Yarn Along: January 28, 2015

I’m linking up with Ginny of Small Things today and showing off what I’m reading and what I’m crocheting.

Big boy blankie and book.

The crocheting: I’m making a “big boy blankie” for Daniel because he is shredding his baby blanket. I’m hoping to get it done by his birthday in April. The yarn is Bernat Super Value in the Whirlpool colorway.

The book: Close Knit Killer by Maggie Sefton. It’s your basic cozy murder mystery but involving yarn.

Want to see what others are making and reading? Head on over!

The Simple Woman’s Daybook: MLK Day 2015

Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY MLK Day 2015

Outside my window… dark. It’s technically after midnight on January 20th but I’m doing a continuous day.

I am thinking… about various things from my weekend.

I am thankful… for an AMAZING weekend with extended family in Seattle — I’ve really missed this in the last couple of years because of the cost and because Daniel wasn’t ready for it yet. He definitely “showed” well and I’m looking forward to seeing the pictures.

In the kitchen… nothing at the moment. I cleaned everything up before I went online. I also haven’t really cooked today because it was a travel day.

I am wearing… light gray v-neck and black sweats.

I am praying for… Mary, a call for Jon, and some special intentions.

I am going… to sleep pretty soon.

I am wondering… if the Seahawks will win the Super Bowl.

I am reading… Murder with Peacocks by Donna Andrews. I’m also keeping steady on the Bible reading plan.

I am hoping… to at least keep up on the 30-day plank challenge. (I’m having to do a modified plank position because of a bursitis flare up in my foot.

I am looking forward to… sleep.

I am hearing… Jon’s CPAP machine.

Around the house… all dark and quiet. Again it’s 12:30 a.m. here.

A favorite quote for today…“Ninjas? In Oklahoma!?!?!?!?!?” (My parents have addicted me to “The Librarians”.)

One of my favorite things… quiet and sleep. (Can you tell I’ve been up since 4 a.m.?)

A few plans for the rest of the week: choir concert on Saturday, class for church on Wednesday night, and whatever else comes up.

A peek into my day… I’ve been nominated for a Sheenazing Award in the “Best Blog by a Non-Papist”. I’d *LOVE* votes. (Hint. Hint.) Click on the image to vote. I’m ::Meditatio::.

Sheenazing nominee.

If you want a list of the other nominees, click here. The only other vote-related request I have is to vote for Mary of Passionate Perseverance in the “Most Inspirational” category and the “Miss Congeniality” category. Girlfriend is awesome in every way (but especially those) and her awesomness needs some recognition.

Hosted by The Simple Woman.

7 Quick Takes: Let’s Pretend This Has An Interesting Title

7 Quick Takes

— 1 —

Washington bound! I’m flying to Seattle with Daniel tomorrow to see my grandmother. She’s doing OK right now (for the most part) but she’s 94 years old and my mom and I are of the opinion that it would be good to see her before it’s “too late”. (My mom is paying for our tickets and is going to be watching Daniel so I can spend some uninterrupted time with my grandmother and not have to chase him down the hall.) I’ll also get to see my evil twin and his wife again as well as other members of my extended family who I haven’t gotten to see in a really long time.

— 2 —

Ellen Degeneres pwns a critic. A pastor and self-proclaimed cultural commentator published something in the Christian Post about Hollywood and the gay agenda allegedly espoused by the entertainment industry, calling out Ellen Degeneres for “celebrat[ing] her lesbianism and ‘marriage’ in between appearances of guests like Taylor Swift to attract young girls.” Ellen replies in the video below.

— 3 —

Thankful. My mother-in-law offered to let me take yesterday afternoon for myself while she watched Daniel. I was able to get some prayer time in and get some computer work done before heading to something at church. Thanks Victoria! You are the best mother-in-law in the world!

— 4 —

MapMyRun. Is anyone else on MapMyRun? I’m definitely not a runner but I track my walking mileage on the site. If you are, let me know and I can add you as a friend.

— 5 —

Seriously?!?!?!? Seriously?!?!?!?!? I don’t know how many of you heard about the woman’s funeral that was halted 15 minutes into it because the pastor found a picture of her kissing her partner. This is probably not going to be a popular opinion but… I am seriously pissed off by this.

Why am I pissed off?

Because the church where this took place was founded by the pastor and his wife to be a place where people fighting drug/alcohol addictions and gang violence — it’s a place that was founded to minister to outsiders. Yet, the pastor (who could have refused the funeral up until the time it started) decided that this woman was not worth his time once he found out that she was a lesbian. Seriously dude, she was a child of God and you were being asked to help her family pray for her and remember her, not perform her wedding.

— 6 —

Prayer request. This is related to the first Quick Take. I’m flying by myself with Daniel and would appreciate prayers for good travel, ease in getting through security, and ease in boarding the plane with him. Please and thank you! 🙂

— 7 —

Progress on my New Year’s resolutions. Let me just say that I *HATE* planks and my persistence in doing them is due to stubbornness on my part and not actual stamina. On the other hand, the Bible reading is going well and I *am* making it out to walk or at least do *something* most mornings that Daniel is in school.

For more Quick Takes, visit Kelly at This Ain’t The Lyceum.

The Simple Woman’s Daybook: January 11, 2015

Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY January 11, 2015

Outside my window… dark. We got some wonderful rain today which was so needed (California is in a severe drought) even if it gave me a migraine and I spent the morning with the covers pulled over my head.

I am thinking… about what I have to get done tomorrow.

I am thankful… for the rain and for a quiet house.

In the kitchen… just put dishes in the dishwasher.

I am wearing… my Run for the Little Flowers shirt and black sweatpants.

I am praying for… a call for Jon, healing for my neck, and some special intentions.

I am going… to drop Daniel’s IEP paperwork off at his school tomorrow morning. I’ll probably wait unti after my walk and core workout so I don’t have to deal with rush-hour traffic.

I am wondering… what 2015 holds for me.

I am reading… Murder with Peacocks by Donna Andrews. I’m working my way through her body of work which might take me a while so there might be some things read intermittently.

I am hoping… Daniel stays in his own room tonight.

I am looking forward to… seeing my extended family this coming weekend in Seattle. I haven’t been up there in 4 years (since my grandmother’s 90th birthday party) and I’m looking forward to seeing her and some other people I haven’t gotten to see for a very long time.

I am hearing… the springs moving on the bed.

Around the house… dead quiet except for my typing.

A favorite quote for today… “So when a little girl asks her father where the moon came from, he might tell her that the moon circles around the earth and reflects light from the sun. He might tell her that the moon likes to play hide-and-seek with the sun, so sometimes the moon looks like it’s peeking out from behind a black curtain; sometimes all you can see is the top of its head, and sometimes you can’t even see it at all! He might tell her about how the moon has invisible arms that can pull the oceans back and forth, making tides rise and fall. He might tell her that astronauts have walked on the moon and played golf on the moon and collected rocks from the moon. He might tell her that the moon has dimples and craters and basins that we can see only with a telescope and that there’s a special place on the moon called the Sea of Tranquility that isn’t really a sea. Then the father might take the little girl outside, hoist her up onto his shoulders, and let her stare at the moon for a while. He might recite a poem about a cow jumping over the moon or sing a song about a dreamy-eyed kid slow-dancing with it. Soon the little girl will become so lost in her father’s beautiful stories that she will forget she ever had a question to begin with.” — Rachel Held Evans, Evolving in Monkey Town: How a Girl Who Knew All the Answers Learned to Ask the Questions

One of my favorite things… the feeling I get after working out incredibly hard.

A few plans for the rest of the week: whatever happens to come up in the next few days and flying to Seattle on Friday.

Hosted by The Simple Woman.

7 Quick Takes: Responses to the Newsweek Article and Not Quite Seven Takes

7 Quick Takes

— 1 —

The Newsweek article. If you’ve been living under a rock or have been taking care of sick kids lately (my life), you might not have heard about the Newsweek article by Kurt Eichenwald about the Bible and why it is so misunderstood. I could write about a years worth of posts addressing every inconsistency in his arguments and how completely skewed his information is but I have too much on my plate right now so… read the article and then read these commentaries by Peter Enns, Daniel B. Wallace, Rachel Held Evans, and Albert Mohler.

— 2 —

For those whose New Tear’s resolutions involve the gym… There were a couple of articles that piqued my curiosity. One was about the ten things that personal trainers don’t tell you and the other was on what you should be drinking when you work out.

— 3 —

My cuddlebug. Daniel is having a lot of coughing and a runny nose due to allergies so we’re having to do breathing treatments. Not feeling his best has made him extra cuddly and he actually fell asleep in my arms last night about 5 minutes after finishing the breathing treatment. When he is up, he has been a muted version of himself which is lovely but I can tell that he would like to be doing more. I’ve been praising the really good behavior that comes as part of his muted self in hopes that some of it might stick around.

— 4 —

Ending here. I have nothing left to say so I’m going to call this good and link up.

For more Quick Takes, visit Kelly at This Ain’t The Lyceum.

Five Favorites: Miscellanea (XXV)

Five Favorites

Un

A quiet house. I’m the only one awake right now other than the cats. Everybody in the house (with the exception of Daniel) is going to have a wonky schedule tomorrow so most everyone is asleep and I’ve stayed up changing cleaning pads on the Mints. Once I get all this written, I’m heading to bed because I’ve got a meeting in San Dimas tomorrow for Daniel’s triennial IEP paperwork at 7:30 a.m. (Translation: they have to do some pretty extensive evaluations for students’ IEP’s every three years and I have to go sign the paperwork consenting to this. Oh yeah… IEP = “individualized education plan”.)

Deux

The various NCIS franchises. The original NCIS is still my favorite but I’ve also gotten into NCIS: New Orleans and I’ll watch NCIS: Los Angeles if I need something semi-brainless on while I crochet.

Trois

In-N-Out. I pity those who don’t live near an In-N-Out location (which would be most of the US). I’m kind of meh about their fries but their burgers are AWESOME. They also have a secret menu which is actually not really a secret as much as it is how they will gladly customize your burger, fries, or shake.

Quatre

Doing some form of exercise while Daniel is in school. I’m back to walking in the mornings after I get Daniel off to school and adding in some core work and weights every other day. I still get plenty of walks with him in the afternoon but the morning is “me time”. It’s also a way to try and neutralize the pound of See’s candy on my nightstand that I discovered when I got home from San Jose.

Cinq

Stalking my online orders on various shipping company websites. I used to work for an import brokerage owned by UPS so I get totally geeky about how my orders arrive at my house. 🙂 Currently, I’m awaiting the delivery of my copy of Kelly’s planner which should arrive tomorrow or Thursday. (Ahem… FedEx!)

Go love up Jenna and the others.

The Simple Woman’s Daybook: January 5, 2015

Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY January 5, 201

Outside my window… dark. It was pretty warm today — warm enough to wear short sleeves. *ducks the flying debris thrown at her from places in the country with windchill warnings around -40F*

I am thinking… about the silliness surrounding Kanye’s announcement of his collaboration with Paul McCartney. Generation gap, anyone?

I am thankful… for a good visit with my family and for Daniel going back to school today.

In the kitchen… the dishwasher is running.

I am wearing… plum-colored shirt and running shorts.

I am praying for… Mary Lenaburg, some special intentions, a call for Jon, and a few other things.

I am going… to have a full morning of meetings on Wednesday. Whee!

I am pondering… the comma in the first article of the Nicene Creed: “of all that is, seen and unseen” and the theological ramifications of most people skipping the pause it signifies. (I’m serious… it’s hard being a grammar nazi with 1.5 degrees in Religion and Theology!)

I am reading… Scorched Eggs by Laura Childs. I think I was the first one in the LA County library system to get to read it, given that I called up the main number and requested it before it was even officially listed on the website..

I am hoping… I don’t wake up with too much of a kink in my neck.

I am looking forward to… my mother-in-law’s Birman coming in so I can go to bed. (I offered to stay up and wait for him.)

I am hearing… the humming of the refrigerator and the Mint cleaning my bedroom floor. (If I’m going to be torturing myself with my yoga mat and Core ball tomorrow, I’d kind of like a clean floor on which to beat myself up whilst working out.)

Around the house… my mother-in-law and Jon moved the dining room and kitchen furniture around. I think it looks fabulous.

A favorite quote for today… “Be not afraid of greatness. Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and others have greatness thrust upon them.” ? William Shakespeare, Twelfth Night

(Wasn’t that line at the beginning of the Veggie Tales video on Esther?)

One of my favorite things… a quiet house.

A few plans for the rest of the week: walks with Daniel, working out for me, triennial IEP evaluation meeting and paperwork on Wednesday, choir practice on Wednesday, and a few phone calls and errands thrown in for good measure.

A peek into my day… So a few things came in for me at the library while I was in San Jose…

My library holds.

Hosted by The Simple Woman.