Little Things

It's definitely little things that make my day! We went to a museum this morning (yes, I took my two-year-old to a museum...it was my penance...), and I stopped by a few garage sales on the way home. I spent $10 on the books and toys! The lady wanted $10 for the books, and I asked if she would throw in the toys if I bought the books. I probably shouldn't have bought them, but they remind me of the kinds of books I loved to have around to read when I was young!

I am happy!!

Although I am in the middle of inner turmoil, I was dancing in my kitchen this morning! ;-) Okay, almost dancing! I found a nifty new way to make yogurt, AND IT WORKS!! After using my old recipe the first time, I have not been able to get it to work again. So, I went to the Internet for some advice. I found this page and thought I'd give it a try. It works!!! I heated my milk on the stove, not in the microwave, and the whole recipe worked beautifully. Whew. No more leaving the oven on warm all night long only to find warm milk awaiting me in the morning. ;-) I am happy.
Still having a bit of inner turmoil, though. It just might be because my grandmother (not the Texan one) is coming today and has invited herself to my mom's night out tonight. She will not be going, so either I make up a reason that neither of us can go, or I just tell her that I will have to go it alone tonight. That sounds so horrible, but I will not take her. These moms don't get mom's night out very often, and when they do, I don't believe they are looking to be talking to Grandmother all night. I do try to have common courtesy sometimes. ;-)
So, think of me as a heartless pig if you want...my yogurt still worked!!! Yippee!!!!

Morning Thoughts, Part 2

The point of McDowell's questioning was that we need more than "just because" as an answer to the question "Why do you believe?" There is so much information being fed to the masses about Christianity that Christians need to be informed about their beliefs.
I agree that Christians should know more about their beliefs than they currently do. I think that many Christians have become lax in their knowledge because America was, for so long, a predominantly Christian nation. That is no longer. Christians should be able to give an answer (a reasonable answer) for their faith.
However, there does need to be balance. We will not always be able to give an answer for every question that people pose. We will never be able to prove "without a shadow of a doubt" our beliefs or else we wouldn't need faith, now would we? I've seen some people want to argue until they are blue in the face about Christianity. That is unnecessary. People generally don't listen very well to blue-faced people, anyway. :-) Christians should be able to give an answer for their beliefs yet realize that only God can give the faith.
That said, I enjoyed hearing Josh McDowell speak. I think he leans a bit toward arguing, but he does enjoy debate. I would recommend his books because I think many Christians need the extra resources to enable them stand before the wave of humanism or any other of the "-isms" that are overtaking our country today.

My Morning Thoughts, Part 1

Evan and I went to a Josh McDowell seminar back in the spring. We both found the seminar very interesting and thought-provoking. When he was younger, McDowell actually set out to prove the Bible inaccurate; yet he finally decided after doing research that the Bible had more than enough evidence to support its truth. Once he had proven to himself the truth of the Bible, he knew that he could not dismiss the Bible as “hogwash” anymore but had to decide whether to accept or reject its message. He accepted. Josh McDowell has now written many books and done much research about the authenticity of the Bible as well as the beliefs of young people today.
Josh McDowell has an interesting way of starting his seminar. He begins by asking people why they believe in Jesus. People give various answers, and he gives various reasons why those answers could also be given by Muslims, Buddists, Hindu, etc. For example, Muslims have faith, Buddism has “changed people’s lives,” Hinduism can make people feel good. Its very interesting, and I really was hoping that he would not pick me out of the crowd. ;-)
Okay, I’ll finish my post later since I can hear my child in the other room. Honestly, though, what would you say in answer to a question like that?

Difference

Today I was looking through my fridge, and I had the random thought, "I wonder how different the contents of my fridge are today than a year ago?" Nice random thought, right? Here's what I could find:

1) Buttermilk: I did not generally buy buttermilk last year. Now, it is a staple. I use it to soak oats for oatmeal, make pancakes, and do a few other things.
2) Sauerkraut: I would never have had this in my fridge last year. Now, I have a mason jar of homemade sauerkraut in my fridge that I use occasionally for garnish (generally on bean soup). Supposedly, according to Nourishing Traditions, sauerkraut is a wonderful food for your stomach since it is fermented. Doesn't that sound delicious?
3) Whey: I don't use this very often, but I have used it enough that I think it will be gone before it's six month refrigerator life. :-)
4) Vegetable clippings: I now keep a container of onion tops, celery tops, tomato peels/ends, broccoli stalks, and any other random vegetable clipping for broth/stock.

Interesting, no?

Hard time blogging

Life is just so busy. Between taking care of Nathan, spending time with Evan, and doing all the things I do to keep our home the way I like it (gracious, I just sneezed, and Nathan came in here from playing blocks with Daddy to say "Bless you, Mom."), I just don't have the brain-power to blog half the time. I started carrying a journal outside with me, but half the time what I write isn't really interesting once I get a chance to sit down and blog. So I'll just write snippets. :-)
We had barbecue chicken with a tomato platter tonight for supper, and I absolutely love that salad/platter. Just to let you know.
I had my volunteer day in the nursery this morning. There are so many two-year-olds right now! They had to open three classes to hold them all. It's so funny to watch two-year-olds try to play. After going to our church for five years and feeling that it was just huge, I can now say that the church is definitely feeling smaller now. Having a child in the nursery and getting involved are two good ways to get to know people. :-) How brilliant of me.
Let's see, what other random things can I say? I am still keeping up with the coupons and deals; I just don't have the energy to post. I didn't even take a picture of my last deal at Walgreens! By the way, the Scrubbing Bubbles Toilet Gel (the ones that stick to the side of the toilet) are strong!!! Every time I open the toilet lid I am almost overwhelmed by the smell! I wanted to get the citrus ones, but the Walgreens I went to didn't have them. Blech.
I can't believe how time flies. I can hardly believe that we are almost half-way through October. Maybe tomorrow I'll post a menu or something. I don't really know if anyone cares, anyway. ;-)
Enough of the rambling...

A Link

Here it is.

I love how a certain political party makes big promises on how they will use our money. They make people feel guilty by saying, "Oh, you can afford to have more taken away from you, really." They forget that the government is the absolute worst steward of money that ever was. Or maybe they don't forget; maybe they want us to forget. My reasons why the government is not my charity of choice:
1) Accountability -- non-existent
2) Efficiency -- non-existent (been to a post office or tag agency lately?)
3) Cost -- how many government officials does it take (do we pay) to change a lightbulb??
4) Personal responsibility -- we don't have to help the poor...that's the government's job

There you go. :-)