Too Much Egg Salad

I made a lovely bowl of egg salad to eat on sandwiches for lunch today, but I oversalted it and it was inedible, so I boiled another half dozen eggs to mix in. The result is a yummy egg salad that is enough for 3 or 4 meals for Quinn and I. Who wants to eat egg salad 4 meals in a row? Ew.

And I had a lovely pot of ham, potato and cheese soup planned for tonight. Darn.

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I sat down with a glass of tea and finished my first biography of 2011 this afternoon.  The story of Sojourner Truth is well worth reading. "Journey Towards Freedom" is a beautifully written biography. It was written for young people, so it's gentle and discreet when describing the painful conditions and mistreatments of the the African Americans before, during and in the years directly following the Civil War.

Sojourner was a great Christian, an amazing activist and a beautiful person, even when portrayed by a secular author. Her testimony was bold, and her humor keeps the story light and amusing. She's a person who I would have loved to have known. Thanks be to God, I will know her someday, when I am in His presence, for I have no doubt that she will be there.

Disclaimer; there was a passage in the book that, in my opinion, would be inappropriate for children. It is in chapter 24, "War In The West." and many of you may wish to edit it for your young readers.
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Listening to my favorite Pandora station. It's root is Watermark's "Captivate Us." The station plays gentle, accoustic contemporary Christian music. It's absolutely lovely as background to my everyday activites.

Speaking of, I have a dryer full of blue and green baby clothes that need to be folded and put away, and since my little man is content to be playing on the floor, it's a good time to do that.

Thanks for reading.
-Joanna

PS- I set up an Etsy account, please check it out! There's a link on my sidebar...

Creamified Mashed Taters

3 pounds potatoes, peeled, chopped and boiled 'til soft.

Strain immediately.

Add 1 stick of margarine
1/3 cup half n half
2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper

Beat thoroughly with electric mixer. Add milk until taters are creamy enough to leave peaks. Add more salt to taste.

No gravy or garlic needed.

Bacon Wrapped Barbeque Meatloaf

1 pound lean ground beef
1/4 cup bread crumbs or butter cracker crumbs
2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 egg
1 Tblsp worchestershire sauce
1/2 minced onion

Mix all ingredients thoroughly.

Spray 8 x 8 baking dish with non stick spray.

Lay 3 strips of bacon in dish.

Shape ground beef into loaf and lay across bacon.

Lift ends of bacon and wrap over top of loaf. Secure with toothpicks.
Cover with1/4 cup K.C. Materpiece original barbeque sauce.

Bake 30 min at 400 degrees.

Remove toothpicks and serve hot!
Yum!

MenuPlan:
Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf
Best Ever House Salad
Perfect Corn Muffins
Creamified Mashed Taters

I love gays.

I have a very deep love for gay people. Men and women both. It's coupled with an aching sorrow and pity that sometimes causes me to be overwhelmed by my complete inability to help them. I've spent hours in deep conversations with multiple homosexuals, taking them to the word of God and showing them the source of my love for them; the unending, immeasurable love of Christ Jesus.

Because of this, I find that I often go on tangents against "Christians" who insist that the only way to love a gay individual is to accept them for who they are. Today I had an acquaintance make a big deal out of how she thinks boys are frustrating and annoying, but her gay friends are her best friends because they're the best of both world. She rebukes me anytime I say anything against sodomy because she says it isn't "Christ Like" because Jesus loves them.

People who claim to love the Lord will insist that gays were "born that way," and try to worship with them, try to let them teach them from God's word... why? Is that love? Is it love to hire a prostitute because she needs money to feed her kids? Do we say she was born to be a prostitute, so it's alright? Is that love? Is it love to buy a 12 pack for the drunk who's laying in his own vomit? Can we say he was born to be an alcoholic and invite him to bring his friends into our church for a couple free beers? Do we elect sex offenders as our deacons because God gave them those drives, or pedophiles as our Sunday School teachers because they know how to relate to kids?

Love means showing them the truth. Not letting them believe in lies.

Love means empowering them to get free of their pitfalls. Not feeding their addictions.

Love means showing them Christ. Not our own inability to reconcile the concepts of perfect love and perfect justice.

We need to stop "accepting" and start loving. We need to tell the truth, even when it hurts. We need to let ourselves be hated and ridiculed and go against the culture to stand up for righteousness, for holiness, for morality and for love.

We need to follow the word of God, not our own heads and hearts.

I thought this would be a photo post...

I have a LOT of pictures from the last three months that are on Quinn's retired smartphone. I was gonna just pull them off and post them here, but it seems that I have to install the phone on the computer first. Either that, or put them on the laptop then transfer them via usb key to this computer, and that didn't seem worth the effort tonight.

I'm leaving in an hour for a rehearsal where my cello is in demand. I'm playing in a piano trio for one of Evangel's students' senior recital at the end of this month. I'm not nervous about the piece in general, but I am nervous about tonight because I've only had the music for two weeks and it's not where I would like it to be for my first practice with the other two members of the trio.

I'm leaving my baby with his daddy. That's actually not a rare thing for me to do. Very few of my excursions into town are more than 2 hours in length and my husband HATES shopping, so it's normal for me to make grocery runs and short errands while Gavin and Quinn get quality time in here at home. 

But tonight, I'm kinda nervous about that as well. I think mostly because I have to go to the absolute opposite corner of town and have no idea how late the rehearsal will run. If it goes long, Quinn is perfectly capable of warming up some baby food and feeding my little man, but nonetheless, all of the uncertainties of tonight are somewhat nerve wracking.

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Dishes are washed. I need to start the dryer. Bed needs to be made. Dinner of some sort needs to be prepped or Quinn will try to make the evening on a bowl of cereal. 

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Enjoyed Mom's birthday party yesterday, and looking forward to Quinn's birthday later this month. 

In other news, my brother Aaron and his wife Jenna delivered a beautiful, healthy baby girl last week. Here are a few pictures of her:

Della May

Aaron with his baby girl

The family; Aaron, Jenna and Della

My Quinn with Della

Della and Gavin; cousins!

Me with baby Della

Inspiration

Quinn is sitting at the desk, typing away on his blog. We're actually currently a dual-computer family, which is a first since we were married. It's only gonna last as long as this laptop with the broken hinges and perpetual bsod's hangs on. I can't decide whether or not it's good for our relationship. I *think* it's a positive thing, because he can study or read while I blog or facebook without it causing any tension. On the other hand, we're both more inclined to waste a bit more time since we're not obligated to take turns.

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Last night I got distracted by a fussy baby and quit writing. This morning Quinn inspired me again. He called on his morning break and was full of the Psalms for today and rejoicing in the Lord as his Hope. Also, his blog entry last night about the "due season" mentioned in Galatians was an awesome thing to read. How I love that boy.

I've been reading one of his many books this week. It's called "Journey Towards Freedom" and is the biography of Sojourner Truth.  One section I loved while reading last night was a piece where the author quoted Sojourner's testimony of how the Lord changed her name. Her name was "Isabelle" by birth, and always before she had gone by the last name of her current employer-whether that be her "Owner" or the current family paying for her labors. He gave her the name "Sojourner," but the first person she introduced her self to mocked her for it because she didn't have a last name.



"And thereupon she picked my new name to pieces and made it look so peculiar that I said to myself, 'It don't appear to be such a good name after all!' and I said 'I must go.' And I plodded on over the sandy road and was very hot and miserable. And in my wretchedness I said 'Oh, God, give me a name with a handle to it. Oh, that I had a name with a handle!' And it came to me, and that same moment, like a voice as true as God is true; 'Sojourner TRUTH.' And my heart leaped for joy-Sojourner Truth. 'Why' said I, 'thank you God. That is a good name. Thou art my last master and thy name is Truth, so shall Truth be my abiding name until I die.' "

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I've got a goal for the remainder of my life- that is to read a biography a month. I love biographies. I always have. And if I pick a new one to buy every month then I'll have a fantastic collection of them for our children to read. I'm gonna start by reading through the presidents of our country.  I've read about Andrew Jackson, Ronald Reagan, Abraham Lincoln, a little about Nixon, and etc, but I want to own a biography of each and every one of them. The great, Godly men and the wretched men alike.  After that maybe I'll read biographies of composers, maybe missionaries, maybe of inventors, maybe explorers...I don't know, but I do know it will take me about 5 years to read through the presidents, so when I get to Obama I'll start thinking about who's next.

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Gonna go warm up lunch for the hubby. I've been cleaning house and making a grocery list all morning and haven't actually eaten anything yet. I'm getting all shaky and nauseated...

oh, and a praise to Jesus- yesterday we had $3 in the bank and were out of gas when, lo and behold, we got a check in the mail that we had forgotten to expect. Glory be! :D

Making Messes or Messing Things Up...

I've realized something about my baby. That is, that he isn't yet to the mess making stage, but that that doesn't prevent him from messing things up. While he isn't yet dumping toilet bowl cleaner all over the bedroom floor, or breaking dishes, or emptying file cabinets and pantry cupboards, he does require enough time and attention to totally "mess up" my days. Dishes go unwashed, laundry unfolded, floors unvacuumed and hot meals for a tired husband go uncooked, and showers...lets just say that showers have become a luxury commodity.

 

But I don't say that grudgingly. I love having an excuse to sit on the floor and tickle and make ridiculous faces at him instead of standing at the table folding the five loads of laundry that we've been digging through for clean towels and underwear. I love sitting at the computer with cooing and giggling on my lap, sipping my mountain dew instead of standing over the stove picking through a greasy chicken carcass or vacuuming floors. I love laying him over my lap and piddling away at Mozart and Beethoven on my piano instead of washing piles of crusty cereal bowls with dried up milk in the bottom. (I HATE those, don't you? I'd almost rather never eat another bowl of cereal than wash those for the rest of time) 

At Mom's with my little sister, "Jeri."

My biggest problem is the Right-Nows. Right Now, he's asleep in his bed, and since the washer and dryer are running I feel productive and I'm sitting here on my lazy butt instead of folding the laundry that's already dry. Right Now was last night when he was sitting on the couch with Quinn and I was playing "Plants Vs Zombies" instead of catching up on dishes. Right Now was yesterday morning when he was happy on my lap and I should have been reading yesterday's devotion instead of checking my facebook. Right Now was Saturday afternoon when he was playing on his safety blanket and I should have been practicing cello instead of  YouTubing.

Then the other Right Nows... the ones where Right Now he's making me walk him in circles, but I'm grumbling in my spirit instead of thanking my Jesus for my cuddly, healthy, smart little person. Right Now he won't stop fussing, but won't lay down even though he's exhausted and I'm watching TV instead of singing the hymns that his heart needs in order to grow in the Lord as I hope he will. Right Now I'm tired from watching him all day and I'm sitting by my husband doing a Sudoku or playing even more Plants vs Zombies, or Bejeweled Blitz instead of reading a good book or studying any of the thousands of subjects I keep telling myself I would like to study. Right Now is 8 o'clock in the morning when I get up but he's still asleep and I log on instead of getting my Bible out and starting my day how I'm supposed to. 

Online Marketing Site

I'm supposed to write a review for discountclick.com  but as I'm reading the website I can't get past the hilariously awful sentence structures and mistaken punctuations. For example, try reading their search engine optimization product page. It looks like someone who has only had first year English tried to write it, and someone who had no English approved it.

"How are your position and rankings in google, yahoo, aol, msn, altvista."  Note the period rather than the question mark.

"Only hard work in conjuction with our team and your company, patience, dedication, and above all patience will improve upon your position and rank! "  I quoted "Chicken Run" when I read that one... "You said patience twice!! That's cause it takes twice as much patience as dedication!" hehe. Ouch.


Then if you go to the "partners" page you'll notice the odd sentence explaining that they're partnered with the "following companies to the right."

All that being said, as I'm reading the content to Quinn, who has done a lot of research on how te generate hits and get high rankings with search engines, he's approving of most of what they claim and agreeing with the majority of their statements. So were I looking for a foreign company to promote my website, I might be interested...