02.06.2010

We've been to Costco and we're stocked up for the week.

GODS & KINGS

I first read about Lynn Austin's Chronicles of the Kings series from my friend Kristine at Jewels of My Own.   Thanks to her book review(s), she has hooked me on another wonderful author/series!  Thanks, Kristine!

Gods & Kings is the first book in the Chronicles of the Kings series.  Lynn Austin had me hooked from the very first chapter!  I quickly read the entire book because each chapter leaves you wondering what will happen in the next.  I've already put a hold on the second book in this series because the ending of this first one has me wondering what will happen in the next!  Of course, one knows what happens if they've read the Bible, but reading this story in an historical fiction format really makes this Old Testatment story come to life!

This is the story of Yaweh's protection over Hezekiah as he grows up in the palace of his father, King Ahaz, as other members of his family suffer and die because they serve Yaweh.  This book takes you from Hezekiah's childhood through his coronation as king at age 25 after his father suddenly passes away.

ORANGE JELLO SALAD

ORANGE JELLO SALAD

1- 3oz pkg orange jello
1- 3oz pkg tapioca pudding
1- 3oz pkg instant vanilla pudding
3 cups boiling water
2 small cans drained mandarin oranges
1- 8oz carton Cool Whip

Dissolve jello in boiling water; add puddings.  Simmer for 10 minutes; cool.  Add mandarin oranges.  Fold in Cool Whip.  Refrigerate until firm.

FYI:  I quadruple this recipe because our boys just LOVE IT as you can tell by the almost empty bowl in the photo above.

02.05.2010

Nathan showing his team spirit by sporting some blue hair at Josh's last basketball game.

SCALLOPED POTATOES & HAM

This is a great crockpot recipe for a cold winter day like today! 

SCALLPED POTATOES AND HAM

20 small red potatoes (about 10 cups)
6 cups of ham cubes
1/2 cup milk
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1 1/2 pounds Velvetta cheese cubed

Cook in crockpot for several hours until potaotes are soft.

02.04.2010

We've had snow falling since late last night with no signs of quitting anytime soon. Josh is outside catching some air on a little jump he made at the bottom of our dirt pile which is to become our waterfall sometime this spring or summer. In the meantime, it's a fun sledding hill.

SKI DAY

The last few years I've organized a local homeschool ski group and this year is no different (LOL)!  Today was our first 2010 trip up the mountain.
In the past, Nathan hasn't been old enough to participate with the regular school group which meant he had to go with the "little kids."  He was not about to do that this year.  In fact, he stated he was ready to go up on a run by himself (LOL)!  He's NOT!  So, I signed him up to be in a school group lesson for beginners.  He must have told the instructor he knew how to ski because the next thing I knew (watching from the window no where near close enough to offer any help) he was coming down the bunny hill with pretty good form, but going WAY TOO FAST!  He ended up losing control and wiped out.  I started to head up there as my phone began to ring.  One of the moms was calling to say Nathan had had enough and wanted to come down.  I had to go up there to talk him into at least trying one more run because I know if he didn't try it again he would have been done for the entire season.

The ONLY way he would give it another try was if his friend's mom went down with him. She was kind enough to put her boots/skis on and go down with him a few times until he regained confidence to go it alone.  THANKS, Kim! 

Another friend of ours was also on the bunny hill teaching her son how to ski.  I took some pictures of them.  I think this is a very sweet picture of Jen holding her arms out to her son and him stretching his arms out toward her!  One time he came barreling down the hill and both of these moms had to reach out and grab him!  I happened to catch a picture of the snow flying behind his skis and that's my picture of the day today in the post dated 02.03.2010.

Here are a few more pictures of Nathan....

He was VERY excited to be invited to go down a bigger run with these two boys and their moms after spending a few hours on the bunny hill.

Nathan's other friend, the son of my friend Kim above who helped Nathan on the bunny hill.

And here's a picture of all three kiddos at the end of the day!  They had such fun and Nathan is already talking about skiing with them next week.  Today was special because it's the first time we've had a chance to meet his new friend on the right.

And, finally, Nathan giving a "muscle" pose!  He was sure smiling big underneath the face mask.  It was worth my effort to walk up to the bunny hill with my knee which doesn't always like to do what I want it to do.  Thankfully, I have good friends willing to walk beside me on the way down so I didn't go barreling out of control into the lodge!

Good job, Nathan!  Next week I'll post some pictures of the other kids.  Emily and Josh will be skiing and if Amanda can take the time off from work she may join us as well.  Nathan is sure hoping so!  He really misses her being a part of our activities.

02.03.2010

I captured this photo for a friend of ours.  Look at the snow FLYING behind these skis!  This little guy was REALLY MOVING FAST!

02.02.2010

02.01.2010

"PLEASE MOM!  I'll give you a kiss!!"

MUSEE RODIN

One of the many things on my Paris "hope to see" list was the Musee Rodin.  Because we had a mile-long list of things to see today and because I was the only one with this on their must-see list, we opted to make this a very quick stop (as in probably only 30 minutes) after our Fat Tire Bike Tour and before our visit to the Musee d'Orsay.

While researching Paris museums, I read the following quote about Rodin and the Gardens on the above linked website, "As Rodin himself knew, the appreciation of works of art is heightened by nature—and that is the goal of the Rodin Gardens."

I tend to be an all or nothing type person so it took much effort on my part to whittle things down to those which would give us an overview of many things yet not have us missing out on something which is a *must see*.  The above quote helped me determine it was OK to stop by the Garden  to view only one or two of Rodin's sculptures instead of dragging everyong through the entire museum.  (Some day I'll have to return a week ahead of everyone else so I can take in all the museums I want - lol).  The Garden tickets were only 1 euro for adults and the kids were all free so it was a GREAT PRICE for getting to sit at the feet of the THINKER if even just for a few minutes.

The quotes below all come from the Rodin Museum website referenced above.

THE THINKER

Auguste Rodin (French, 1840–1917) brought monumental public sculpture into the modern era. Though he was well acquainted with the academic traditions and idealized subjects of classical and Renaissance sculpture, Rodin's aim in his work was to be absolutely faithful to nature. His uncanny ability to convey movement and to show the inner feelings of the men and women he portrayed, the bravura of his light-catching modeling, and his extraordinary use of similar figures in different mediums, have established him as one of the greatest sculptors of all time....
~~The Rodin Museum website
 

THE THINKER sculpture which is located at the Paris museum is made of bronze and marble measuring 79 x 51 1/4 x 55 1/4 inches. 

The sculpture "depicts a man in sober meditation battling with a powerful internal struggle which is often used to represent philosophy."

"Originally named The Poet, the piece was part of a commission by the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris to create a monumental portal to act as the door of the museum. Rodin based his theme on The Divine Comedy of Dante and entitled the portal The Gates of Hell. Each of the statues in the piece represented one of the main characters in the epic poem. The Thinker was originally meant to depict Dante in front of the Gates of Hell, pondering his great poem. (In the final sculpture, a miniature of the statue sits atop the gates, pondering the hellish fate of those beneath him.) The sculpture is nude, as Rodin wanted a heroic figure in the tradition of Michelangelo, to represent intellect as well as poetry."

"Rodin made a first small plaster version around 1880. The first large-scale bronze cast was finished in 1902, but not presented to the public until 1904. It became the property of the city of Paris – thanks to a subscription organized by Rodin admirers – and was put in front of the Panthéon in 1906. In 1922, it was moved to the Hôtel Biron, which was transformed into a Rodin Museum."


We each took a turn posing as "THE THINKER."

Me....


Michaela....


Grandma Jan....


Grandma Jean....

Amanda.....

   Emily..... 

If I ever have the opportunity to visit Paris again, I will definitely be adding a leisurely walk through The Rodin Museum Garden to the top of my list.  I might even schedule it around lunch so I can sample something from the nice little garden restaurant on-site where one can sit to admire the sculptures while having lunch or a snack.

01.31.2010

It's been snowing ALL day long, but that didn't stop Josh from bundling up to go to play with our older dog.

01.30.2010

Nathan at 4'1" standing next to his basketball hero, DL, who stands at 6'9".  Every night Nathan watches the news to see if he can catch a glimpse of DL dunking the ball during the sports cast.  We take Nathan to as many of those games as we can.  This weekend DL took time out of his busy high school schedule to watch Nathan's Upward basketball game.  Nathan was THRILLED DL came to cheer him on and has talked about it ALL WEEKEND!  DL is a wonderful Christian young man both on and off the court!  Thanks again, DL!  You made Nathan's weekend and perhaps his entire year!

01.29.2010

01.28.2010

Nathan has the "rolling eyes and tongue" gene....

TEA WITH HEZBOLLAH

TEA WITH HEZBOLLAH is the latest book by Ted Dekker co-authored with Middle Eastern expert, Carl Medearis.  When this book came up for review, I quickly signed on because I haven't had an opportunity to read any of Mr. Dekker's earlier works.  I'm so glad I did because this book touches on two of my most favorite subjects - history and travel.  The only thing it's missing is photographs!

TEA WITH HEZBOLLAH is an impressive travelogue where readers are made to feel as if they're traveling alongside the authors as they journey through the Middle East making their way from Egypt to Jerusalem stopping several times along the way to have conversations over tea at the enemies' tables.  The "enemy" being those organizations who pose a threat to the West and the main question over tea being, "what do you make of Jesus' commandment to love your enemy?"  Included in this book are the unedited transcripts of  conversations between the authors and a variety of people they encountered on their journey including an Hezbollah fighter, the number-two man in Hezbollah, a Syrian taxi driver, one of the last remaining Samaritans, and more.

TEA WITH HEZBOLLAH is so much more than the documentation of unbelievable conversations.  It's also an engaging recounting of ancient history (including geography) and its influence on or similarity to current events with a gripping modern day parable seamlessly woven throughout.  Dekker and Madearis have provided much food for thought leaving us to grapple with the main question they pose which is "how do we love our enemies."

I HIGHLY recommend this book for anyone interested in the ongoing saga of the Middle East and its affect on the rest of the world. 

PUBLISHER'S SUMMARY:

Is it really possible to love one’s enemies?

That’s the question that sparked a fascinating and, at times, terrifying journey into the heart of the Middle East during the summer of 2008. It was a trip that began in Egypt, passed beneath the steel and glass high rises of Saudi Arabia, then wound through the bullet- pocked alleyways of Beirut and dusty streets of Damascus, before ending at the cradle of the world’s three major religions: Jerusalem.

Tea with Hezbollah combines nail-biting narrative with the texture of rich historical background, as readers join novelist Ted Dekker and his co-author and Middle East expert, Carl Medearis, on a hair-raising journey. They are with them in every rocky cab ride, late-night border crossing, and back-room conversation as they sit down one-on-one with some of the most notorious leaders of the Arab world. These candid discussions with leaders of Hezbollah and Hamas, with muftis, sheikhs, and ayatollahs, with Osama bin Laden’s brothers, reveal these men to be real people with emotions, fears, and hopes of their own. Along the way, Dekker and Medearis discover surprising answers and even more surprising questions that they could not have anticipated—questions that lead straight to the heart of Middle Eastern conflict.

Through powerful narrative Tea With Hezbollah will draw the West into a completely fresh understanding of those we call our enemies and the teaching that dares us to love them. A must read for all who see the looming threat rising in the Middle East.

AUTHOR BIOS:

Ted Dekker is the author of many nationally bestselling novels, including Bone Man’s Daughters, The Circle Trilogy, Thr3e, and House, which was coauthored by Frank Peretti. His unique style of storytelling has captured the attention of millions worldwide. Visit him at TedDekker.com.

Carl Medearis is the founder and president of International Initiatives, LLC, an organization that promotes cultural, educational, and commercial exchange between the East and the West. He is an advisor on Arab affairs to the members of the U.S. Congress and leaders in international business.

GIVEAWAY: WaterBrook Press has generously provided one copy of this book for me to give away here on the blog. If you'd like to enter the drawing, simply leave a comment. I'll notify the winner in a week or so.  Kristine is the winner of this book.  I'll look forward to reading your review, Kristine.

Disclaimer: This book was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.

READER PREFERENCE?

For those who haven't noticed yet, I'm participating in Project 365 again this year which means (hopefully) I'll be posting a photo a day along with my occasional book reviews, lengthier blog entries about what we're up to, etc.   

Some of you read my blog to see the photo which has been posted each day and may not care why I took the photo or what it means.  Others of you who read the blog to see what our family is up to these days would probably enjoy the short tidbits of info behind the pictures I chose to post for Project 365.

Sometimes I prefer the look of the photo by itself leaving one to wonder about it.  Other times there is a short caption which might tell it all.  And still other times it might take a short paragraph to tell the story of the photo. 

When there's something I want to post about a photo, I've been doing it one of two ways:  a) posting a short caption or brief note about the photo on the main blog page below the photo and b) leaving a comment in the coment section.  I'm wondering if posting words with the photo is taking your attention away from the photo or if having to click on the comment section is inconvenient.



Do you prefer:

A)  Comments or caption below the photo
B)  Comments or caption posted on the comment page

THANKS!

01.27.2010

UGH!  It's an UGG day.  

01.26.2010

01.25.2010