political ideologies such as fascism and communisim/socialism undermine the family as a de facto component of their systems of government. He claims that the traditional family is the necessary basis for nations who desire "ordered liberty."

Another thing I like about Allan Carlson is that he makes the case for traditional marriage from a non-religious standpoint, though he is a practicing Christian and can very likely make the case from the Bible. For the simple reason that an increasing number of people in our country give the Bible little or no credence, I think it's important that we defend man/woman marriage without referring to religious doctrine, etc. This book (along with The Natural Family) is very helpful in that task.

I was so busy before Thanksgiving that I didn't even get to update my sidebar to show that I read Arnold Bennett's How to Live on 24 Hours a Day last week. I picked this book up for a pittance at an antique store's going-out-of-business sale after being pretty sure I remembered the Deputy Headmistress refer to it once. Not knowing Arnold Bennett, I looked him up and learned that he was an English novelist and journalist who did pretty well for himself back in his day. This is one of his most popular books. I'm astonished to find it in a 2010 edition on Amazon. My edition is from 1910. Though far from agreeing with all he had to say, I can see why Bennett was popular: he writes with much energy and wit. He had me chuckling during the preface and at regular intervals throughout. Despite what the title may lead a person to think, this book is not about maximizing every minute of your day to cram in as much activity as possible. You will not find time-saving hints and suggestions for increasing your efficiency or reducing your waste of time. Rather, Bennett's main idea is to encourage the reader that he can improve his mind by setting aside a specific amount of time for reading and thinking~what Bennett calls "living." Now, I love this idea and it's one I would love to implement in my own life (that's part of what this reading challenge is all about), but Bennett's plan would take quite a bit of overhauling for twenty-first century American life, beginning with cutting out most outside activities and obligations for children and adults alike. Despite its many impracticalities for today, the idea of deliberately and purposefully setting aside time to cultivate the mind is intriguing and worth pursuing. Plus, it was a fun book to read, plain and simple.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I've been more negligent than usual this week in posting. Man of the House is taking his first vacation week from both pastoring and teaching for the first time since April, so we've been busy doing nothing. Well, that's not exactly true. He has taken some time to catch up with some things, and we went Christmas shopping yesterday. After tonight's Thanksgiving vespers (he's interrupting his vacation for it) we will be traveling. But we have spent time in extra sleep and some much-needed goofing off, including watching our way through the Harry Potter movies. But before I sign off for the rest of the week, I wanted to share two things my vast reading audience, a link and a prayer.

The link is to an article from the Ludwig von Mises Institute about the Pilgrims failed attempts at socialism in the early years of Plymouth Colony. I'm posting it as a matter of interest and a little poke in the eye of the Occupy Wall Street mob . . . I mean, crowd. Ahem.

The second is a prayer in honor of Thanksgiving Day.

A Prayer of Thanksgiving by Robert Louis Stevenson

Lord, behold our family here assembled.
We thank Thee for this place in which we dwell;
for the love that unites us;
for the peace accorded us this day;
for the hope with which we expect the morrow;
for the health, the work, the food, and the bright skies,
that make our lives delightful;
and for our friends in all parts of the earth.
Let peace abound in our small company.

Purge out of every heart the lurking grudge.
Give us grace and strength to forbear and to persevere.
Give us the grace to accept and to forgive offenders.
Forgetful ourselves, help us to bear cheerfully the forgetfulness of others.
Give us courage and gaiety and the quiet mind.
Spare to us our friends, soften to us our enemies.

Bless us, if it may be, in all our innocent endeavors.
If it may not, give us the strength to encournter that which is to come,
that we be brave in peril, constant in tribulation, temperate in wrath,
and in all changes of fortune, and, down to the gates of death, loyal and loving to one another.

Have a blessed Thanksgiving, everyone.

A "Reasonably Clean" Welcome

Like Mother, Like Daughter is having a linky party similar to their "Pretty over the Kitchen Sink" from last December. This time we are focusing on entryways. Leila of LMLD has written a series of helpful posts on the Reasonably Clean House, which you can find in the LMLD's sidebar; hence the "Reasonably Clean" Welcome!

As I may have mentioned once or twice *wink*, we moved in mid-June, and I've been swept up in a flurry of nesting ever since. I don't mind because I enjoy nesting, but the focus of said nesting has not been on any of the three entryways this house is blessed with. In fact, one of them is still downright dismal as the room it opens on awaits paint, furniture, and general unpacking. Unfortunately, that seems to be the one lots of people use. But I'm not showing you that one . . . yet. I put my energies into the front entry, the one I *wish* people would use more often and the one that had the least to do to pretty it up a bit. First, some "before" pictures.

This is the front porch:



It's pretty non-descript and not thrilling, isn't it? We brought the geraniums with us when we moved and I just sort of plopped them there to get them out of their box and into the sunshine, although I don't think they are getting enough sunshine judging by the lack of blooms. The marigolds were planted for us before we arrived and thankfully they are blooming. Next year I plan to have a lot more flowers in the beds, but it was too late this year and I was pretty busy with more essential things. (Did I really just say that???) Nothing says welcome more than flowers!

I decided that I could create a more welcoming front entry by accomplishing just a few tasks. First I spraypainted the metal cross that was left here by the previous occupants. Before:




After:



Better, don't you agree?

When I was rummaging around in the garage, this red wagon caught my eye and I had the thought that the flowers would look better sitting in it. They do!



I scrubbed off the sidewalk chalk from the wall . . .



. . . but we are stuck with this little bit of utilitarianism for the time being:



There is also a new doormat where there wasn't one before:



The end result is not strikingly different than what was there before, but it is spruced up a bit. By the way, there isn't much I can do about the storm door. This is a parsonage, and such upgrades are not really up to us. I'm looking on the bright side, though: at least it works well. :-) Next year, I'd like to add a plant stand or something similar and maybe a chair.



If you'd like to see what the inside looks like from the front door, go here. Thanks for visiting! I wish you really could come through my entryway and we could chat for awhile!

My Family

I was tagged for this by Girl of the House. Bear with me. ;-)

I'm supposed to give what I think are correct answers for each family member for the following categories:

MAN OF THE HOUSE

Favourite book: Oedipus the King by Sophocles
Favourite song: "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off"
Favourite hobby: Brewing, reading
Favourite movie: The Godfather Trilogy
Favourite colour: Black
Favourite animal: Cat, turtle
Favourite pet name: Capn Salty

GIRL OF THE HOUSE

Favourite book: To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis
Favourite song: "Defying Gravity" or that "loathing" song from Wicked
Favourite hobby: Writing, reading, quilting, making graphics
Favourite movie: Harry Potter series
Favourite colour: Blue
Favourite animal: Cats and dogs
Favourite pet name: Boo-boo

GIRL OUT OF THE HOUSE

Favourite book: Harry Potter series
Favourite song: Something by Nightwish
Favourite hobby: Reading, cooking
Favourite movie: Pan's Labyrinth
Favourite colour: Green
Favourite animal: Cats
Favourite pet name: Anne-girl from us, Sunny from That Boy

THAT BOY

Favourite book: The Odd Thomas books by Dean Koontz
Favourite song: That song from the video game that he asked Girl Out of the House to learn on the piano for him
Favourite hobby: Designing video games, playing with the cat
Favourite movie: Iron Man
Favourite colour: Red
Favourite animal: Cat
Favourite pet name: That Boy lol

So, how'd I do? :-)

Interesting Links

Here are some bits and pieces from around the web~~

Around here, winter is weakening, and, wow, what a winter it has been! Just in case you aren't tired of snow, here are some neato winter pictures.

On a related note, here's an article that explains that the climate is not getting more extreme.

An oldie but goodie from Mark Steyn

Since my husband is a Latin teacher, I'm always on the lookout for articles extoling the virtues of the language.

Studying Latin and/or (preferably "and") studying the grammar~the nuts and bolts~of your own language will help you to avoid making this kind of error.

When you look at the origins of the cosmos this way, materialism makes little sense.

Archeologists in Israel have found the remains of a 1,500-year-old church. Amazing!

Eye candy: the world's most beautiful libraries

Ear candy: Tolkien Recites the Ring Verse

For Your Reading Pleasure

Some interesting links from around the web:

Are you sure you want a husband who . . .?

Regulation vs. Legislation

Head Start Fraud: It's Worse Than You Think

Leila waxes eloquent on the common dishtowel here and here.

Auntie Leila's Linky Party

Auntie Leila of Like Mother, Like Daughter (one of my favorite blogs!) is having a linky party about kitchen sinks! I thought I'd join in and show you mine.

First is a picture of my kitchen sink area in its entirety:



It's a small room~~just 13' x 8'~~but I've decided I don't really mind because everything is only a step or two away. Leila has been talking about making the kitchen work for you instead of you working against it, and that's really quite easy to accomplish when the space is so small. In fact, reading her post about her kitchen made me laugh because our kitchen set-up is almost identical!

The windows up close:





I like to put these "gingerbread" Christmas decorations in the kitchen. Girl of the House made the paperbag gingerbread boy when she was four. Isn't he cute? The little red gingham bag was made by the director of the preschool where I used to teach and is over 20 years old. The felt ornaments were made by my grandmother, the one who lived to be 96. She gave them to Girl of the House a few years ago. Remember when sequined felt decorations were all the rage in the 70's? Grandma made oodles of them and have passed lots on to both my girls. Of course, those belonging to Girl Out of the House now reside with her. (You can see them here. A grammatical aside: Aren't you so glad she capitalized "is" in her title because ALL verbs are capitalized in titles, even when they are only two letters long? I'm so proud of her!) And don't you just love geraniums on window sills? I brought this one in from my front porch when the weather turned cold.

The curtains are just dish towels put up with clips and cafe rods. Very inexpensive and easy to care for. I just unclip them, wash and dry them, and hang them back up.

Notice the view? Yes, it is really that dismal. The house next door sits a mere six feet from ours; hence the blank white wall. That's why I try to keep pretty things on the windowsills. I have to have something to look at!

The little objects between the two windows are my British thimbles. My mother bought them all during her visits to Great Britain over the years. The first is of Clandon Park, then Victoria and Albert in silhouette, the Queen Mother sporting one of her famous hats, a Wedgwood thimble, and lastly a thimble from Windsor Castle. I'm sorry the picture isn't clearer. I miss Girl Out of the House for her photography skills!



The colors in this room were horrible when we moved in: olive green walls and floor and dark wood cabinets and paneling, which were not so bad in themselves, but this small room needed to be lightened up. So we painted the walls and cabinets a color just shy of white and leaning slightly to yellow and refinished the floor, stripping away ancient vinyl and even more ancient linoleum until we got to the original hardwood. We kept the gold counters. Much, much better now!

That's my contribution to the linky party. Be sure to visit Like Mother, Like Daughter for more kitchen sink fun!