Category Archives: Memes and Link-Ups

7 Quick Takes: Some New and Some of Last Week’s Leftovers

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7 Quick Takes

— 1 —

How Contagious Is Ebola? It turns out, not very. Unlike measles or mumps, you have to seriously come into contact with bodily fluids containing the virus. Measles and mumps also have vaccines to prevent them, unlike Ebola and a few of the other diseases mentioned.

— 2 —

Giddy. My boys (the Giants) are in the playoffs after beating Pittsburgh! My other boys (the Cardinals) are playing Jon’s boys (the Dodgers) and of course, I’m rooting for the Cardinals in that one. Ah… I love October — I just wish I had a TV so I could watch all of this.

— 3 —

Girding up my loins. I thought this was an interesting show of what it actually meant to “gird up your loins” back in the day. It satisfies my “history geek” side.

— 4 —

The War on Rosh Hashanah. I’m very thankful that my friend Neil posted this on his Facebook. It should give me something to be self-righteously indignant about until after Thanksgiving when I can obsess about the War on Advent.

— 5 —

The Benefit of Family Dinner. A friend of my bloggy friend Calah wrote this and I absolutely love it. (It’s about how eating dinner as a family saved her.) Calah expounds on it and I can relate. It’s really hard to eat a family dinner because everyone here is on a different schedule with work, medication, and childcare. We do manage it on occasion and it’s something I’ll be making an effort to try when Jon gets into his next parish.

— 6 —

An interesting view on waiting until a later age to date. I love Michelle. I love her blog. I love her family and wish I could be adopted in because they are so insanely cool and they seem to have so much fun! The particular post I’m sharing is on why one should wait until age 16 to date. She’s Mormon so it is written from that perspective but I found a number of her arguments compelling.

— 7 —

Super Woman. On days I torture myself on my core ball, I usually go for a 1 mile loop around the neighborhood for the purposes of getting some cardio as well as getting in some prayer time. (I pray for people while I walk and usually I’m walking a 5K.) I run into a lot of the same people every morning and one of them is an older man walking a dog. He jokingly asked me which lap I was on and I told him that I was just doing my 1 mile loop because I was going to go do a bunch of core exercises.

His response: “You must be Super Woman!”

Dude, you totally made this fat girl’s day.

For more Quick Takes, visit Jen at ConversionDiary.Com.

7 Quick Takes: More on Dismantling Dr. Deisher’s Study, The Truths/Lie, and Traits of Kids Who Stay in the Church

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7 Quick Takes

— 1 —

More on dismantling Dr. Deisher’s autism/vaccine study. Simcha Fisher has more on the dismantling of Dr. Deisher’s study which links vaccines to autism. As the mom of a kid with autism who is also immunosuppressed, I’m thankful someone is doing it. Bad science drives me crazy, especially since I do have the scientific background to read the studies.

And no, I’m not mentioning this to piss people off — I’m honestly really perturbed at people who make stupid remarks about causation and autism. I have access to more resources on the subject than the average person because of my relationship with UC Davis Medical Center and the MIND Institute (which was created for the purpose of studying this subject) so I also have access to some of the latest information.

And seriously, I will throttle the next person who tells me that Daniel would be cured if I fed him a gluten-free diet. It helps with some kids but not mine. I’m also dealing with him being incredibly underweight so I have to really maximize the calories and carbs are one way to do that.

— 2 —

The traits of kids who stay in church. I saw this on Facebook and thought it was pretty accurate. It’s why I never force my kids to get confirmed when I teach confirmation — their faith needs to be THEIRS and not just something that their parents are forcing them to do. (Seriously, promising your kids that they can stop going to church if they go through Confirmation does not change their minds so please, for the love of all things holy, STOP IT!!!!)

— 3 —

Two Truths and a Lie. So I decided to play this last week and got a few comments on here and a whole bunch of guesses on Facebook. I think I’ll devote a Quick Take to each statement in the interest of telling some interesting stories.

— 4 —

I’ve been thrown and passed around by the fish throwers at Pike Place Market in Seattle. This one is actually true. I was on a Girl Scout trip to Seattle and British Columbia and we were at Pike Place Market. Being the ditz that I was at 17, I asked the guys at Pike Place Fish if they were the ones who threw the fish at people. One of them replied, “No, we’re the people who throw the people at the fish. See?” He then proceeds to pick me up (at the time, I was 5’1″ and probably 120 lbs) and started passing me like a sack of potatoes to some of the other guys who did actually throw me a bit.

— 5 —

I’ve kissed a banana slug. Actually, I have… several times while being a camp counselor when I was 18. And yes, it is true… your lips and tongue do go numb.

— 6 —

I’ve never voted Republican in a California election. This one is the lie and only Kym got it right. (Then again, she’s known me for a really long time and we’ve actually met in person.) I *have* voted Republican in a California election for the purpose of knocking out a candidate I really didn’t like. (I voted for John McCain in 2000 to try to knock George Bush out of contention… and we all know how badly that turned out for me.)

— 7 —

My weekend plans. Jon and I are headed down to San Diego this weekend so he can supply preach at the church that his great-grandfather started. He also has two weddings and it made no sense for him to drive back up from one wedding to go down the next morning and preach so we’re getting a hotel room. Daniel will be staying with my in-laws and I’m excited to get a weekend away.

For more Quick Takes, visit Jen at ConversionDiary.Com.

The Simple Woman’s Daybook: September 21, 2014

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Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY September 21, 2014

Outside my window… dark. I didn’t get onto my laptop today until Daniel was asleep. On the plus side, the weather is 20F cooler than it was last week.

I am thinking… about worship today. We didn’t end up doing the awesome Doxology below (our organist accidentally played the one to the hymn tune “Old 100th” instead) but I’ve got it stuck in my head anyway.

I am thankful… for my incredibly awesome mother-in-law watching Daniel so I could go do choir and church. I have to church-train him one of these days.

In the kitchen… I think my mother-in-law’s stuffed zucchini is still on the counter.

I am wearing… my Momcat shirt and navy running shorts.

I am praying for… a parish for Jon and some special intentions.

I am going… for a long walk tomorrow morning if my foot isn’t flaring too badly.

I am reading… A New Kind of Christian by Brian McLaren. A friend recommended it and I’m having a hard time putting it down.

I am hoping… to have a smooth week without too many major surprises.

I am looking forward to… this coming weekend when I get to go to San Diego with Jon where he is supplying at the church his great-grandfather started.

I am hearing… water going through pipes or something.

Around the house… I think I’m the only one awake.

A favorite quote for today… I found this today while reading A New Kind of Christian and loved it:

“Actually, if there’s one thing I wish I could tell every Christian about evangelism in the postmodern world,” he replied, “it would be about that word [conversation]. I would say to stop counting conversions, because our whole approach to conversion is so, I don’t know, mechanistic and consumeristic and individualistic and controlling. Instead, I’d encourage us to count conversations, because conversation implies a real relationship, and if we make our goal to establish relationships and engage in authentic conversations, I know that conversions will happen. But if we keep trying to convert people, we’ll simply drive them away. They’re stick of our sales pitches and our formulas.”

One of my favorite things… cuddles with Jon.

A few plans for the rest of the week: the only major plan is a lunch date with a family friend on Wednesday.

A peek into my day… So, I decided to use this space for my “What I Wore On Sunday” post again. 🙂

What I Wore on Sunday

I was going for something that would be cool under my choir robe. I ended up deciding on this:

Me with my modeling cat.

Shirt: Croft and Barrow (Kohl’s)
Pants: Sag Harbor (Kohl’s)
Athletic tape: Target
Shoes: Naturalizer
Cat: Freya

Here’s a better shot of my pants with the shoes. (Pardon the belly shot. I promise that I’m not pregnant — it’s just the angle of things.)

Pants and shoes.

For those wondering about the foot, it’s one of three things: a strain from overworking it, arthritis, or bursitis. In any case, I’m putting the principles of RICE into action and the compression part is being handled by athletic tape because there’s not a brace on the market that sufficiently covers it.

My taped up foot.

Hosted by The Simple Woman’s Daybook. Go here to see Emily and the other pretty ladies at Fine Linen and Purple (the host of the “What I Wore on Sunday” link-up).

7 Quick Takes: Scottish Independence, Jen Being Peripatetic, and Fall Shows

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7 Quick Takes

— 1 —

Scottish independence vote. For those who want to know the result of the Scottish independence vote and don’t want the commentary, here’s your answer. For everyone else, here is commentary and information.

— 2 —

An update on Courtney. I posted prayer requests related to Mary and Courtney ~3 weeks ago. Today, they made the decisions for what will be happening in the coming months. There are various ways you can help — the Amazon.Com wishlist and GoFundMe are just two of them. I can also tell you from experience: Mary writes the *BEST* thank-you notes.

— 3 —

Napa Valley will love this news… Apparently, there is a study that claims that drinking wine is better than going to the gym. I think my mommy blogger friends will agree to this one.

— 4 —

A sign that I’m getting back to “normal”. I don’t know if it’s serious cabin fever from the heat or the fact that my foot is probably sprained (foot injuries make me more peripatetic than usual — perhaps my body not wanting to be told what it cannot do) but I have been *DYING* to go for walks every morning. After not doing it for at least 4 years, I’m covering 2-3 miles without a problem… even in 93F heat! Thankfully, it was only 73F when I went out today. I’m happy that I have a doable course for the Run for the Little Flowers worked out.

— 5 —

Prerequisite baseball take. The Giants are still 2.5 games behind Jon’s boys. They could still take their division… provided Jon’s boys lose a few more. (Of course, I’m also living in Dodger country so my opinion is not popular.)

— 6 —

Two truths and a lie. While I was on my walk this morning, I had a random thought for a Quick Take: play the game “Two Truths and a Lie” which is one of those weird mixer games from college and youth group. The rules are pretty simple: make three statements about yourself and people have to guess which one is not true. Leave your answer in the comments and I’ll let people know which is which next week.

Here are my three:

1.) I’ve been thrown and passed around by the fish throwers at Pike Place Market in Seattle.

2.) I’ve kissed a banana slug.

3.) I’ve never voted Republican in a California election.

— 7 —

Oh. Em. Gee. My shows start again next week!!!!!! I am so incredibly excited because The Big Bang Theory, and the various NCIS incarnations start again on Monday. I don’t have access to a TV so I have a feeling that I’ll be doing a lot of watching while crocheting on the morning after each show comes out.

For more Quick Takes, visit Jen at ConversionDiary.Com.

Five Favorites: Miscellanea (XXIII)

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Five Favorites

One

Neutrogena Clear Pore Oil-Eliminating Astringent. I’ve got a bit of cabin fever I needed to pray over some things and clear my head so I went for a walk this morning. Have I mentioned that it’s bloody hot here right now (93F when I got home from my walk) and that I have a stress injury in my right foot? (Yeah, I’m desperate.) Considering that I sweated off all the water I drank, I thought I might need something to clean my face. This stuff works amazingly and I smell like witch hazel and eucalyptus.

Two

MapMyRun I use MapMyRun to calculate my route. Today it was 2.06 miles which was not half bad. I’m aiming for 3 so I’m ready for the Run for the Little Flowers 5K.

Three

My Saucony running shoes. Considering how discalced I am most of the time, I need something comfortable for walking/running/chasing Daniel. (My policy on running is that I only run when chased.) These shoes are seriously helping with the stress injury because it’s compressing my foot in a way that my flip-flops don’t.

Four

Trader Joe’s pumpkin ice cream. I’ve been eating it for dinner for the last few nights because it is so freaking hot and I don’t want to use the stove. I think one of the best things about being an adult is that I can eat whatever I want. 🙂 Anyway, I’m a huge fan of pumpkin ice cream and it’s a seasonal item.

Five

Montclair Plaza. Daniel and I needed to get out of the house and walk a lot of energy off yesterday. It was 106F outside so we went to the local mall and did laps around every floor. Interestingly, it started pouring rain when we got there — enough rain to trigger flash flood warnings. It was bone dry when we got back outside an hour later.

Go love up Mary and the others.

The Simple Woman’s Daybook: Hotter Than Hades Edition

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Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY September 14, 2014

Outside my window… dark and a frigid 82F. Just looked on Weather.Com and it was 111F earlier. Ugh.

I am thinking… about some of the phone calls I need to make tomorrow.

I am thankful… for my mother-in-law watching Daniel so I could go to church and take care of some errands today.

In the kitchen… I had some pumpkin ice cream before heading to bed.

I am wearing… my Online Debate Team shirt and black capri sweats.

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

I am going… to curl up with my book once I’m done with this.

I am wondering… where Freya is.

I am reading… Eggs in a Casket by Laura Childs. I will be awaiting the next one coming out in December very impatiently.

I am hoping… I can get some paying freelance work one of these days.

I am looking forward to… community dinner at church on Wednesday.

I am hearing… the A/C.

Around the house… quiet. I’m the only one awake except for a couple cats.

A favorite quote for today… “A common mistake that people make when trying to design something completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools.” — Douglas Adams

(I needed a break from C.S. Lewis and Adams is so incredibly quotable.)

One of my favorite things… black cats. (Edda is helping me type.)

A few plans for the rest of the week: various errands, community dinner and choir on Wednesday, and whatever else comes up throughout the week.

A peek into my day… my Sunday best!

What I Wore On Sunday

My outfit today is one that I’ve worn a number of times. My thought was that it would be cool enough under my choir robe. Yeah… no.

Daniel and I

Dress: Kohl’s
Camisole: Target
Shoes: Naturalizer
Blankie: crocheted for Daniel when he was in utero and finished 5 months late because of the preeclampsia and losing the feeling in my hands.

Here’s a detail shot of my skirt and my shoes. You can see the tan line from my flip-flops and some of the bruising in my foot from the stress injury I have.

Details of my skirt and shoes.

Hosted by The Simple Woman’s Daybook and the pretty ladies at Fine Linen and Purple.

7 Quick Takes: More Vaccine Fun, Prison Chaplain to the Nazis, and Library Love

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7 Quick Takes

— 1 —

More from Simcha. Simcha posted something on Dr. Deisher, vaccines, and autism today which is worth a read. She brings up one of the things that drives me batty about a lot of the “vaccines cause autism” hysteria: their science is completely faulty.

This is also why I’m in the process of developing a shirt that says: “Yes, my kid is autistic. Yes, we vaccinated them. No, they are not on the GAPS diet. Please go away.” People are obsessed with pseudo-science (the “vaccines = autism” portion) and while the GAPS diet/gluten-free diet does work for some kids, it isn’t a magical cure.

— 2 —

Baseball. The Giants continue to be behind the Dodgers, a trend I’m hoping will reverse itself as I’m living in Dodger country. The Dodgers usually suck so this is kind of surprising. On the other hand, a few of the main people have been out with injuries this season.

On the other hand, the Cardinals are the top of their division so at least one of my two teams has a shot at the World Series.

— 3 —

Minister to Nazis during Nuremburg trials. I read an article on Henry Gerecke, the LCMS pastor assigned to be the chaplain for the war criminals being tried in the Nuremburg Trials, and it was very interesting. One of the questions raised is why men would be given spiritual care when they obviously didn’t give a crap about the 6+ million people they butchered. I also found it interesting that Pastor Gerecke would not commune the 11 men sentenced to hang unless they met his standard of repentance and only 4 did.

I was telling my mother-in-law about the article and she told me about Sunday school lessons in her Lutheran church in the 1950’s where they laid out what Jesus said and gave the hypothetical situation of what would happen if the government told you to do something that countered what Jesus said. The fact that many of the most ruthless Nazi war criminals were Lutheran did not escape the minds of American Lutherans.

— 4 —

Flu shot. I got my flu shot this afternoon as did my mother-in-law and Jon. I thought I’d go to Walgreens because of the program I mentioned last week but I have to stay after for observation due to my egg allergy so it was easier to go to Target where my mother-in-law could stroll Daniel around. (Our local Walgreens is tiny.) (You also should go read Angie’s post on this.)

— 5 —

Library awesomeness. Ann-Marie blogged today on how getting an email from the library announcing your item is in is like getting a free gift. I totally agree. I’ve been checking the library site daily to see if Laura Childs’ new books are on there… and they are. Apparently, someone in cataloging jumped the gun and put them on. I had to call my local library and ask sweetly (because the website was refusing to let me put a hold on them) and they added me to the waiting list. Hopefully, I will be #1 on the list when they arrive!

— 6 —

ID bracelet. While Daniel can point out his name and address on paper, he still isn’t able to say them so I started looking into getting a special ID bracelet made for him a few weeks ago. After Googling a bit, I came upon the company Road ID and found exactly what I needed. The order confirmation and shipping emails were totally accurate and even included some interesting facts on California. We’ve had the bracelet for the last two weeks and Daniel hasn’t taken it off and lost it yet — something I think is great considering this kid’s penchant for stripping stuff like that off. I highly recommend Road ID and I have a feeling we’ll be working with them for a while every time we move.

— 7 —

Brett. I have received word that “Brett” is finally home in the States with his family. Woohoooo!!!! 2.5 years of serious prayers are answered.

For more Quick Takes, visit Jen at ConversionDiary.Com.