Archive for the ‘She Said’ Category

This is my belated post and wish:

Happy Independence Day! Happy Birthday, U.S.A!

This Fourth of July, we went to see the fireworks show that was being put on by the Homestead Air Reserve Base for its personnel and guests.

They had also done dinner, music, and who knows what other fun stuff during the evening. But given the late hour, our Littles’ attention spans, and the mosquito problem, we opted to just swing by for the show.

Jewel got to bounce in a bounce house for a few minutes before they wrapped up, and we all enjoyed free cotton candy and watermelon.

Then came the fireworks…

I must back up and explain the weather. July 3rd brought thunderstorms, and overnight Wolf and I had some concerns about the severity of the storm, being in our flimsy little RV trailer. It subsided, but continued to rain off and on all day on the 4th.

It dried up in the late evening, allowing the foreworks show to proceed as scheduled.

God provided an amazing show, with lightning in the clouds providing additional *flash*!

It’s hard to take pictures of fireworks.

It’s hard to take pictures of lighting.

It’s really just about impossible to take pictures of the intersection of the two.

Here’s the closest we got:

In the bottom right corner you see the very light/bright brownish tinted smoke from the fireworks.

But just above that, you can see the glowing blue-tinted clouds that are actually God-illuminated! This was just a remnant of the bright flashes that lit up the sky around the fireworks show.

So with fireworks provided by the U.S. Air Force, and lightning from Heaven, it was truly a once-in-a-lifetime show…

John MacArthur is one of my favorite Bible teachers, and the topic of this book is something that Wolf and I feel very strongly about, so I was really looking forward to reading it.

Meek and mild. Politically correct. A great teacher. These are the popular depictions of Jesus. But they aren’t the complete picture. Maybe because it’s uncomfortable, or maybe because it’s inconvenient, Christians and non-Christians alike are overlooking the fierceness of the Savior, His passionate mission to make the Gospel clear and bring people into the Kingdom of God. A mission that required he sometimes raise his voice and sometimes raise a whip.

My favorite point, summing it all up:

Truth doesn’t defeat error (or lies) by waging a public relations campaign.

The reality of the book, though, was somewhat disappointing.

I think part of the explanation may be found in the Acknowledgements – MacArthur thanks all the staff who have recorded, stored, and organized his sermons over the past forty-plus years. He gives special notice to his assistant who, “compiled, combined, adridged, and edited the material in this book, translating it from those hundreds of sermons to about 250 pages of prose.” Sounds like he should have a joint author credit!

My first issue is obviously not unique, as I found it eloquently spelled out over at token lines suggesting rhythm:

However, he explicitly addresses much of his biblical interpretation and personal criticism to a narrow group – those emergents and postmoderns who have hijacked or misinterpreted the Jesus of the gospels or who have selectively emphasized the “nice” side of Jesus. While these are not bad to criticize, and MacArthur does a good job of showing the fuller picture of Jesus’ hard teachings, his frequent jabs and applications to postmoderns grows tiring. More general application would have been beneficial.

I think my bigger problem, though, is that this book seems to lack a “voice” – and again, I think this may have to do with the fact that it is (or at least started life as) a compilation of MacAthur’s sermons edited by someone else.

* For a layperson or casual reader, the book is probably quite dense and boring. If you’re looking for Max Lucado, forget it. But for someone interested in a serious in-depth study, the book also falls short.

* Many areas seem repetitive and/or redundant, while other times he mentions something tantalizing then says “of course we don’t have the space in a book like this for an exhaustive study of that, but let me just point out…”

* The book is very impersonal. The title says that “I” can’t ignore Him; the subhead tells me that the books tells, “What [I] must learn from the bold confrontations of Chirst”; the back cover text carries a message about how our view of Christ colors our whole life… But the book did not speak to me. In part because it was largely slanted against the Emergent and Postmodern Evangelicals (as discussed above), but I think also in part just because of an overall lack of focus and direction.

Is it a good book, with tons of good information? Absolutely.

Is it compelling, life altering, or profound? Sorry, no.

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Wolf and I have a lot of funny conversations… It never ceases to amaze me how the Lord brought us together, across the country, in the midst of a culture that is so different from us!

It all started when he had worn down the heels on his favorite pair of cowboy boots, and also worn out the sole of his Redwing work boots.

I was shocked how hard it was to find a shoe-repair shop. Wasn’t there always one on every corner, one in every mall?

Wolf and I began to speculate on the decline of shoe repair as a symptom of the rise of consumerism and the disposable mentality. Can’t you just hear it now:

After all, if I’ve worn these flats for, say, a year, and they get to the point of needing new heels… They are hopelessly out of style, and I should just throw them away and buy myself a new pair! I deserve it, right?

We laughed when we asked our Facebook friends where to find a Shoe Repair shop, and someone said almost exactly that!

Needless to say, I did find one, and both pairs of boots were restored to their former glory. Both have years of use left in them, and would only have been replaced with identical (and costly!) new ones…

I got to thinking, later, that there are a lot of things around the house that we use longer than many people might. We don’t throw something away simply because it starts to look worn.

Some things can simply continue to be used until they wear out totally. Other things can be repurposed or converted, and then used until they wear out totally.

Here are a few diapers that we are still using, for instance, as they disintigrate…

Shortly after taking this photo, that top layer fell off entirely. As thin an scraggly as it was, I couldn’t think of a use for it, and it did get thrown out. But the diaper is still in use!

A friend made this diaper for me, and I had no idea it had a red layer underneath…

This diaper was a lovely, soft bamboo velour. Amazingly, once all the “fuzz” wears off it is a thin grid, and you can see the underlayers right through it!

This diaper was actually retired shortly after this photo was taken. After a certain number of layers wear away, and the elastic loses it’s spring, it just doesn’t do its job anymore.

The first step! The end of the elastic wore through the casing, and came loose.

This is a “diaper service quality” prefold. Heavy-duty. The top layer is disintigrating…

…and a close-up…

Yeah, that flat-in-patches fabric is terry cloth – the loops just plain wore off!

And I’ve already mentioned where worn-out socks go in our house!

It just doesn’t make sense to discard and replace things that have plenty of life left in them.

Whether we do it because of laziness, carelessness, pride and vanity, or some other reason… It’s neither “green,” nor good stewardship.

Are you a fan of Amish fiction or Christian romances? Pick up this pleasant read from Kelly Long!

If not, this book should probably not be high on your summer reading priority list.

Like most in its genre, this book is sweet, predictable, and paints a vivid picture of Amish life.

I was a bit exasperated by the use of a “language guide” at the beginning of the book for the Pennsylvania Dutch phrases, rather than the accepted pattern of translating them as they are used. Long’s portrayal of the Amish sense of community was very compelling, however, and her use of Sarah’s garden as part of the story was a refreshing twist.

You know what you’re getting from the cover. You know if you should read it or not – you don’t need my advice!

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In case you haven’t heard of them, I’d like to introduce you to a great company called Bondi Band.

Bondi Bands are terrific stay-in-place, wicking headbands (and more) – great for your really active type activities, but also for the daily “marathon”!

And they also believe in giving back…

In an effort to make the world a little better, each year BondiBand picks a charity to donate some of our hard earned profits to.

We are a simple company with a dedication and belief in our product. Our philosophy is to make a great product at a great price and to build relationships one at a time. And as much as we believe in making a tidy profit we also believe in giving back. Each year we donate 10% of our pretax profits to charity. For 2008 we have chosen the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

First, let me show you my beautiful girl, wearing an adorable Bondi Band “Pigtail Hat”!

Is that the cutest thing ever, or what?

And also, much to everyone’s amusement, R.T. has also decided that anything Jewel likes that much must be a good thing…

The hat is tough and well made, the color is vibrant… And did I mention adorable? They make a ponytail style, too!

And yes, they sent something for me, as well. Other than suggesting the pigtail hat for Jewel, I didn’t make any requests – typically when you receive samples for review you don’t get to choose…

So, I was beyond delighted when I pulled out a black “original” Bondi Band for me to try, and this was the imprint:

What a caring, thoughtful treat!

I truly enjoyed wearing my Bondi Band, which did an amazing job of staying in place. It was nice not to have to mess with the pair of clips I wear with all the other headcoverings in my current wardrobe.

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Want to get your hands on this? Here’s how!

BUY IT!

Online directly from Bondi Band!

WIN IT!

TWO lucky As For My House readers will win a Bondi Band of their choice!

Make sure to leave your email address with each comment. (Used only to contact the winner. If your email is entered in the form it will be saved for me but not displayed).

1. Head on over to Bondi Band and leave a comment here telling me what you’d like to try!

Extra Entries (leave separate comments for each).

Once you have completed #1, you can earn additional entries by doing any or all of the following. For those worth multiple entries, please leave that number of separate comments – each comment is one entry when I draw a number at the end!

2. Become a Fan of Bondi Band on Facebook.

In additon to these, there are MANY more ways to earn extra entries. You know, all the usual stuff like subscribing to the blog, Tweeting, and so on? Just click over to our Giveaway Policy page for all the details! (You can get an extra entry, for instance, just by entering our other current give-away(s)!)

This giveaway ends Saturday, 7/3 at 11:59pm (Eastern).

The winner will be chosen using random.org and announced on the blog, as well as contacted by email. Winner must respond within 48 hours, or a new winner will be selected. Your goodies will ship directly from the sponsor!

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Comments are now closed. Look for the winner in a separate post, soon!

I was delighted to receive the latest edition of Franklin Springs Media’s wonderful Homestead Blessings series for review (and a giveaway – keep reading!):

Homestead Blessings: The Art of Quilting

The West Ladies welcome us back with their familiar warmth and charm, this time into a cozy sewing room complete with a lovely old treadle sewing machine.

After a little introduction to the history of quilting, we dive in to a start-to-finish tutorial.

Looking at a lovely Amish quilt may make the entire process seem intmidating, but the West Ladies break it down into simple, managable steps that really made me feel like it was possible that I could make a quilt!

They touch on color selection, fabric, and laying out your quilt, then delve into the mysteries of piecing the blocks together, assembling the quilt, the actual quilting, and binding.

During the course of the video they make a complete (if small) “country” quilt, as well as adorable quilted potholders. They also show and discuss “whole fabric” quilts, including tied quilts.

I was a little disappointed by this DVD, which seemed skimpier than previous installations.

The cover of the box has a lovely quilt image on it, but more complex designs are never more than mentioned in passing. The intro to the DVD shows what looks like a quilted casserole dish cozy, but that is not shown or mentioned in the program.

Although a quilt is, indeed, a large undertaking, it seemed like it either needed a lot more depth, or perhaps needed to include another small project or two (such as the potholders) to fill it out.

Some of the instruction was also frustratingly vague, and the closeups of Jasmine attaching the binding showed only the back of her hand, rather than how to perform the task.

In spite of that, though, it was a great way to inspire confidence in our ability to complete a simple quilting project, and Jewel and I are anxious to get moved, get out our sewing machine, and give it a try! (And I’m putting a treadle machine on my “Wish List”!).

This DVD would be an excellent starting place for someone who had never quilted, and perhaps never even considered it.

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WIN IT!

TWO lucky As For My House readers will win their own copy of the Art of Quilting DVD!

Make sure to leave your email address with each comment. (Used only to contact the winner. If your email is entered in the form it will be saved for me but not displayed).

1. Leave a comment here and share whether you’ve ever quilted, or even considered it!

Extra Entries (leave separate comments for each).

Once you have completed #1, you can earn additional entries by doing any or all of the following. For those worth multiple entries, please leave that number of separate comments – each comment is one entry when I draw a number at the end!

2. Become a Facebook Fan of Franklin Springs Family Media.

In additon to these, there are MANY more ways to earn extra entries. You know, all the usual stuff like subscribing to the blog, Tweeting, and so on? Just click over to our Giveaway Policy page for all the details!

This giveaway ends Saturday 6/26 at 11:59pm (Eastern).

The winners will be chosen using random.org and announced on the blog, as well as contacted by email. Winner must respond within 48 hours, or a new winner will be selected. Your goodies will ship directly from the sponsor!

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Comments are now closed! Look for the winners announced soon in a separate post!

The publishers’ description is as follows:

Take a wonder-filled journey with Jesus and His disciples.

Animated straight from the pages of the popular Read and Share® Bible, The Jesus Series introduces children to the life of Christ. Unlike the 3-minute, bite-size story format of the Read and Share® DVD Bible Volumes 1-4, this DVD is an uninterrupted half-hour presentation of Jesus’ ministry along the shores of Lake Galilee and the villages near Nazareth. Children will see Jesus call His disciples, feed 5,000 people, heal the sick, teach about God’s kingdom and introduce the Lord’s Supper.

This DVD completes The Jesus Series by presenting the life of Christ in a way that little ones can understand and build a solid foundation on.

My opinion of this DVD is… well… mixed. And one of its best features is also one of its biggest downfalls.

The Good:

• The story aggregates a number of story segments from the Bible into one continuous storyline that children can easily follow.
• I enjoyed the simple, uncluttered animation, which still had fun details like moving water!

The Bad:

• There is content added that is not in the Bible. It’s well done, it’s consistent with the impression the Bible gives of those involved, and it is important to the story flow (especially for little ones)… but it is not the Bible. This is not horrible, just something to be aware of, and make sure you discuss with your children.
• Maybe it’s just trying to cover too much ground in too little time, but I can’t imagine most children would follow a lot of the jumps, and I found myself explaining “the big picture” of a lot of it to my children as we watched.
• Lack of drama, excitement, something… The music wasn’t lively, the characters weren’t lively. The whole thing was rather monotone – when Jesus’ life and ministry was anything but!
• There was a huge emphasis on Judas. With the brevity of the piece, and the number of more “adult” concepts left out entirely, it was very odd how much of Judas there was – especially as much of it was fabricated (see first point).

This DVD wasn’t BAD, but I would pick something else if I was choosing…

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Our Modest Matron for today is Nina, of alltumbledown: A Modest Attempt at Style.

The blog, in fact, is how I “met” Nina, clicking though to her site after reading her comment on another modesty blog.

Nina photographs herself every day (yes, every day!), and posts about her outfits – with little musings about style, modesty, and life thrown in for good measure.

I was very interested in her choices because of her Jewish faith… well, let me get out of the way and let Nina tell you all about herself.

• Religious affiliation: I’m a Modern Orthodox Jew. For those unfamiliar with the many shades of grey within the umbrella of Judaism, this means that I adhere pretty strictly to traditional Jewish law and practice while being fully involved in the positive aspects of the secular world.

I attended a Jewish day school from K-12, spent a year post-high school studying Jewish texts in Jerusalem and then went off to a small secular liberal-arts college.

• Life Situation: I have been married for nearly 2 years to my wonderful husband, a future doctor (since he’s halfway finished with med school, we joke that he is a “doc”). I work for a small museum in Lower Manhattan, where I do research, lead walking tours and manage viral communication. I plan on going back to school relatively soon for a PhD in history and religion. We don’t have kids yet, but are excited to start a family together in the not-too distant future.

• How long have you been dressing modestly? (Were you raised that way?)

I grew up Orthodox, and as such, always had a sense of propriety and modesty even when wearing shorts and bathing suits. My current modesty code, which includes wearing skirts to the knee and to-the-elbow sleeves, was a choice that I took on after my year in Israel. After spending the year studying Jewish law, I dedicated myself to more stringent observance, the most superficially apparent of which was my wardrobe.

Covering my head started after marriage, in accordance with Jewish law. I cover my head, not my hair (basic disagreement in Jewish law about which is the thing to cover – most people side with authorities who hold that hair is the issue, but I follow authorities who believe that the majority of the head, not hair, must be covered.) When I wear a hat or scarf, that is my hair hanging down.

• Can you share a little about your journey to modest dress?

For me, modesty is less about espousing a specific notion of femininity and much more about affiliating myself with a community and lifestyle. In the Jewish world (well, my Jewish world – there are just so many incredibly diverse communities that it is hard to generalize) wearing a skirt and headcovering automatically associates you with those who care about Jewish law. This isn’t to say that those who wear jeans and go bareheaded don’t—in fact, many do—but at first glance, my dress lets people know about my observance level.

I won’t lie: it isn’t easy, especially in summer when everyone walking around is wearing cute little sundresses and shorts. Dressing as I do has become rote but I do remember that it is a choice I anew make each day.

Blogging about my “modest attempt at style” has been the best resource for me. It challenges me to be creative with my wardrobe instead of wearing the same thing every day, and has put me in touch with an inspiring network of women who do the same.

Here’s my simple-living, green, thrifty tip of the day:

Don’t want to darn socks? Me, either.

I’m not sure my family would wear them, anyway, as used to smooth, fluffy textures as everyone is.

But I don’t just toss them in the trash, ether. Waste of money, waste of fabric, etc., etc., right?

So I pull out my trusty sewing scissors and give them a couple of snips.

I clip once across the sock, going up from the “point” of the heel.

For my anklets, I then just discard the remaining elastic band portion. For athletic socks, this divides them into two.

I’ve also been cutting off the toe-tips. This helps them lay flat, removes the toe seam, and allows them more free water flow in the wash. This is strictly optional.

These little cloths have a wide range of uses:

• Baby diaper wipes
• Family cloth wipes
• Dish cloths (not a drying towel, but instead of a sponge for washing)
• Handkerchief
• Cleaning cloth – windows, etc.
• Dedicated shoe-shine cloth
• Eyeglass or computer screen cleaner (used appropriately)
• I’m sure you can come up with your own unique uses, in your particular situation

You can just toss them in the wash… With your diapers, or your regular white load, depending. A few little cloths don’t add greatly to your washing burden.

If I had access to my sewing machines, I’d serge up the edges, as certain socks are starting to unravel at the cut edges. (Why some and not others remains a mystery).

Here’s my darling princess, Jewel, age 5, climbing up the climbing wall at the Miami Children’s Museum.

She’s a brave climber, for sure.

But also, and more importantly here, it simply never occured to her to think that climbing a rock wall was something that you wouldn’t, couldn’t, or shouldn’t do in a dress.

Whyever would that stop you?

As proud mama watched from the shade…

Victory!