Sunday, August 29, 2010

Mistaken identity

In case you don't read my daughter's blog here's our gardening faux pas if you can call it that. I posted here about our Rumor Weed. We originally thought it was a pumpkin because there were pumpkin seeds in the bird feed at one point. When we saw what was growing on the vine we changed our minds and said, "no, it's a watermelon." Last week Amy thought the watermelon was big enough to pick, so she brought it in.

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After supper she got out the knife to cut it and much to her disappointment this is what she found.

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We were right the first time about it being a pumpkin. If we'd let it ripen it would have been huge! But the plant is still out there growing itself around everything. We can't even let the dog out that way anymore.

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Maybe we'll get a pumpkin out of it yet.

Saturday, August 28, 2010

Garden's bounty

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I turned most of these tomatoes into pasta sauce. This time I did the blender method. I learned this from a group of ladies from church just last week. What you do is put your clean, cored, whole unpeeled tomatoes in a big stock pot. Cook on low until there's a good amount of liquid in the pot. I should mention that I also added onion (one small onion per 4 cups tomatoes) at the beginning along with salt about a tbs. (although I doubt that's enough since I had lots & lots of tomatoes in a really big pot). Toward the end of the process I added basil and oregano. I used dried because that's what I have. It's supposed to be about 1 tsp each per 4 cups tomatoes. You could add whatever other veggie you like in your sauce like green peppers possibly. After it's all good and cooked start blending it in your blender a little at a time. Put in jars, seal with lids and can as desired. I usually skip this step and just store mine in the refrigerator. If you want to store yours on a shelf they have to be canned.

I ended up with about 9 jars (some are quarts some are a little smaller) of sauce and 4 jars of the broth that's left. I'll use that as stock in soups.

DH just picked another half wheelbarrow full today. I may just dice freeze those. Most of them are Romas. I think they'll be good until Monday. I should also mention that Amy has been helpful in the whole process.

Friday, August 27, 2010

Amy's driving story

One of my previous blog posts was about Amy's first driving lesson. You may read her story here.

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Virginia trip

One of the things we did while visiting dh's family was to see some of the D.C. sites.

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We went to the Air & Space museum and the National Museum of American History.

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The one place Amy really wanted to go to was the Air & Space Museum.

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Part of the Smithsonian seen from the mall.

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Construction going on near the Jefferson Memorial.

We drove by the Lincoln Memorial, but the pictures aren't that great. We'll have to go back another time to see more. Next time we won't drive, we'll take the Metro and walk everywhere. Parking is next to impossible!

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Amy's first driving lesson

I missed most of it. :( But her Pappy took her to the field in front of the barn and had her drive through the gate. She'll need to tell the story on her blog. I'm sure she'll do a better job. I do have pictures of her driving up the driveway.

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I think they had fun. :)

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Aprons

I was busy over the last couple weeks sewing these little aprons for party favors for the AG Meet-up. Well it so happens that we're not having it. Not enough people were coming, so we canceled it. We'll try again another time. But now I've got these cute little aprons, not that I'm upset about that! I'm going to list two of them on Etsy to see if they sell. I'm not sure what about the rest of them yet.

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Monday, August 23, 2010

Gazpacho

Last week I made Gazpacho for the first time. Most of the ingredients came from our garden. When I went searching for recipes several weeks ago, I came across ones that had bread in them. Not wanting bread in mine I searched for gluten free recipes. I found this one.

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Here's my version. (I can't ever do it just the way it's written.)

2 tbs tomatoes, peeled, seeded
1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded
1 green pepper, seeded
1 small onion, chopped
1/4 cup packed Italian parsley
1 clove garlic
2 tsp cumin, ground
2 tsp salt
3 oz. tomato paste mixed with 3 oz. water
2 tbs red wine vinegar
3 tbs olive oil

I did the boiling water method of peeling the tomatoes.
In the food processor, chop until slightly chunky the cucumber and green pepper. Remove to large serving bowl.
In the food processor, chop onion and parsley. Add to bowl.
In the food processor, puree the tomatoes with garlic, cumin, salt, and tomato paste mixture. Add to bowl.
Then add vinegar and olive oil. Stir well. Chill for two hours.

Everyone liked it. :) Amy will probably not like it the second time, I could be wrong, but that seems to be her way.

The picture is of the leftovers taken several days after I made it. It still tastes great, but the coloring was more vibrant when it was fresh.

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

We have tomatoes!!

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This is just one little guy. Sort of reminds me of Bob the Tomato. Sticking his tongue out. ;-)

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Sunday, August 15, 2010

Our "Rumor Weed"

larry boy and the rumor weed

We have our very own "rumor weed" growing by, on and around our deck. If you haven't seen this particular Veggie Tales, then you won't really know what I'm talking about. ;-)

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Saturday, August 14, 2010

Quilt Show

I heard about this quilt show from an email I received from my LQS (local quilt shop). I thought it would be fun, so I invited my family. Noticing that the weather forecast called for hot we decided to get there early. It didn't start until 10 a.m., so it wasn't too early. ;-) I'm glad we did because there was a pleasant breeze the whole time we were there.

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This quilt is made from over 6000 postage stamp pieces.
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You may see all the pictures by clicking here.

My favorite work was done by Mai Lo Vue. She has the most intricate style.

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I bought a messenger bag because I was so impressed.
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I'd say we all enjoyed the morning, other than Amy getting stung by something. We're not sure what got her and she felt fine by the time we got home.

Friday, August 13, 2010

Mother/Daughter trip

Amy did a wonderful job of summarizing our trip here, so I think I'll forgo the commentary.

Here are some pictures of the fabric I bought. My goal for our trip was to buy fabric for pillowcases for Con Kerr Cancer. My local quilt shop is collecting them. I wanted to get fabric for one pillowcase at each shop we went to.

This is what I found at the first shop in Newark.
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At Hancock's I had K help me pick out the fabric. She found the hot air balloons.
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Mrs. D. spotted this one at Fabric Shack. She also suggested that I get enough for two at this store since the next shop probably wouldn't have what I was looking for. She was right.
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I think Amy spotted the next one there also. It was a group effort to find the coordinating fabric.
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At the last shop I found this.
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Now I need to get to sewing them before Sept. 4. I've got quite a bit of sewing to do besides the pillowcases, so I'll be busy.

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

A “Post-Christian World” and a “Post-Mom Home”

A “Post-Christian World” and a “Post-Mom Home”
By Bojidar Marinov | Published: August 11, 2010

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No, we don’t live in a “post-Christian world.” A “post-Christian world” cannot possibly exist. There has never been such a world; there will never be one. Stop using the phrase. It is bad theology. It is bad philosophy of history. It is bad evangelism. It is bad psychology. And it is false view of reality.

It is bad theology because it presupposes a change in sovereignty. A Christian world is a world where Christ is present and has all authority. Therefore a “post-Christian world” presupposes that Christ isn’t present and He doesn’t have all authority. This goes directly against the starting and the concluding lines of the Great Commission. As long as Christ has all power, and He is with us, this will be a Christian world, period.

It is bad philosophy of history because it presupposes that history somehow operates on a logic of its own, and thus controls the destiny and actions of cultures irrespective of the actions or beliefs of men. A “post-Christian world” would mean that history has turned in another direction, opposite to the one it was going before. History doesn’t turn back and forth. It goes only in one direction.

It is bad evangelism because it gives ammo to the enemies of Christianity who want to portray it as a temporary historical factor that has lived its purpose and will inevitably go to the dustbin of history. They have a word for the “Christian world” of the centuries past: Middle Ages. Middle, that is, between the early and the later ages of paganism. The phrase “post-Christian world” plays so good into their hands; of course, of course, it is a “post-Christian world,” they say, because Christianity has played its role and it’s about time for it to retire from the world.

It is bad psychology because it teaches Christian men that there is a fundamental difference in the possibilities for victory and triumph between them today and their spiritual forefathers in the past. Our forefathers must have achieved their spiritual victories because they lived in a “Christian world”; ours is “post-Christian world” and therefore we shouldn’t expect too much.

And it is false view of reality because it presupposes that Christianity has lost it dominance in the world. Nothing could be further from the truth. More than any time before in history, the world today stands or falls with Christianity. All the enemies of Christianity need Christianity in order to survive – both as individuals and as cultures. The Soviet Union would not have been able to survive 70 years if its ideological enemy, America, had not supplied it with food, machines, and technologies. In the same way, secular humanism, Buddhism, Islam wouldn’t be able to survive if Christianity and Christians didn’t exist to give the principle of unity in the world today. Sodomites, abortionists, and paganists can’t build their own societies and cultures. They are ideological parasites that must feed off Christianity to stay alive. All the political leaders of the world earnestly desire the fruits of Christianity, even when they denounce its roots. (When pressed by necessity created by the German invasion, Stalin suddenly discovered that opening the churches for worship added to his troops’ morale, contrary to the Marxist dogma.) The world’s banking system, international trade system, diplomacy and international law – they all operate on the assumption that all participants will act as Christians, whatever their personal religion is; in fact, the very official rules for all these international fields are based on their original Christian codes from the 16th and 17th centuries. If Christianity didn’t exist, non-Christians would have invented it; otherwise the world would self-destroy within a few years.

“Ah,” some would say, “but isn’t it true that the world was more Christian before than today? Isn’t it true that today we have less Christianity, and in fact, the world is predominantly non-Christian today?”

No, it isn’t true. What is true is that it was more comfortable to be a Christian before, especially in the public sphere, but also in the family, school, church, marketplace, etc. And it was more comfortable not because there was more Christianity around but because the enemies of Christ were more subdued. They are less subdued today, but that doesn’t make the world less Christian, and certainly doesn’t make it “post-Christian.”

So the issue is not that the world was Christian before and is now “post-Christian.” The issue is: Why did God subdue the enemies of His Church before, and why doesn’t He do it now?

The answer is: Because the Church was younger then.

A three-year old lives quite a comfortable life. His food is provided for him, his clothes are provided for him. Mom and Dad take him out for a walk, and they watch over him when he plays at the playground. He plays with his toys and he can leave them everywhere. Mom makes sure at the end of the day they are back in the closet, she makes sure his room is clean and there are no dirty clothes on the floor, she makes sure his bed is made and the room is in order.

Then the time comes when he is grown up enough to clean his own room. He is on his own. Mom isn’t coming in his room anymore to fix the problems with it. Any dirty clothes he leaves on the floor will be left on the floor until he makes the effort to put them in the basket and take it to the laundry room. Any toys scattered around the room after play are going to stay there until he makes the effort to put them back in the closet. The blankets on his bed will be in total disarray until he makes the effort to make his bed. He needs to learn healthy habits, but since this doesn’t happen overnight, his room soon begins to fill with dirty clothes and scattered toys. Mom is not there to “subdue” the challenges. He is the one who must do it, and he hasn’t learned yet.

His first temptation is to say that he lives in a “post-Mom home.” Mom used to be around, and she isn’t here anymore to clean his room. For all practical purposes this is not his previous Mom; she is a different Mom altogether. Is it possible that she makes him fix his own breakfast one day? Take out the trash? Wash the dishes? The future looks bleak, and his home seems to be going to hell in a hand basket. What other conclusion can he make out of all this?

The right attitude is that now he is older, and he must clean it himself. And then learn to fix breakfast. And take out the trash. Wash the dishes. The future will be glorious future, here in his home, with his parents, if only he looks at the challenges as a learning experience rather than indicators for a bleak, dark future down the road.

This is the situation with the church today. Yes, God subdued our enemies in the past, and the world was a cleaner and more comfortable place for Christians. But it was because the Church was in its infancy, and God was preserving her from challenges that would have been too hard for her to deal with. But with the Church accumulating years of experience, God will release more challenges – and harder challenges – in the world. There will be dirty clothes on the floor for a while – until we learn to take them to the laundry room. Secular humanists, pagan rulers, socialists, sodomites, anti-Christian laws and regulations: These are the dirty clothes the church is supposed to deal with in her more mature state. She is supposed to restore the cleanness of her room, not declare the coming of the “post-Christian,” “post-Mom” world. The world is the same as it was before; the challenges are more, because the responsibilities are more.

Of course, we will have brothers from within the church that will say that there is nothing that can be done about the dirty room. The cleanness of the room itself, they will say, is a fleshly exercise; and it was largely a matter of historical circumstances in the past that the room was clean. Mom really doesn’t want us to clean the room. She wants us to live a clean life in a progressively dirty room. (“Living a Christian life in a post-Christian world,” that is.) As long as our hearts are clean, the room can stay dirty. In fact, the dirtier the room is, the cleaner our hearts will be; the sign of a really clean heart is a dirty room. (“The sign of a vibrant Christianity is that it can exist in a pagan world.”) Don’t try to clean anything. Learn to live in a dirty room with a clean heart.

There will be others who would love to have a clean room, but they will claim that this is not our room in the first place. Mom actually didn’t mean for us to live in this room, that’s why this room is getting progressively dirty. There is another room for us, and one glorious day Mom will come to rescue us from our dirty room, burn all the dirty clothes and scattered toys, and take us (rapture us) to a room where there will never be any dirty clothes and the toys will automatically go to the closet after we are done playing with them. All we need to do now is to set aside a small clean place in the corner of this room where we will wait for that day. Nothing else can be done nor should be done. (“You don’t polish the brass on a sinking ship.”)

These are the ideologies of eternal immaturity. Stay away from them. Stop using the phrase “post-Christian world.” Our world is more Christian than ever before. It is just filled with dirty clothes and scattered toys – more challenges, and more opportunities for growth in maturity. We must take the responsibility to restore it to the cleanness it had before, and even better. “Post-Christian world” is phrase that teaches us to reject that responsibility. That’s why we need to delete it from our vocabulary.

And get to work.

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Doll Coats

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This coat just went out today to a customer. I've sold five in the last three weeks! How fun.

Amy & I had a great day today. We went to see the movie Ramona & Beezus and did a little shopping. The movie was cute and had some "good" qualities to it, like family relationships, a strong father. We both enjoyed it.