Monthly Archives: January 2015

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

Posted on by

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.

#5Faves: Miscellanea (XXVI)

Posted on by

#5Faves

One

Kelly. If you’ve been living under a rock and haven’t gone to read This Ain’t The Lyceum, you need to hurry as fast as your browser can load to do so. She has a wonderful post up today about the Sheenazing awards. Girlfriend also created a planner which is made of awesome.

Two

Stalking my possessions. This week’s installment of “where is Jen’s stuff” involves a shipment of yarn for a blankie that I will be crocheting for Daniel’s birthday in April. The last record of it was leaving Illinois on the 12th and I’m hoping it arrives on Friday before I have to leave for the airport so I can take some of it to Washington with me when I fly up that evening.

Three

Nights when Daniel stays in his own bed. It’s a bit unnerving to wake up and find one more body on the bed than there was when you went to sleep. I don’t know why he is waking up at midnight but that’s when he usually climbs into bed with us. Right now, he’s in a bit of an awkward position so I’m going to have to move him when I’m done with this post.

Four

Fernando Ortega. His music brings me closer to God. What I especially love about his music, especially when he covers older hymns, is that he leaves the verses about the Cross intact. The Cross is so central to our faith as Christians and I love that he gets that.

Five

Family. I will get to see my 94 year old grandma this weekend (I haven’t seen her in 4 years) and various other family members. I am so excited!

Go love up Jenna and the others.

The Simple Woman’s Daybook: January 11, 2015

Posted on by

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.

Four for the Weekend: January 9, 2015

Posted on by

I’m joining up with mi amigo Hevel for his “Five for the Weekend” link-up to post on some things that kind of escaped my mind while trying to write my Quick Takes last week and this morning.

One

Things to come. I’m trying to plot out some posts that aren’t meme-related. One that is coming up is something on how to be a Titus 2 woman in the 21st century. Another will be a response to Amanda’s post on being [herself].

Two

Progress on my New Year’s resolutions. I’m keeping up with the plank challenge though I really do *NOT* like planking. Regarding the attempts to do some form of exercise while Daniel is in school, I did great on Monday and Tuesday… and then had to deal with school meetings for Daniel’s triennial IEP evalutions and Daniel needing me to sleep in his room in case he needed a breathing treatment so exercise took a back seat this week. I *did* get some walks in with Daniel so I at least have that.

Three

The resolution on Bible reading. I started this resolution on Monday (they recommend starting on a Monday so you can hear Scripture proclaimed in worship on Sunday) and it’s going well. Right now, it’s 2 chapters of Old Testament (currently Genesis), a psalm, and a chapter of a Gospel (right now, it’s Matthew). I’m having to remember to do it in the morning because I’ve fallen asleep while reading them before when I’ve tried to do it before bed. As far as the content goes, I’m discovering psalms I hadn’t read before and the rest of it (Genesis and Matthew) has been familiar.

Four

Look what was waiting for me when I got home on Wednesday! It’s the planner that Kelly Mantoan put together!

The planner that Kelly designed.

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

Posted on by

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)

Posted on by

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

Posted on by

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.