Category Archives: Family

7 Quick Takes: Why I Would Make the Bestest Quick Takes Host (Next to Kelly or Jen Fulwiler)

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7 Quick Takes

I’m needing something to distract me from the trouble I’m having in finding an educational placement for Daniel so I thought I’d take on Kelly’s question from last week and tell her (and y’all) why I would be the best Quick Takes hostess other than Kelly and Jen Fulwiler.

— 1 —

I’ve been blogging for 15 years. I started blogging in August of 2000 and have been blogging in various shapes and forms since then using Greymatter, Livejournal, Moveable Type, Blogger, b2, and finally WordPress. From 2003 to 2005, I was a moderator on the blogs4God portal which included a number of Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox blogs and also included people like Mark Shea and Amy Wellborn. I even remember Fr. Z from the days when he was an admin for the Catholic Online Forum on Compuserve.

— 2 —

I bring diversity to the Quick Takes. Unlike a lot of people who take part in them, I’m not Catholic. I’m an Episcopal revert married to a Lutheran pastor. 🙂 I also send my kiddo to public school unlike a lot of the homeschooling moms on here.

— 3 —

I am, in the words of St. Paul, “all things to all people”. I’m one of the few Protestant bloggers out there who has actually read the Catechism of the Catholic Church (all of it during the Year of Faith stemming from a dare that Cari made) and I’ve also read a few papal encyclicals. I can explain Catholic teaching to Protestants and I can explain the spectrum of Protestants to Catholics given that I’m fluent in the lingo and polity of a number of Christian traditions.

— 4 —

I can blog on music… and have! I’ve done a couple Lenten blogging things where I have blogged on contemporary Christian songs I like as well as hymnody and sacred music. (They’re here, here, and here.) I also blog on whatever songs are reaching me at the moment. (Currently, it’s “Baba Yetu” from Peter Hollens and featuring Malukah.)

— 5 —

I’m an author too! OK… I’ve been published in an anthology of devotions based on the Gospel of Luke and I have a few (like 6) unpublished NaNoWriMo pieces in addition to the one I’m working on this year.

— 6 —

I also blog on raising a kiddo with special needs. My son Daniel is autistic. I can tell you all about ABA therapy, dealing with apraxia, and how freaking wonderful it is when he finally gets something that we have been working on for a while.

— 7 —

I’m awesome in my own way. I haven’t built complicated Halloween costumes for Daniel or run 35K for SMA awareness and advocacy but… I have done 6 Promise Walks (I was the survivor speaker for the San Jose one in 2014), done multiple blogathons to raise money for worthy causes, crocheted bandages for Global Heath Ministries, crocheted afghans for afghans for Afghans, written Confirmation curricula, and lived out my vocation as a pastor’s wife, Daniel’s mama, and a child of God. 🙂

Not to mention, I’m fabulous at fencing with palm fronds.

On guard!

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

#5Faves: Miscellanea (LII)

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#5Faves

One

My mommy. She has backed me up with giving Daniel his meds in the morning which is becoming a trial because he has caught on to the fact that the capsule of Adderall is in the spoonful of peanut butter. She also watched Mr. Ornery this morning so I could go deal with Social Security.

Two

Rain. We got an inch of it yesterday. I am positively giddy.

Three

This hymn. I love Michael Card and I love The Ash Grove so I definitely love his version of “Let All Things Now Living”.

Four

Van Morrison and the Chieftains. Totally sharing these for my favorite Tasoni. 🙂 This is how I hear these particular songs in my head.

Five

NaNoWriMo As usual, I decided to participate at the last minute and I think it will make for an interesting month. I’m doing it for fun this year to process some things in my life. (For those not familiar with it, go check out the NaNoWriMo website.)

Go love up Jenna and thank her for being the hostess with the mostest for the last year or so.

The Simple Woman’s Daybook: November 2, 2015

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Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY November 2, 2015

Outside my window… dark. It was raining when I woke up this morning and I was overjoyed to see this. It was a little chilly the rest of the day but not bad. I didn’t even freeze when I went to go drop Halloween candy off for Operation Gratitude.

I am thinking… about my NaNoWriMo characters and how to best catch up on my word count. I only got about 500 words written yesterday instead of the 1667 they recommend for the starting day. Oh well! If my sweet boy EVER goes to sleep, I might be able to catch up. *looks at the squirming kid next to me who is shredding his blankie*

I am thankful… for the chance to reconnect with my home congregation yesterday even if I’m seriously missing St. John’s (my church in La Verne). Also thankful for coffee with mi amiga Rebecca yesterday who gets me… way too well.

In the kitchen… minestrone soup and sourdough bread.

I am wearing… navy blue shirt from Old Navy and pajama bottoms from Kohl’s.

I am going… down to the local Social Security office tomorrow morning in hopes that they can fix the SSI-Medicaid issue we’re having with Daniel. *shakes fist at LA County for refusing to answer the phone and fix the freaking problem on their end and at Social Security for making me waste my morning by meeting with them because they won’t communicate with LA County*

I am wondering… why Daniel has been such a bear to get to sleep tonight.

I am reading… the epilogue of Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson and then (likely) Accidental Saints by Nadia Bolz-Weber.

I am hoping… we can get Daniel in school this week. Special Ed for San Jose Unified needs to get on this!

I am looking forward to… maybe getting to go the the knitting/crocheting group at church this week.

I am hearing… Daniel squeaking and shredding his blankie.

A Daniel story for today… he has been curling up in one of the recliners in the living room watching TV with his Grandpa Jim (my dad). It is insanely cute because the two of them have always seemed to have this unspoken bond.

Around the house… mostly quiet except for my wee bairn refusing to sleep and my parents watching different TV shows at opposite ends of the house.

A favorite quote for today… “Getting sober never felt like I had pulled myself up by my own spiritual bootstraps. It felt instead like I was on one path toward destruction and God pulled me off of it by the scruff of my collar, me hopelessly kicking and flailing and saying, ‘Screw you. I’ll take the destruction please.’ God looked at tiny, little red-faced me and said, ‘that’s adorable,’ and then plunked me down on an entirely different path.” — Nadia Bolz-Weber (I’ve actually seen her talk about this on a YouTube video and you have to hear her say it.)

One of my favorite things… sleeping kids. *looks at my child and ponders finding a recording of the Go the F to Sleep book to play for him*

A few plans for the rest of the week: Social Security tomorrow, hopefully an IEP meeting for Daniel at some point this week, and whatever else life decides to throw at me.

A peek into my day… The prerequisite Halloween pic of Daniel as a soccer player and me as a soccer mom.

Daniel and I dressed up (or not) for Halloween 2015

Post Script…

I’m doing NaNoWriMo this summer so I might be hard to find this month. If you are participating too, find me and let me know — I’m “khouria”.

Hosted by The Simple Woman.

The Simple Woman’s Daybook: October 27, 2015

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Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY October 27, 2015

Outside my window… dark as it’s 1 a.m. Temps have been summery though.

I am thinking… about the things I need to do tomorrow to start building Daniel’s support issue in San Jose.

I am thankful… that the first part of the move and the 7 1/2 hour drive are over.

In the kitchen… Dad brought home Hawaiian pizza for me. I’m thankful to be done fasting from gluten!

I am wearing… Momcat shirt and navy/white striped pj bottoms.

I am going… to hopefully be able to sleep soon.

I am reading… Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson.

I am hoping… that my call to Social Security goes well tomorrow.

I am looking forward to… church on Sunday at ECA.

I am hearing… silence.

A Daniel story for today… he woke up to find himself alone in his bedroom tonight around 10 so he went and climbed into bed with my mom. Thankfully, she found it cute and I was able to settle him back on his bed.

Around the house… painting and decluttering going on.

One of my favorite things… the song “God of This City” by Bluetree. The Chris Tomlin version is sub-par.

A few plans for the rest of the week: un packing, enrolling Daniel in school, and getting services for him transferred up here.

Hosted by The Simple Woman.

#5Faves: Miscellanea (L)

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#5Faves

One

Canticle of the Turning. It’s on of my favorite newer hymns and it probably doesn’t hurt that I like the folk song from which its tune comes.

Two

Concerts with my father-in-law. I’ve been blessed to be able to attend a lot of different classical concerts in the area because of escorting my father-in-law. It has ranged from the select choirs at the Claremont colleges to lunchtime harp recitals to Claremont Symphony Orchestra concerts such as the one we attended last Sunday. These are definitely not concerts I would have attended on my own, so I am incredibly grateful to my father-in-law Ray for helping me expand my taste in classical music.

Three

Early music with harps. Another pretty one by la harpe de melodie. This one is “O Viridissima Virga” by St. Hildegard of Bingen.

Four

Jenny Lawson. I am so incredibly thankful for Jenny Lawson, a.k.a. The Bloggess because she is giving mental illness a face and her latest book is educating people about what it looks like. As one dealing with depression and an anxiety disorder, I appreciate this more than most.

Five

The hymn tune “THAXTED”. It comes from Gustav Holst’s orchestral suite “The Planets” and is the tune for “Jupiter”. I think I’ve only sung it once in church but you tend to hear it a lot in British choral music.

Go love up Jenna and the others.

The Simple Woman’s Daybook: October 19, 2015

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Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY October 19, 2015

Outside my window… gray. It’s been sprinkling on and off which is making me happy. I’m hoping for a serious El Niño this year!

I am thinking… about the changes coming up this next week and what I have to do this week to prepare.

I am thankful… for the rain and the cooler weather.

In the kitchen… veggie chips and pub cheese from Trader Joe’s.

I am wearing… blue-green shirt (the color of my eyes) and jeans. As usual, I have bare feet.

I am going… to have a lot of errands tomorrow morning.

I am wondering… about some things going on in my life.

I am reading… still Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson.

I am hoping… for a smooth week this week.

I am looking forward to… the Fall Fundraiser for church on Saturday night.

I am hearing… Daniel bouncing on my bed.

A Daniel story for today… his doctor prescribed Clonidine for him to help calm him down at night and it’s such a small pill that I tried putting it in a little bit of peanut butter to see if he could swallow it that way without me having to grind it into powder. Mission accomplished. 🙂

Around the house… windows open and fans on. It’s gray outside but it’s still humid and warm.

A favorite quote for today… “In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: it goes on.” — Robert Frost

One of my favorite things… carrots and garlic hummus.

A few plans for the rest of the week: errands and packing tomorrow, Bible study and packing on Wednesday, packing on and possibly soccer practice on Thursday, errands and packing on Friday, and possibly soccer and Fall Fundraiser on Saturday.

Hosted by The Simple Woman.

31 Days of Gluten-Free: “Company Food” I Need to Learn How to Make

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31 Days of Gluten-Free Life

As I sit here typing this, my mother-in-law is making beef stroganoff and it smells heavenly. I love it but the floured beef and the egg noodles are no bueno for me this month. Sure, I could put it over rice but I’d still have to figure out how to replace the flour that coats the beef. So… I thought I’d talk about the “company foods” I need to learn how to make gluten-free.

-beef stroganoff
-beef burgundy
-“Jimmy” chicken (a family recipe — it’s a twist on chicken parisienne that my dad created 45 years ago)
-goulash and spaetzle
-lasagna (actually, this one wouldn’t be hard but I still need to think it through)

What are “company foods” you would have to alter?

Oh yes… I was emailed by the 31 Days people last night and there’s a giveaway that you can enter as a reader of a blog where someone is doing the 31 Days. It starts tomorrow and I’m looking forward to it!