Happy New Year! (A little early...)

HAPPY NEW YEAR! It is almost inconceivable that 2012 has arrived. To celebrate, I'm sharing a fun, upbeat, jelly-bean music video. Enjoy! And don't forget to remember God's wonderful, preserving providence as you ring in the New Year. =)

The Hobbit

I cannot express in words how excited I am about The Hobbit. In many ways, The Lord of the Rings trilogy and its prequel, The Hobbit, defined my adolescent years. I was practically a resident of Middle Earth, and the characters became some very dear friends. My room is littered with copies of the books, music, movies. Keeping with the ambiance of the older movie, trilogy LOTR, this new adaptation looks like a winner. Especially with Peter Jackson at the helm and so many of the original cast returning. Huzzah! Don't miss this trailer! (And isn't the Dwarf song sheer brilliance?)

Evangelia's Birthday Trip

Noah, Maggie, and Evangelia (Back row L to R)
Jude (Front Row)

Last month, I had the opportunity to take a weekend trip with one of the most delightful families I know. The occasion? Evangelia's birthday!

Silly Car Photos

With out much ado (or perhaps a LOT of "to do." I was quite excited. =), we set off to visit the Clay Center of Charleston.

Building a dam out of sand

Never having been to the Clay Center, I was expecting a place where you made pottery. Or at least played with clay, as is more likely in my case. Thankfully, I googled it the night before.

Getting our hand dirty

The Clay Center is a smaller version of the Carnegie Science Museum of Pittsburgh. It has exhibits and interactive materials to teach children science.

Waiting for it to spout

And I could immediately see why the children love it. This was a place where the floor could be covered with water, and no one would think anything of it. Literally!

Maggie

Answering many of the questions during the demonstration, the kids definitely showed their homeschool education. I was so proud of them!

And I couldn't help but laugh at their reaction to modern art. Yes, they definitely understand the concept that good art should demonstrate true beauty. 

If we had taken a vote, the favorite room would have been the one with the most interactive exhibits.

Between rope and pulleys, water cohesion, lasers...

a digital harp, motion capture filming, etc, it would have definitely been the winner.

More of the abstract art. Justly named, "The pile of junk." Tee hee hee.

And to top it all off, a Mexican dinner with a happy birthday song. Eva was definitely surprised. After a full day on Saturday, we had the pleasure of worshiping with Trinity OPC on the Sabbath. Unfortunately, I don't have pictures. =(

Monday, I was back at the kid's house. And who wouldn't be with smiles like that?!

Happy Birthday, Kiri!

(Can you believe this is the most recent picture
that I have of us?! GASP!)

Merry Birthday to one of the dearest friends for whom a girl could ask! Here's hoping your day is absolutely fabulous. =)

For the Romantic...

in all of us. =)

Thanksgiving Trip

Intermingled with my various Christmastime posts, I plan on sharing stuff that happened in November that I never shared. And in no particular order! Tee hee hee.

Aunt Esther, Grandpa, Aunt Marion (L to R)

This November, my family and I had the pleasure of staying with my great-aunts for a few days. Aunt Marion's family had Thanksgiving early, and we were able to share it with them. Almost 30 people feasted together! It was a beautiful picture of familial bonds. Spending time with these family members is a joy; memories are shared, recipes are passed down, and games are played. And we owe our part in it to the Aunts. Thank you both for opening up your home!

Nutcracker!

In my family, one of the greatest traditions of the Christmas season is music. From the Beach Boys to the Gatlin Brothers, from Celtic Thunder to Jim Reeves, from Bing Crosby to Clint Black, from the Charlie Brown Christmas to The Nativity Story, from... Well, you get the idea. :)

What a treat it was then to attend The Nutcracker ballet with the Knudsens! Thanks for inviting me, y'all!

The music definitely confirmed my Christmas mood. And the dancing was a treat. Watching the ballerinas, you had to be impressed with their strength and grace. Not to be outdone, the sets and costumes were also beautiful - with little Pittsburgh details. I hadn't seen The Nutcracker since I was a little girl; I appreciate it so much more now!

Looking through the program is entertaining, it reminds me of my last trip to see a group in Pittsburgh. Yet, the program couldn't distract from the performance. Either "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies" or the "Russian Dance" had to be my favorite. So Christmas-y! And fun! But, our fun didn't end with the ballet.

Mrs. K was shocked to learn that I had never been to the Strip District; she was determined that I should go. And now, having gone, *I* am absolutely shocked that I had never been before. Perusing Italian, Greek, and Mexican shops, we found cheeses, pepperoni, breads, olives, and much more. Yummy! We passed street vendors hawking their wares. "Get your cannoli here!"

There were fruits and vegetables. Fudges and coffees. All screaming, "Take me home. I taste really good." Mhmm. I'd love to go back soon. It was quite the trip!

In this cute, little cafe, I saw this Italian phrase. Loosely translated, it reads, "Make the law, find the loophole." Isn't it true? For what do we automatically look? Conclusion? The Strip District is a winner. Even more fun with friends.

Christmas Cheer

Mrs. Welsh's gingerbread cookies are a delightful, Christmas treat. Unlike traditional gingerbread cookies, these cookies are soft. Yummy! And I couldn't wait to bake them (again) with the Noah, Maggie, Evangelia, & Jude.

Jude and Maggie

For cookies, we needed icing. Mixing up a batch of homemade icing is more fun with little hands to help. And little tongues were eager for the beaters!

Darth Vader cookies! Oh, yeah!

My good friend, Claire, gave me Star Wars cookie cutters last year. Today, I used them for the first time. And the kids loved them as much as I do. Christmas just isn't Christmas without Yoda! Thanks so much, Claire. :)

 Do you recognize any more Star Wars characters on this cookie sheet?

 By the time we were ready to decorate the cookies, the girls were still excited...

But the boys had reached their limit. After all, there were battles to win and wars to wage. :)

Yes, a "delicious" afternoon with some of the sweetest kids I know.

Internet Stuff

Hi Y'all! After a few days with limited internet access, I'm back. :) Look for me to update soon!

Picture Credit: Google Image Search

♫Christmas Time is Here♫

The fact was today needed some Christmas cheer. After seeing the beautiful decorations at the kiddos' house, I started thinking of ways to get our family tree decorated sooner. Then it came to me; um, decorate your tree! Put out some happy snowmen! Yay!

And George *had* to help. She's nice like that... Of course, the random candy cane I found on the floor later had NOTHING to do with her enthusiasm. Tee hee hee. How is the decorating coming for y'all?

As much as I love Christmas decorations and the memories associated with them, the most wonderful gift is remembering why we celebrate Christmas day.

Luke 2:10,11

But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for behold,
I bring you good news of  great joy which will be
for all the people; for today in the city of David 

there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord."

Quote of the Day

All of the quotations below were taken from Murray N. Rothbard's excellent book Keynes The Man. 

"[John Maynard Keynes possessed a] deep hatred and contempt for the values and virtues of the bourgeoisie, for conventional morality, for savings and thrift, and for the basic institutions of family life" (9).

"Indeed Keynes displayed a positive taste for lying in politics. He habitually made up statistics to suit his political proposals, and he would agitate for world monetary inflation with exaggerated hyperbole while maintaining that "words ought to be a little wild - the assault of thoughts upon the unthinking." But revealingly enough, once he achieved power, Keynes admitted that such hyperbole would have to be dropped: "When the seats of power and authority have been attained, there should be no more poetic license" (24).

"The young Keynes displayed no interest whatsoever in economics; his dominant interest was philosophy. In fact, he completed an undergraduate degree at Cambridge without taking a single economics course. Not only did he never take a degree in the subject, but the only economics course Keynes ever took was a single-term graduate course under Alfred Marshall" (31).

Booklist: November 2011

Overall, November was a very productive month for reading. While more can ALWAYS be read, I finished some books that need to be completed and started (and completed) others that have sat on my shelf for awhile. And November's list is definitely an improvement over October's pathetic list. At that rambling to say: I'm pleased!

I've wanted to read about Martin Luther for sometime. I've felt woefully ignorant. Sure, I've read about him in church history and world history, but I had never read a biography of Luther. Years ago, I purchased a children's book about Luther. What a delight it was finally to read it! Especially over Reformation Day. Now that I've finished it, I'm contemplating the Reformation curriculum I would design for my children using this text.

Having read Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson and the Olympians, I was intrigued and concerned (having heard other's comments) about his series on Egyptian mythology. Perhaps I'll blog about it a little more fully later. For now, suffice it to say, it is not as good as Percy Jackson and has some other serious issues. Yet, it *is* well-written; a quality that is severely lacking in much of children's/young adult fiction today.

Spinach. Whole-wheat bread. Vitamins. Many of us think of these foods and supplements as "health nut" items. We consume our processed foods; we eat carbohydrates like they are going out of style. And cup after cup of caffeinated, corn-syrup-sweetened drinks are drunk. It's gross, yeah? I've never been a health guru... but Mary Frost's book has opened my eyes to our nutrition-deficient food. Not all of Frost ideas are worthwhile, however. "Mother Nature" is referenced several times, etc. Despite these flaws, I plan on purchasing a copy of her book for reference in the future.

The older I become, the more politics interests me. As a Christian, I believe that my faith affects all areas of my life (not just Sunday), and I will give account to God for my decisions. (1 Corinthians 10:31; Romans 14:12) With this in mind, I want to be very careful for whom I cast my vote. Reading Ron Paul's The Revolution was a genuine pleasure. Rarely have I encountered a politician who is willing to express himself frankly and not merely express empty platitudes and "good" rhetoric. I'll definitely be sharing quotations from his book soon. :) Ron Paul believes in the rule of Constitutional law as the Founders understood it; I believe I've found my candidate.

I first heard about The Hitchhiker's Guide in college. Several of my friends LOVED this book. And it's taken me years to read it. Douglas Adams is an atheist, and his work reflects it. (As we would expect.) In that respect, it is highly disappointing. That being said (the warning delivered), God did give Adams a wonderful sense of humor. His book is deliciously random, utterly hilarious, and delightfully British. However, I cannot recommend it to young adults without parental consent.

November 2011
Martin Luther - The Great Reformer by J.A. Morrison
The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan
Going Back to the Basics of Human Health by Mary Frost
The Revolution by Ron Paul
*The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

*Not for children. A strongly atheistic worldview. To be read only with discernment.

And so it begins!

The Christmas season is again upon us. And though I have been listening to Christmas music since before Thanksgiving (Shame on me!), I found a new version of a beautiful Christmas song today. For your inner indie. Enjoy!


I will try to update my blog more often through the holidays. Thank you for patience!

Don't forget the Youth Rally

Group Photo: Squish together!

Reformation had the pleasure of hosting the Fall Youth Rally this year. Eager to see "our camp kids", Mellissa and I gladly volunteered to organize it.

On Friday night, the kids arrived with joyful faces; they were so excited to see one another and fellowship.

 After the welcome, we played ice-breaker games and fish bowl.

Eating pizza, junk food, and pop, everyone was on a sugar high...

Which probably explains how late they stayed up.

Lots of talking.

Lots of jamming.

And lots of singing.

But the primary importance of a youth rally is not fellowship. While fellowship is important, our primary goal is further Christian education.

Pastor Brett M. lectured on the Humiliation and Exaltation of Christ. As believers, we are united to Christ; we share in both His humiliation and exaltation.

On Saturday, we piled into different vehicles and traveled to a nearby park.

The day was beautiful and blustery. We couldn't have asked God for better weather.

Some of the kids couldn't resist the playground. I couldn't blame them.

The rally was only 24 hours. But it was a fabulous 24 hours, and I won't forget it. A day to learn, to fellowship, and to thank God for covenant community.

Booklist: October 2011

The amount of reading I accomplished in October was abysmal. Bummer. My family was extremely busy during the month of October. And my reading suffered. (Not to mention Stargate has me distracted... I should blog about that sometime...) Consequently, while I read (er, started) many books, I only finished one. GASP! It was an important read, however.

I first heard about Timothy Keller in the spring... and I've continued to hear more about him since. After reading his work on the the parable of the Prodigal Son and discussing it with my elders and friends, I do not agree with Keller's approach. To be fair, he does recognize a potential problem within the church. (We must remember that the church is not for "good, moralistic" people, but rather the church is for redeemed sinners - not people who trust in their own self righteousness.) However, overall his ideas are not helpful... Christianity *is* a religion, and the God who redeemed us expects us to live a life of piety out of obedience - which will appear bigoted to the world around us. Despite my disagreement with Keller's theology, I am glad that I read his book. It gave me a glimpse into popular theology and a debate that is going on in the church today.

October 2011

The Prodigal God by Timothy Keller