Snip November 19, 2007
Posted by carpebanana in : Ramblings , add a commentMiss Language had a haircut today.
Snip.
There went 12 inches.
Is it just me or is it a mom thing that when you see the little curls on the floor you think of the first haircut?
Words November 19, 2007
Posted by carpebanana in : Ramblings , add a commentDoes anyone have a clue how language works? We can look at little bits of squiggle on paper or billboards or hear a wide variety of speech sounds and from them somehow decode “words” and those words have meaning. Somehow, from those words, we can learn things, understand things, be able to do new things. It is mind-numbing. You can look at a bunch of squiggles and know how to make a cheesecake or change the oil in your car or understand a point of theology. Words somehow enable us to make sense of the world around us. But far, far bigger than that is Christ. How can people who don’t know The Word make sense of their world?
John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
Thanksgiving Coming November 17, 2007
Posted by carpebanana in : Ramblings , 1 comment so farThoughts of Thanksgiving continue to abound here with dreams of a few days off school, all invitations made, shopping done other than perishables, the potatoes in the freezer ready to go, 20.79 pounds of turkey goodness thawing in the fridge, a pomegranate ready to garnish the pineapple boats, chocolate pilgrim lollipops being molded for favors, the house decorated and candles ready for the table.
And so I bring you this bit of poem from a friend in my college days. The rest was worthless and is lost to posterity but this bit has stuck with me and rears its head every November:
Hey, Mr Turkey, your white meat’s a winner
What say you come to our house for dinner?
There’s taters, and green beans, and cranberries, too -
But best of all, Turkey, the main course is YOU.
Thanks, ATN! (pringles craft can be found here.)
Potatoes in Space November 16, 2007
Posted by carpebanana in : Ramblings , add a commentMr Music was helping me make the freezer potatoes for Thanksgiving. Why was I not surprised when he asked if he could “take the mixer to warp 10?”
Related only by the Thanksgiving theme, in Wal*Mart the other day there was an ad for Rubbermaid containers, something like, “You’ve got the turkey and the cranberries, but (scary music) are you prepared for the leftovers? Rubbermaid’s got you covered.” How abundantly rich is our country when leftovers are a problem?
Seasonal Sighting November 15, 2007
Posted by carpebanana in : Ramblings , 1 comment so farDevastatingly Handsome came home from errands and said, “Guess what I saw” as dinner was being prepared. We all made a couple guesses but were not close, so he gave the clue that it is seasonal, but not “good seasonal - more yucky seasonal.” Then, without allowing a chance to guess, he answered his own clue with, “a salt truck.”
Whereupon I began whining (we’ve been reading Exodus so are up on how to grumble and complain like the Israelites in the wilderness) that it was not fair to give us a good clue and then not give us a chance to guess. Here I added the lie that I had had a really good guess in mind (in truth I was drawing blank), and immediately made the first guess that popped into my mind, “A truck full of turkey gizzards.”
Which was bad enough. But to make it worse, Miss Language looked at me and calmly said, “That’s what I was going to guess, too. There are only so many yucky things you could associate with Thanksgiving.” Which would be sad, except that I know by now that Miss Language and I all too often do think the same odd thing at the same time, but, really, turkey gizzards?
Devastatingly was repeating the guessing game for the benefit of Miss Dog Lover. As soon as he got to the “salt truck” part he started laughing hysterically at her response, “I want one.” Her love of salt, straight salt, not adulterated with anything like chips or pretzels, is hard to describe. Let’s just say when she was younger we kept our salt locked, we had to figure out what to do in restaurants when she licked the shakers, and we considered giving her a salt lick for Christmas.
Pinched November 14, 2007
Posted by carpebanana in : Ramblings , add a commentWhy is it that sermons sound so good, so easy, and make me so smug while I’m in the pew listening and thinking about how everyone else needs to make application of it but then later in the week they start pinching and I realize that I need a powerful dose of the application myself?
“Be generous like God is” says the pastor and I think how good that is, that we really should be generous and that after all, I am, and that it really feels good to be generous anyhow and it is too bad more people don’t realize that for themselves and be more generous (especially in my direction). And “be generous” has a nice, coming-up-on-Thanksgiving kind of feel to it, too. How innocuous.
But then Miss Dance needs me to be generous with my time helping her get unstuck in her logic lesson. Mr Music needs a mom who will be generous helping him late at night with a nosebleed (What? That’s Mom’s computer time!!). Guests who were invited are not following proper good guest etiquette and saying, “What can we bring?” and being grateful but just acting like it is their home. And so on, it goes without stopping all week.
At the moment “Be generous” sounds like maybe something that should not be preached on. Ever again in my hearing.
Good thing for grace.
Defy November 14, 2007
Posted by carpebanana in : Ramblings , 1 comment so farThe good people at engrish.com have provided an interesting T-shirt for me to ponder.
I have been mulling this one over for a few days. It seems each day there is some other keen edge of desire I need to defy. Yesterday was a grey day and it would have been easy to yield to the temptation of listening to Christmas music too early. I could have used a support group. Now, if you are a person who does not believe it shows Weakness of Character to listen to Christmas music before Thanksgiving, then it is OK for you to do it. But I believe it is wrong. It is like the “eating meat sacrificed to idols thing” and I am the weaker brother, so I defied the keen edge of desire and did not listen. Not even to the brand new Mannheim Steamroller CD my Mum gave me.
Today I had to defy the keen edge of desire to take a nap.
Who knows what it will be tomorrow?
And the part in small type, doesn’t that sound straight out of Ecclesiastes, just dumbed down a bit? “A time to be happy and a time to be sad.”
Sermon Application November 12, 2007
Posted by carpebanana in : Bananalets , 1 comment so farOnce again, the very very literal side of Miss Dog Lover has emerged. Last night’s sermon was “The Generosity of God” centered on the passage where Mary poured the costly perfume on Christ just before His death and dried it with her hair. (Mark 14:1-11)
Today Miss Dog Lover demonstrated an understanding by generously using half a bottle of conditioner on her hair. Her generosity required a second shampoo to undo.
I am trying not to think about all the passages I hope are not preached on any time in the near future. What if we heard a sermon about Jael right before we went camping, for example?
Hummph. November 12, 2007
Posted by carpebanana in : Ramblings , add a commentLast night Devastatingly Handsome and I were called “Andes Candies People” by Miss Language. Imagine that.
Jewels November 11, 2007
Posted by carpebanana in : Bananalets , add a commentDevastingly Handsome gave me a necklace for Reformation Day with the birth jewels for our children. It has made me think about the hymn When He Cometh : Little children, little children,
Who love their Redeemer,
Are the jewels, precious jewels,
His loved and His own.
I know not all this thinking carries over from my necklace to the jewels of God, but ~~ each of my children has a jewel on it, even the one who never saw life outside the womb and the one who thus far has been unable to express or accept love ~ they are beautiful in variety ~ each jewel is just as close to my heart ~ some jewels shine brighter in different light than others. I hope to keep each of these children close to my heart and one day to see them shine in God’s jewels forever.
Malachi 2:16 Then those who feared the Lord spoke with one another. The Lord paid attention and heard them, and a book of remembrance was written before him of those who feared the Lord and esteemed his name. 17 “They shall be mine, says the Lord of hosts, in the day when I make up my treasured possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his son who serves him. 18 Then once more you shall see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve him.