Welcome to My Morning

Some of my readers may know that I have three cats: Fermata, Kit, and Chopin. The oldest is Fermata and he very much enjoys his morning job of waking the “food lady.” When this video was sent to my daughter by a friend from church choir, I couldn’t believe how accurate it was (aside from the baseball bat, of course). If you have a cat alarm clock, take a peek at this short piece from YouTube. I expect you will be nodding your head in recognition.

If you would like to meet my alarm clock, click here.

Some Shoreline Ringing for Christmas

Finally, the Words

Have you ever wondered what the complete lyrics were to the Ukranian Bell Carol? I did...and I found them today on YouTube! For your enjoyment (as well as mine):



Merry Christmas!

Squirrel for Christmas!

Yippee! After more than a month of trying to trap the squirrels in our attic (at last count, three or four), I believe my husband may have removed the last one. This morning after breakfast and gifts, we heard some thumping in the attic just above the kitchen table, the exact location of the HavaHart® live animal trap. When the noise became louder and more agitated, we knew we had succeeded in sequestering a varmint. Hopefully, prayerfully, this is the end of the squirrel saga.

Of course, trapping a squirrel is never good enough for my husband, aka Elmer Fudd. No, before carting the pest off to the woods/park a few miles from our home, my darling spouse decided to introduce Mr. Squirrel to our three cats. The two oldest were wise enough to keep their distance. Chopin, the youngest, wasn’t quite as bright. He very cautiously ventured up to the cage a couple of times, pupils dilated, ears forward, ready to pounce (or run) as the situation dictated. Chopin and the rodent both jumped at least once, startled by the movement/presence of the other. No one was injured.

Curiosity satisfied (for cat and owner), Sir Rodent was taken to his new abode, the exact location where we deposited his “girlfriend” a few days ago. Maybe they will find each other in the big woods by the school and populate the local area with even more furry houseguests. I can’t wait. Perhaps if I throw away the “Squirrels Welcome” sign on my open soffit, they will wander down Gooseberry Lane to another bed and breakfast that is more hospitable to rodents. Alas, all that awaits them here is a trap.

Time for Those Thank You Notes!

Now that the holiday gift giving is over, the time for thank-you notes has arrived. I used to hate this part when I was a kid. It often seemed more like an assignment or a manners lesson than an opportunity to express my genuine appreciation for whatever gift or gesture was sent my way at Christmas.

If you have trouble penning a brilliant thank-you note, check out these websites, suggested by OrganizedChristmas.com. The first one is more for the kiddies, but cute and helpful just the same. Once again, Merry Christmas!

Hi! Monkey!
How To Write a Thank You Note

In the East...Mars?

Most of us are familiar with this Scripture passage about the Star of Bethlehem being visible when Jesus was born:

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.” --- Matthew 2:1-2 (NIV)

But did you ever think Mars would be something to see? Anyone venturing outside this evening should, weather permitting, be able to view a different “star in the east,” otherwise known as the red planet. According to the website MarsNews.com:

On December 24, Mars reaches opposition. This means that it will appear as a bright orange star in the east soon after sunset.

One of the weather websites that I consult regularly, CTWeather.com, has this to say as well:

Mars will be unusually bright this Christmas Even and the moon will be shining full --- a development that might make Santa Claus rethink his need for Rudolph’s red nose.

The red planet will shine brighter because it will be directly opposite the sun, reflecting the most light, and fairly close to Earth, only 55.5 million miles away. The full moon will appear nearby, rising about an hour later.

Mars will outshine the brightest star and wont be as noticeable in the sky for nine more years.

With such a long wait until the next peak visibility, I just may be outside tonight looking for Mars...instead of Santa.

Merry Christmas!

Straight No Chaser

Do you ever forget the order of the items in the “Twelve Days of Christmas?” So do these guys. Ok, they planned it that way, but the song is still amusing. Founded in 1996, Straight No Chaser is the men’s a capella group from Indiana University. Enjoy!

DYK? Twelve Days of Christmas

The other day, I saw this advertisement in a local newspaper:

NEX Celebrating 12 Days of Christmas

Navy Exchange New London is celebrating the 12 days of Christmas beginning Dec. 13 and running through Christmas Eve. NEX will offer incredible one-day specials. Visit your NEX each day to view unbelievable price cuts just in time for last minute shopping. Don’t miss out!

This reference to/explanation of the Twelve Days of Christmas couldn’t be more incorrect. The Twelve Days of Christmas DO NOT count the days BEFORE the holiday; they count the days AFTER the holiday. Christmas Day, December 25th, is Day 1 and Epiphany Eve, January 5th, is Day 12. January 6th, then, is Epiphany when the Church calendar commemorates the arrival of the Wise Men to greet the Christ child and give Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

So, the Christmas season actually extends from the first Sunday in Advent (a date that changes annually) until Epiphany in early January. Who says the celebration needs to end on December 26th?

Merry Christmas!

DYK? Aluminum Trees

In keeping with my Christmas tree “advice” theme of late: yesterday, I saw this in our SUBASE newspaper, The Dolphin:

Aluminum Christmas trees are making a retro-comeback of sorts. Never put any kind of electrical lights, or wiring of any kind, on an aluminum tree. All lighting should be a spotlight type appliance so that there is no possibility of direct electrical contact with the tree. Being constructed of metal, these aluminum trees are extremely conductive and will cause an electrocution if there is a short in the wiring.

I don’t know about you, but being killed by a Christmas tree is not my idea of a happy holiday. Be safe this Christmas: use your lights wisely.

Fireproofing Your Tree

I am a little late on this one. Maybe you can make use of it next year.

I found this recipe for fireproofing a Christmas tree on the bulletin board in the fellowship hall of the church where my daughter takes voice lessons. Do not omit any ingredients.

From Gordon Barnes, garden expert on radio station WTOP, Washington, D.C.

In a two-gallon bucket, mix:
- 1 gallon HOT water from the tap
- 1 pint clear Karo syrup
- 2 ounces chlorine bleach
- 2 pinches Epsom salts
- 1/2 teaspoon Twenty Mule Team Borax

Stir the formula well. Now cut off an inch or two from the bottom of your tree. Place the tree securely in the bucket of liquid out-of-doors. After five days, the tree will be fireproof. Fill your tree stand with this formula when you bring the tree indoors. Refill the stand with the formula when needed.

- via St. David’s Church
Baltimore, MD

Michele Sharik, Solo Handbells

"Pavane" by Gabriel Fauré, arranged by Michele Sharik. Played at the International Institute of Music in Hong Kong, China (January 2006).

DYK? Ice Citations

Wow! Apparently, I am a lawbreaker. Last weekend, I drove with some snow and ice on the hood of my car, only to see it fly over the roof of my automobile and onto the roadway behind me. Thankfully, no one was driving back there at the time, so the “ice missle” broke apart on the roadway. If someone had been travelling behind my car, that individual may have had an eye-opening experience, like this woman who was discussed in a recent news story on WTNH Channel 8:

Mary Jacques of Wolcott was driving on I-691 when a piece of ice shattered her windshield, “I heard a loud crack and realized my whole windshield was shattered, realized it was a hunk of ice that hit my car, not snow,” she said.

A piece of ice that launched off an oil truck hit Mary’s windshield like a rock, even pushing shards of glass into her SUV.

Automobile drivers are not the only victims of flying ice. Truck drivers can succumb to these “missles” too. From the same article on Channel 8:

Dominic Simeone of Lombard Motors towed a big rig Tuesday after ice from a truck slid off and severed its air brakes. His company has been busy towing cars and trucks wounded by ice and he’s even been a victim himself.

- snip –

“Last year I was on my way to a call on Middletown Avenue and a sheet of ice came off a car the opposite way and it took my mirror off one of the wreckers.”

I don’t know about you, but I must confess I didn’t think much about flying ice doing that much damage, which is rather strange given that I am a native Minnesotan and my elementary school custodian was killed by ice that fell off a building. I was only thinking about my hurried holiday schedule and the fact that I didn’t want to risk scratching the paint on my car by chipping away at the ice on the hood.

Did you forget to finish cleaning the top of your car last weekend? Is it still displaying patches of snow and ice on the hood and roof? If so, watch out for those state troopers. The fine for an ice citation is more than $100.00.

Homeschool Family Video

Remember the Addams Family and their catchy theme song* from “vintage” television? Imagine what that would look and sound like with a homeschool family instead of the ghoulish folks who shared their home with Cousin It, Uncle Fester, and Lurch the butler. Are you picturing it in your mind? Ok. Now, compare it with this video. Is it what you were expecting?

I thought it was cute. Many thanks to my friend Mrs. N for sharing it with me and my fellow homeschoolers in CHOOSE CT.

*To see the original Addams Family theme song, check out this video on YouTube.

Social Skills Study

A few weeks ago, I received my most recent copy of Home School Researcher, a periodical published by the National Home Education Research Institute. The first article, entitled “Social Skills and Satisfaction with Social Relationships in Home-Schooled, Private-Schooled, and Public-Schooled Children,” was a write up of a study done by several individuals in the Department of Psychology at Mount St. Mary’s University in Emmitsburg, Maryland. The abstract from the study read as follows:

Despite the fact that 1.5 to 2.1 million children are home-schooled, there is limited research on the impact of homeschooling on children’s social skills. This study compares 53 home-schooled, 49 private-schooled, and 48 public-schooled children between the ages of 8 and 12 on social skills, as measured by the Parent and Student Forms of the Social Skills Rating System (SSRS). In addition, the groups’ satisfaction with social relationships were compared using the Peer Network and Dyadic Loneliness Scale (PNDLS), the Loneliness and Social Dissatisfaction Questionnaire (LSDQ), and the Friendship Qualities Scale (FQS). There were significant differences between the home-schooled children and private-schooled children on the SSRS-Student Form and between home-schooled children and the public-schooled children on the FQS.

Given that one of the most prominent criticisms leveled against homeschooling as an alternative to public school is the lack of socialization, and given that socialization is a preeminent reason for homeschooling, I thought it would be worthwhile to examine this study a bit more closely.

PARTICIPANTS
As was mentioned earlier, 150 students participated in the study: 53 home-schooled, 49 private-schooled, 48 public-schooled. A breakdown of the participants by age and gender is given below.* Eighty-seven percent of the children were Caucasian. Three home-schooled students, three private-schooled students, and thirteen public-schooled students were non-Caucasian. Also, only three home-schoolers, one private-schooler, and two public-schoolers identified themselves as non-Christian. The remaining children identified themselves as Christian. A majority of the participants were from the same geographical area (within a 100-mile radius of Mount St. Mary’s University), with seventeen coming from outside these boundaries. This should noted as well:

When analyses revealed significant differences between home-schooled and traditionally schooled children, analyses were rerun without these seventeen participants.

The methodology used to recruit participants was as follows:

Home-schooled children and their parents were recruited through local home-schooling groups and home-schooling listserves. The majority of private-schooled children were recruited by word-of-mouth, at local summer camps, and at the local YWCA. To encourage participation, all participants except for those recruited through the parochial school were paid $10.00 for their participation. Rather than directly compensating participants from the parochial school, a $10.00 donation per participant was made to the school.

The children who participated in the study completed the following measures:

- an adaptation of the Peer Network and Dyadic Loneliness scale (PNDLS)
- an adaptation of the Loneliness and Social Dissatisfaction Questionnaire (LSDQ)
- the student form of the Social Skills Rating System (SSRS)**
- the Friendship Qualities Scale (FQS)

**the student form of the SSRS includes a total score and four subscores: cooperation, assertiveness, empathy, and self-control.

The parents completed these measures:

- demographic questionnaires (specially designed for the study)
- the parent form of the Social Skills Rating System (SSRS)***

***the parent form of the SSRS includes a total score and four subscores: cooperation, assertion, responsibility, and self-control.

The aforementioned surveys were given to each participant, who returned the completed forms to the author or to a designated teacher (in the case of the parochial school students).

RESULTS
Quoting directly from the “Discussion” portion of the study:

Results indicated that private–schooled children scored significantly higher than home-schooled children on measures of cooperation, assertion, self-control and overall social skills, as measured by the SSRS-Student Form. In addition, home-schooled children rated themselves as significantly lonelier than the private-schooled children on the Loneliness and Social Dissatisfaction Questionnaire, although no significant differences were found on the Peer Network and Dyadic Loneliness Scale. However, both private- and public-schooled children report experiencing significantly more conflict than home-schooled children in their closest friendships, as measured by the Friendship Qualities Scale (FQS). In addition, home-schooled children report more affective bonds with their closest friends than public-schooled [children] do, again as measured by the FQS.

Oddly enough, the parental measures of social skills (as indicated on the SSRS-Parent Form) did not yield any significant differences amongst these three groups of children. The demographic data also indicated no significant differences between groups per household income or parental education.

The study also found:

…home-schooled children differed in several ways from the private-schooled children but not from the public-schooled children. This suggests that school experiences in and of themselves do not affect children’s social skills. However, the fact that private-schooled children scored significantly better on several measures of social skills suggests that some particular school experiences may influence some areas of children’s social skills.

The authors of the study agreed that further research is needed to determine why the home-schooled group they observed differed from one traditionally educated group but not the other.

If anyone is interested in reading the entire article summarized here, please let me know. I would be happy to loan out my copy of Home School Researcher.
------------------------------
*Home-Schooled Number & Mean Age (SD)
Male 29; 10.34 (1.37)
Female 24; 10.45 (1.40)
TOTAL 53; 10.39 (1.37)

Public-Schooled Number & Mean Age (SD)
Male 24; 10.60 (1.33)
Female 25; 10.54 (1.69)
TOTAL 49; 10.57 (1.51)

Private-Schooled Number & Mean Age (SD)
Male 22; 9.41 (.93)
Female 26; 10.33 (1.23)
TOTAL 48; 9.91 (1.19)

Winter Storm Alexander

The first winter storm of the season arrived this morning around 10:00 AM. Praise the Lord, I finished the last of my Christmas shipping at 9:00 AM. Katherine the Great also managed to fit in her chiropractic appointment before the snow started to fly. Alas, organ, piano, and voice lessons were all cancelled, as was church choir this evening. At least, I think church choir is cancelled; if not, I probably won’t be driving there anyway as it is across the Gold Star Bridge and down the freeway at least fifteen minutes in optimum travel conditions. Nope, today is a day to stay put!

Other last-minute preparations: clearing some junk out of the driveway and off the back steps so shoveling will be easier, and putting fresh seed and suet in the bird feeder for my local fauna. I probably should have done that yesterday so the birds could stock up before the big storm. Hopefully, better late than never. The next weather event is coming this weekend, just in time to shut down the next Shoreline Ringers concert and the Calvary Music School Christmas recital. I love winter!

Café NV

Last week, after the women’s bible study at church, a group of us went to a local restaurant, Café NV, to celebrate a member’s belated birthday. A new destination for me, I found the restaurant both quaint and intriguing, most especially the large stained-glass window that dominated the main wall of the establishment. It is worth a visit to the eatery just to enjoy this work of art. Regretfully, I did not have a camera in my pocket, so I cannot share it with you; maybe next time I go I will procure a photograph.

Most of the ladies partook of the fine salads on the menu. One had a grilled cheese and tomato sandwich, a favorite of hers. My daughter and I decided on Chicken Tortellini in a tomato-basil cream sauce with the accompanying side salad (creamy garlic dressing, of course). All was complemented by a selection of delicious homemade breads and rolls. Dessert was shared all-round, as well: chocolate lava cake and a Greek pastry sampler. There’s nothing like baklava and chocolate to polish off a delicious lunch.

For a more “official” write-up of the restaurant, please peruse this entry from the Mystic Country website:

The Ballis Family welcomes you to Cafe NV and wishes you a pleasant dining experience. In the Greek tradition, we offer you hospitality. We hope as our guest you will experience this through our food and service. Kali Orexi! (Bon Appetite!)

Café NV
57 Boston Post Road
Waterford, CT 06385
(860) 444-8111

Specialties: Soup, Tequila & Lime Shrimp, Spinach pie, Sizzling Souvlaki, Shrimp Saganaki, Salads & Sandwiches, Salads, Outdoor Patio, Mediterranean Salad, Lunch, Grilled Portabella, Greek Style Bruschetta, Fresh Made Pasta

Hours of operation:
Open Monday-Saturday 11 AM – 9 PM. Closed Sundays.

It is definitely worth a side trip to the Connecticut shoreline.

Shameless Plug

Last night was the first Shoreline Ringers concert of the 2007 Christmas season. The drive to the Colchester Federated Church, the concert venue, was awful. It snowed the whole way there and, for reasons unknown to me, the wipers on and the washer fluid in my Subaru decided to fill my windshield with gunk rather than clean it; but the drive was worth it! There is nothing like handbells and an audience performing “White Christmas” together to put you in the holiday mood. The solo performance by one of the more experienced ringers was awesomely inspiring, too. One young lady, two octaves of bells, and a great piece of music (O Come, O Come Emmanuel) --- you simply have to see it to believe it. Your next opportunity:

Saturday, December 15, 2007
7:00 PM

Union Baptist Church
119 High Street
Mystic, CT

Be there!

St. Nicholas Day

Hey, did you know (or remember) that Wednesday, December 6th was St. Nicholas Day? I knew it and remembered it but forgot to post about it. Because I still don’t have a lot of time to post about it, due to busy Christmas preparations, I recommend this website to you and your family. Aside from being filled with beautiful artwork, it is extremely informative about the history of the man behind the whole idea/persona of our modern-day Santa Claus. In fact, on a page entitled “St. Nicholas and the Origin of Santa Claus,” I found this question:

How did the kindly Christian saint, good Bishop Nicholas, become a roly-poly red-suited American symbol for merry holiday festivity and commercial activity?

I don’t’ know about you but, as a teenager, I had that question (or some version of it) rolling around in my head almost every Christmas. Back then, I would have loved to learn something like this:

The first Europeans to arrive in the New World brought St. Nicholas. Vikings dedicated their cathedral to him in Greenland.

Or this:

On his first voyage, Columbus named a Haitian port for St. Nicholas on December 6, 1492.

Or how about this:

The first Colonists, primarily Puritans and other Protestant reformers, did not bring Nicholas traditions to the New World.

Those pesky Puritans, what were they thinking? :-) My favorite part of the website, though, is “How to Celebrate.” There, I found this:

Why Celebrate St. Nicholas Day?
- To tell the story of a Christian saint, who model life inspires compassion and charity
- To reveal the true identity of Santa Claus and Father Christmas
- To focus on giving more than on receiving
- To emphasize small treats and family fun
- To provide a bit of special festivity early in the waiting weeks of Advent
- To offer a spiritual dimension to gift giving
- To help keep Jesus the center of Christmas

and this:

Why celebrate? To learn about the true St. Nicholas: the man of faith who lived his life in devotion to Christ. Saint Nicholas loved children and cared for the needy. He brings the love of Christ... When we honor this saint, following his example of selfless giving, we honor the Christ Child who selflessly gave the greatest gift of all --- himself.

And isn’t that the most important issue: remembering that Christ is our Savior?

Merry Christmas!

Homeschool Heroes --- Introduction

In preparation for our last homeschool support meeting --- Homeschool Heroes and How to be One – I began reading Home School Heroes: the Struggle & Triumph of Home Schooling in America by Christopher Klicka. For those of you who are not acquainted with this gentleman, here is a brief introduction, quoted from the “About the Author” section of the aforementioned book:

Christopher H. Klicka is senior counsel of the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA).

- snip –

Chris is responsible for directing HSLDA’s legal department, networking statewide homeschool organizations across the nation, and promoting home education on the international front. During his five-year stint as executive director of the National Center for Home Education, Chris drafted federal legislation, lobbied on Capital Hill, and provided expert testimony before the United States Congress.

Since 1985, Chris has successfully represented thousands of homeschooling families in legal conflicts with public school officials, social workers, prosecutors, and police officers.

- snip –

Chris and his wife, Tracy, homeschool their seven children (including a set of twins) in Warrenton, Virginia.

Being a busy homeschool dad and attorney, you would think Mr. Klicka had enough on his plate without writing yet another book on homeschooling (he has already penned at least five volumes on the subject). So, why did he do it? In his own words:

The major reason is that I believe homeschooling is the most effective way to plant the Word of God into the consciousness of our children. In other words, homeschooling is a tremendous way to reach our children’s souls.

Amen to that! Yet, the freedom to teach God’s Word to our children as an integral part of their educational experience did not come easily. In 1985, when Chris Klicka began working at HSLDA, homeschooling was legal in only five states. Sad, but true. Throughout the 1980’s, however, a small number of families followed God’s call to stand against the institutionalized education system and, one by one, all fifty states recognized the legality of homeschooling, some more quickly than others. Today, we benefit greatly from the work of these faithful servants and it is a heritage that we dare not squander, as Mr. Klicka reminds us so well at the end of the introduction:

My prayer is that this book will help homeschoolers be vigilant and never let their guard down. The same forces today that tried to regulate homeschooling to death still remain, waiting for their chance to take away parents’ rights and “turn back the clock.”

My prayer: Heavenly Father, our protector and provider, keep us faithful in this mission and ministry of homeschooling our children. Give us the strength to persevere in our homeschooling tasks and the wisdom to keep your Word at the center of our efforts. I ask this in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Holiday Shopping Tips

I am definitely a little late in stating this, but the holiday season is in full swing. How do I know? I got my umpteenth newspaper advertising booklet with tips for an “enjoyable, easy, and enlightened” Christmas shopping experience. I get such a kick out of these tidbits of advice, not so much because they are amusing, but because I find it somewhat pathetic that any of us really needs these suggestions in such detailed form when paraphrases would suffice. Here’s what I mean:

Tip #1: Be a multi-channel shopper. Browse stores, catalogs, newspapers, and then conduct an online shopping search to find the item you want at the best price, in stock, and with shipping information. Gift buyers who visit sites like Shopzilla often find aggressively priced merchandise, and where that perfect gift is in stock vs. sold out.

Translation: Be a bargain hunter!

Tip #2: Shop at the times most convenient and least hectic. Stores never close when you shop online. You can shop 24/7/365 --- after you put the kids to bed, late at night, or before going to work.

Translation: Avoid crowds and shop online.

Tip #3: Save money on gas. Organize shopping outings to stores by neighborhood and fit in an errand or two if possible. Or, stay at home and do your shopping on your computer and skip the car trip all together.

Translation: Conserve money (and gas); shop online.

Tip #4: Know what you’re buying. If you want to buy a gift that you know little or nothing about, go to the experts to find the best product for your money. In addition to going to your local retail store and asking a wildly busy sales person, you can also go online to read consumer and expert reviews.

Translation: Do your homework before shopping.

Tip #5: Keep an eye on the calendar. As Christmas and Hanukkah approach, the streets, malls, and stores get more congested. Your stress level goes up a notch and products are harder to find. Avoid this stress! Shop early and often. But be sure to allow enough time for your gifts to be delivered.

Translation: Shop early and online.

Either way, detailed or paraphrased, the advice is the same today as it was when I was a kid:

Shop early. Believe it or not, this does not mean November. It means September or October. If you wait to begin your holiday shopping on Black Friday or Black Monday, you will be faced with sold out best choices, longer shipping times (because everyone else is shopping and shipping), and crowds both online and in the brick-and-mortar stores.

Shop smart. Know what you want to buy. Do your research before you ever set foot in the store or go online. Stick to your list whenever possible. Look for the best possible price and make sure you keep your receipts in case that “perfect” gift isn’t quite so “perfect.”

But above all, remember that your ability to enjoy the process of Christmas shopping is your attitude.

Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. --- Philippians 4:8

Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law? Jesus replied: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” --- Matthew 22:36-39

Faith of Our Fathers

Growing up in a small Midwestern town, I can remember hearing this song as a child. It would play in the stores or from the outside loudspeakers in our downtown (only three or four blocks long) while I went Christmas shopping with my parents and my sister. Sadly, most people don’t even know it today.

Emmanuel, God With Us

One of my favorite modern-day Christmas songs is “Emmanuel, God with Us” by Amy Grant. In case you have never heard this piece, here is a YouTube video of Ms. Grant performing the composition. Enjoy.

21 Days To Go!

I can hardly believe that it is only three weeks until Christmas. The time has really flow. Even with the head start I got on my gifting errands, I still feel like I have so much yet to do. I am confident that those feelings of rushed preparation will subside greatly once the long-distance gifts are wrapped, packed, and shipped by the end of this week. Then, I will be left with the “fun” stuff --- decorating the tree, baking cookies, and listening to hours of Christmas carols. Here is one that my daughter found on a website called The Hymns and Carols of Christmas. Sadly, it hasn’t been operating of late.

The Cedar of Lebanon

The cedar of Lebanon, plant of renown,
Hath bowed to the hyssop his wide spreading crown;
The Son of the Highest as Infant is laid,
On the breast of His mother, that lowliest maid

Chorus:
All glory to God in the highest we sing,
And peace upon earth through the newly born King.

From the Star of the Sea the glad Sunlight hath shined,
Springs the Lion of Judah from Napthtali’s Hind,
The Life from the dying, the Rose from the thorn,
The Maker of all things from maiden is born. (chorus)

The manger of Bethlehem opens once more
The gates of that Eden where man dwelt of yore,
And He Who is lying a Child, in the cave,
Hath conquered the foeman, hath ransomed the slave. (chorus)

In the midst of the garden the Tree of Life stands,
And offers His twelve fruits to lips and to hands,
For the Lord of Salvation, the Gentiles’ Desire,
Hath ta’en from the cherubs their swordblade of fire. (chorus)

On the hole of the aspic the sucking Child lays,
And His hand on the den of the cockatrice lays,
And the Dragon, which over a fallen world reigned,
By the Seed of the Woman is vanquished and chained. (chorus)

To Him Who hath loved us and sent us His Son,
To Him Who the victory for us has won,
To Him Who shed on us His sevenfold rays,
Be honor and glory, salvation and praise. (chorus)

Note: ”aspic” and “cockatrice” refer to the cobra or serpent in Isaiah 11:8 (KJV).

A Seasonal Film Clip

I saw this over at Voice of the Sheep this morning and thought I would share it with you. Happy 24 Days Until Christmas!

The Book Buggy is Here!

Every year, for as many years as my family has homeschooled, September ushered in The Great Bookcase Shift, that time of year when the “old” homeschool resources were removed from the shelves and put in a box (or, more often than not, stacked on the floor) and the “new” homeschool books were put in their place. Over the years, the stack(s) on the floor got larger, while the bookcases seemed to get smaller, and an ever-growing pile of boxes began lining our home. I now have what amounts to a living room full of boxes and no additional bookcases. With a daughter in high school, the books are getting heftier (in both size and weight), the resources are becoming more numerous as we incorporate science labs and Teaching Company courses, and I am (for the first time) facing a mid-year Bookcase Shift. What is a homeschool mom to do?!

Well, a few weeks ago, this homeschool mom found what may be the answer to The Great Bookcase Shift; something that could put an end to all the resource displacement while still providing a home for the current homeschool books and resources. And what is this miraculous solution, you ask? Allow me to introduce you to the Book Buggy! A new find from one of my favorite online retailers, it is (essentially) a library book cart for the home, complete with an angled shelf on top. At 25W” x 13D” x 31H”, it fits snugly behind the chair in our family room (where most of the student reading occurs); it can be transported to another work location if need be without clogging up the walkways in our tiny house; and, best of all, it defines the location of our homeschool supplies so that my student can finally implement “a place for everything and everything in its place.” OK, I could be a bit too optimistic on this last point but, hey, a mom can always hope, right?

In addition to fitting the physical space in our home and addressing our study and storage needs, the Book Buggy is beautifully constructed as well. The clear-varnish-over-natural-cherry finish matches both the dining and coffee tables in our kitchen/family room. Every screw that I used to assemble the unit is hidden on the inside of the bookcase so the exterior shows nothing but beautiful wood grain. Plus (and this is a biggie with me), the casters glide effortlessly across our wooden floor! I was concerned about this because I didn’t want to struggle to move the Book Buggy once the weight of all those books was onboard, nor did I want the wheels to mark up our floors. No worries on either count, this piece of fine furniture seems about as close to perfect as a material object can get. Gee, can you tell I am pleased with this thing?

If The Great Bookcase Shift is an annual occurrence in your home, may I recommend the Book Buggy. It won’t solve all your problems, but it may solve one...the question of where to put your currently-used homeschool supplies. Check it out at Levenger.com.

The Soup Was Good

Warning: Squawking zone ahead!

A couple of weeks ago, my family and I went shopping for some new curtains and curtain rods at one of the local strip malls. Since this errand was just on the downside of the dinner hour, we decided to visit Panera Bread for supper. Now, I must confess, I have eaten at this restaurant several times and, each time, I walk away with the same question ringing in my head:

What is so appealing about this place?

As with most other issues in life, I am in the minority in asking this question. According to the company website:

Panera Bread is widely recognized for driving the nationwide trend for specialty breads. As reported by the Wall Street Journal, Panera Bread scored the highest level of customer loyalty among quick-casual restaurants, according to research conducted by TNS Intersearch. Furthermore, for the fourth consecutive year, Panera Bread was rated among the best of 121 competitors in the Sandleman & Associates 2005 national customer satisfaction survey of more than 62,000 consumers. Panera Bread has also won “Best-of” awards in nearly every market across 38 states.

Also from their website:

Panera Bread is expanding quickly across America, currently operating 1027 bakery-cafes in 38 states. Among these locations, 391 are company-owned and 696 are franchised. 170-180 new bakery-cafes (85-90 company-owned and 85-90 franchise) are targeted to open in 2007.

So, everybody loves this restaurant and, because of that, new Paneras are popping up all over.

Well, forgive my lack of enthusiasm over this development in the “quick casual” restaurant segment, but being the daughter of a pastry chef, the sister of a line cook, the daughter-in-law of a career waitperson/server, a former restaurant worker myself, and a regular consumer in this market segment, I have a few Panera pet peeves:

- the print on the menu board describing the ingredients in each sandwich or salad is microscopic! I almost need binoculars to read it. My friend, Koalagirl15, is a Panera fan and she tells me that a printed menu sits directly next to the “ordering station.” Admittedly, this has escaped my notice every time I have visited Panera, possibly because their less-than-cordial employees have never directed me there.

- the menu board is located behind and slightly after the order counter, not before it, so new diners have two choices when ordering: clog up/slow down the customer order queue while reading the microscopic print in order to formulate their meal choices OR partake of the Gnostic menu enlightenment that the staff so clearly expects every customer to possess. Obviously, I am not blessed with this secret knowledge; else I would find Panera a more pleasurable dining experience.

- the “drink station” is miniscule, barely large enough to queue up more than 2-3 beverages at a time, causing yet another clog in the assembly line toward the “food pickup station.” Plus, my beverage of choice is hot tea, an order the staff rarely gets right. They usually try (repeatedly, I might add) to give me some sort of iced chai number; and, when they do finally understand that I want hot tea, I am greeted with a mug of hot water, which I must then carry away from the “drink station” in order to dig a tea bag out of the appropriate lidded glass jar on a shelf in front the beverage area. Even if the server had wanted to put a tea bag in my cup before adding the hot water (the proper way to make tea, I might add), he/she would need to walk completely around the counter to do so. Not horribly efficient.

- the do-it-yourself trash disposal system is tacky and, quite possibly, a violation of the health code when not properly attended by the staff. With such a trendy, comfortable, upscale décor, you would think Panera could devise a better parting image for their diners than an overstuffed bin of dirty dishes with half-eaten soup still in the bowls. Yuck! Is it really too much to ask for a restaurant to keep the “wet” garbage in the work area of their establishment? I don’t think so.

- customization of sandwich orders is impossible unless you want to wait twenty minutes (or more) for your order to be completed. If I intended to wait for my dinner, I wouldn’t be in a “quick casual” eatery; I would go to Olive Garden or Ruby Tuesdays or the local pizza joint.

- when I order soup with a sandwich, the employees never put them on the same serving tray, even though space is plentiful. I usually end up with at least four trays for two sandwiches, some chips, and a bowl of soup. This seems wasteful of serving paper, not to mention the dishwashing detergent required to wash all those extra trays. I thought the goal these days was to be environmentally responsible? Distributing my meal amongst numerous trays also makes it necessary to grow a few more hands in order to carry my entire dinner order to the table in one trip. On my last visit, it took three people (my daughter, a attitudinally-challenged supervisor, and myself) to transfer three sandwiches, two bowls of soup, and a few bags of chips to our table. Ridiculous!

Truth be told, the biggest problem with this place is ME. I eat out A LOT and, when I do, I like to be waited on. Panera makes me work too hard for my meal, and it makes me do so in a terse and surly environment. For the same price (or cheaper), I can go someplace else where I am personally greeted by a pleasant restaurant owner and waited on by cheerful, helpful servers. Sometimes, I even get to chat with the cook. What does Panera have to offer that competes with that?!

One kind word: the Cream of Chicken and Wild Rice soup was quite tasty. I would recommend it. I would just get it to go.

Golden Compass Commentary

With the premier of this controversial film just a week away, I thought my readers would be interested in perusing a short, fairly even-toned commentary on the film by Dr. Joel D. Heck, a professor of religion at Concordia University Texas in Austin. My family is still praying about whether to see the movie. Thus far, we are coming down on the side of attendance so that we can be prepared to discuss both the film and the books should such an opportunity present itself. Unfortunately, to be prepared in this way, we will need to contribute at least $15.00 to the coffers of Philip Pullman and his producer friends. As I said, we are still praying.

To whet your appetite, here is a paragraph from the article. To read the entire column, click here.

If [C.S.] Lewis was able to steal past “those watchful dragons” through fantasy tales and convey much Christian theology, is it possible for the opposite to occur? Can one use the same style of imaginative writing to steal some anti-God ideology past watchful Christian dragons? Can an anti-Lewis do what Lewis did? Surely the answer is yes, which makes Philip Pullman Lewis’s anti-self.

Of course, my favorite quote from the article is this:

The Golden Compass still pales in comparison to Him who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, the One who is at the same time compass, vehicle, path, and destination, the risen Lord Jesus Christ.

Why I Haven’t Been Blogging

One of the reasons that I haven’t been blogging lately is lack of time...lack of time to read everything I want/need to read, lack of time to write about what I read, and lack of time to do the required Bible study in response to what I have been reading. You see, aside from attempting to trap a squirrel in my attic (the subject of a future post, I’m sure), my daughter and I have been doing a metric ton of reading on the Emergent Church and, after a few weeks of this, I am ready to declare that I am decidedly in the anti-Emergent camp. I am currently working on a post that will explain some of my reasons for that decision but, in the meantime, allow me to share this video with you from YouTube. I viewed it initially on Symphony of Scripture.

A Cool Tool!

I am forever explaining to my husband that his tools are different from my tools. Generally speaking, his are actual tools (like drills, hammers, screwdrivers, etc.) that are needed to complete some sort of specific task. For example, the last time King Richard repaired my Subaru, he informed me that our jack stands were unsafe for the job because they were too short. I saw his point and accompanied him to Sears where we purchased new and taller jack stands.

My tools, on the other hand, are appliances, organizational aids, electronic devices, and software that streamline work and make it possible for my forty-six-year-old brain to remember all the details of managing a home. However, unlike the obvious safe-unsafe criteria in the previous example, it is sometimes a bit more difficult to convince my husband of the need for my new tools. Case in point, about two weeks ago, we finally purchased a new refrigerator because the old one was, frankly, decrepit. Food froze in the back of the main compartment; items in the front of the freezer would partially thaw; the lower shelf was so difficult for me to reach when my sacroiliac joint flared up that science experiments would often materialize there. As I told a friend of mine, I reached a point where I disliked the appliance so much, I didn’t even want to open it to take food out or put food in. The grill on the bottom was secured on one side by high-pressure tape; the door gasket was split in a few places; plus, the door itself wouldn’t shut completely unless you pushed it gently with your foot. The need for a replacement seemed pretty obvious...to me. Yet, it still took a year (or more) to convince my hubby a new tool was in order.

Which brings me to my latest desire: the SmartShopperTM Voice-Activated Grocery List. Here is a description from the Sharper Image website:

Save time on errands and at the market with an up-to-date, alphabetical list that’s arranged according to errands and groceries. Press Record, say the places to go (such as Bank, Post Office or Dry Cleaners) and the items you need (such as Apples, Paper Towels, Wheat Bread and even brand names), click Print and the compact SmartShopperTM produces a printout, organized into errands and groupings such as Produce and Frozen Foods.

Specify quantities, add or delete items anytime using the library of 2,500 items, and enter your own custom items. The voice recognition software is state-of-the art, the thermal printer doesn’t require ink cartridges, and the LCD is bright and easy to read. Mount on the wall, stick on the refrigerator with built-in magnets, or place on a kitchen countertop. Includes two rolls of paper. Uses 4 AA batteries (order separately), measures 7 1/4” x 4 1/2” x 1 1/2” and weighs 1- 1/2 oz. One-year warranty.

Does this not look and sound like an awesome work assistant?! Ownership of this little gem would definitely streamline my planning routine and, therefore, my housework. It would also keep my brain on track. I could attach the device to my refrigerator and just tell it what I want it to know when I think of it, without leaving my other tasks. Plus it would save on paper! I wouldn’t be writing all the other lists I now pen just trying to remember everything I need to do or purchase.

King Richard, if you are reading this blog entry, please make note --- this tool is on my Christmas list. :-)

Note: Lest some of the women out there think I have no mind of my own, please be advised that I do not consult my husband on every purchase in our home. However, after twenty-two years of marriage, we have learned to consult each other on major purchases like appliances and auto maintenance hardware.

The New Breed of Holiday Film?

I was surfing around on Movies.com this evening to get an inkling of the holiday movie scene. Here’s one of the films (P2) already in theaters (see description below). I certainly hope this isn’t Hollywood’s idea of a more “honest” portrayal of Christmas, rather than one involving “fables and myths” like Santa and reindeer and elves...or worse yet, the birth of a Savior. If this is all that movie land has to offer this season, I will be curled up on my sofa watching something more uplifting and, dare I say, delusional...like White Christmas or the Nativity Story. As promised earlier in the paragraph, here is the movie description. May you have a more magical holiday than the poor girl in this flick.

It’s Christmas Eve. Angela Bridges (Rachel Nichols) works late before she leaves for her family’s holiday party. When she gets down to the parking garage, she discovers that her car won’t start. The garage is deserted and her cell phone doesn’t get a signal underground. Thomas (Wes Bentley), a friendly security guard, comes along and offers to help. After a failed attempt to start her car, he invites her to stay and share a small Christmas dinner in the parking office, but she laughs it off. Angela doesn’t realize this is no laughing matter --- Thomas has been watching her closely...for months. His dinner invitation is not optional. If Angela wants to live to see Christmas morning, she must find a way to escape from level P2 of the parking garage.

Note: Yes, I do realize that less horrific options are out there, like Fred Claus. Unfortunately, Santa’s somewhat irreverent brother is also a bit too non-traditional for my tastes. I guess I will be digging out that homemade hot chocolate recipe any day now, as it looks more and more like I will be staying home for a pleasant holiday film.

Generation Gap Quiz

Every three months or so, our church holds an intergenerational discussion during the Sunday School hour. Today was the last session for 2007 and the topic was “Bridging the Generation Gap.” As an ice breaker/discussion starter, the Director of Christian Education had us complete the following quiz. See how many you can answer and then post your score (and your age) in the comments section. I scored nine on the “older” questions and twelve on the “younger” set.

Older
1. 33 1/3, 45, 78
2. Saturday morning serials
3. Knickers
4. Chinese jumprope
5. Black Jack
6. Running board
7. Flat top
8. Polio
9. Pop beads
10. Carhop
11. Wild Root cream oil
12. Ed Sullivan

Younger
1. Nano
2. YouTube
3. Hoodies
4. Wii
5. Heelys
6. Texting
7. Blogging
8. HPV
9. X Games
10. Social networking sites
11. Google
12. IM
----------------------------
Though I do not know for certain where this quiz was first published, this information was printed on the bottom of our discussion handout:

One Church Four Generations: Understanding and Reaching All Ages in Your Church by Gary L. McIntosh, Baker Books, 2002.

"Zap the Gap: How to Solve the Multi-Generational Puzzle" presentations and notes from this presentation by speaker, Meagan Johnson, 2006.

50, 40, 39, 38, 37...

I missed the last two Christmas countdown articles, so here is the latest to catch up.

All my good intentions to follow the Holiday Houseworks Plan (HPP) have gone COMPLETELY astray. I got stuck on creating “Information Central” the first week, not because I am easily distracted, but because clutter and lack of organization have prevailed in my house for so long, some serious restructuring needed to be done. As I mentioned before, I will write a piece about that process when I truly have some results to post (complete with photos --- hopefully).

My essential Christmas tasks are moving forward, albeit not as rapidly as I had envisioned. The online ordering is nearly done; just a few more items for my daughter will complete the list. I am still waiting for inspiration on a few gifts, but have no concerns that something will come to mind shortly. I am somewhat astonished at the number of prepackaged “basket” gifts in the stores this year. If I were amenable to the idea of giving that sort of thing (plus the tried-and-true books, movies, and CD’s), my holiday shopping would have been done two weeks ago. I generally eschew those pre-formulated options, though, preferring to create my own personalized versions instead. For example, this year, I devised what I think of as a “charity” basket. Unfortunately, I can’t give any details because some of the people on my Christmas list read this blog. Maybe I will tell you about it after the holidays.

I have also been investigating Advent devotionals. I will probably use Radical Advent from Lutheran Hour Ministries, only because I haven’t been able to find anything else. So many of the options this year have forsaken the traditional in favor of the postmodern. Of course, this is occurring not just in reference to devotionals. Some folks in Sydney, Australia, are attempting to silence Santa and his “ho, ho, ho." Apparently, the jolly fellow’s statement of laughter is perceived as offensive to women because the singular use of the word “ho” can refer to a female of ill repute. And did you know that Santa is also an example of poor health habits because he is overweight? Yep, my grandchildren may grow up identifying with a slim, “buff” Santa. Santa as a Ken doll, even. Now there is an idea fraught with all kinds of psychological baggage --- Santa combined with Prince Charming. I think I will stick with Father Christmas or the Norman Rockwell version for now, thanks.

Some of my Christmas decor will be going up this week, a bit earlier than anticipated (only by a week), as a longtime friend of my husband is visiting the day after Thanksgiving and I want to get some of those tasks out of the way before he arrives. The bathroom may even be transformed by tonight when I finish doing the daily towel laundry. The “everyday” decorative shower curtain is already down and washed for Christmas storage. The ordinary towels will be going into their seasonal storage box, too, as soon as they exit the dryer.

Yesterday, my daughter and I finished most of our planned charitable giving for the season: Operation Christmas Child, Warm Kids/Warm Hearts, and a donation of Thanksgiving dinner items to a local food bank. This is the third year (at least) that we have put together a Samaritan’s Purse holiday box for a teenage girl in a cold climate. The effort was so quick this year since I saved a contents list from last year and used it to shop for this year. We actually over purchased. One small notebook and a yo-yo wouldn’t fit in the shoebox. Rather than try to find a storage place for them until 2008, I took the former for sermon notes at church; the latter may go to our neighbor’s child or to the Toys for Tots Campaign.

Priorities for this week: start the Christmas cards, decide on the rest of the holiday decorations, and pack the distance gifts for mailing. If I can get the latter task finished by the Monday after Thanksgiving, I will be on-track for a relaxed holiday. Just pray I don’t get sick!

How are Christmas preparations going at your house?

DYK? Orange Pulp

Every once in a while, I receive a “Tip of the Day” from the RealAge.com website. This morning, it was about oranges. More specifically, the message opened with this question:

Orange peel, pulp, or juice: which one has the most vitamin C?

My husband guessed the peel. My daughter went with pulp. The winner was...my daughter! Quoting from the e-message:

Orange pulp wins, according to the authors of the book SuperFoods HealthStyle. The pulp has twice as much vitamin C as the peel and 10 times as much as the juice. And here’s what all that nutrition means to your body.

- snip -

Each orange packs over 60 flavonoids, 170 phytochemicals, and a healthy dose of vitamin C.

- snip -

And all that healthy stuff in oranges may help prevent a host of health conditions, including arthritis, asthma, high blood pressure, blood clots, colds, and even cancer.

Years ago, when my husband was a cancer patient, I used to make homemade orange juice in my juicer every morning. Maybe I should restart that habit. Who knows, I just may avoid a cold or two.

Finally, Fall Photos

Over the past month, my daughter and I have been collecting some photographs of the fall foliage around our part of southeastern Connecticut. I thought I should share them before the snow starts to fly and fall photos are no longer applicable.

The pasture off Route 85 North in Waterford, Connecticut.










An antique home off Route 184 in Old Mystic, Connecticut.

Mail! Mail! Mail!

I just adore the amount of mail that comes to my home during the holiday season. It definitely requires more time to process than, say, during June. Yesterday, my mailbox contained the following:

Catalogs (10)
- Acorn
- Audio Editions
- Discovery Channel Store
- Duluth Trading Travelog
- Gooseberry Patch
- Jackson & Perkins
- Land’s End Kids
- Mindware
- PBS Home Video
- Wolferman’s

Bills (1)
- Sprint

Other Financial Items (1)
- Prudential investment update

College Promotions (1)
- Army National Guard

Advertisements (1)*
- J.C. Penney
- Lowe’s

Donation Requests (2)
- Salvation Army
- Samaritan’s Purse

Other Offers (2)
- Journal of Light Construction book offer
- Journal of Light Construction gift subscription

Credit Card Solicitations (2)
- American Express

Miscellaneous
- Thanksgiving card from State Farm agent

* these looked like catalogs

Size Perspective

A while back, I purchased a subscription to The Journal of Light Construction for my husband. When the monthly volume arrives, I rarely even page through it, with the exception of yesterday, of course, when I found this little tidbit of information:

Over the three-plus decades that the U.S. Census Bureau has been collecting data on the size of new houses, median square footage has increased fairly steadily, from 1525 square-feet in 1973 to 2248 square feet in 2006.

But the bureau’s most recent numbers show that between the first and second quarters of 2007, the median size of a single-family home unexpectedly declined --- by 73 square feet, or the equivalent of a big walk-in closet.

The last sentence is the part that amazed me: the average house shrank by 73 square feet, a size equivalent to a large walk-in closet…OR a size equivalent to the work area of my kitchen! I knew my house was small, but I didn’t think it was that small. After arriving at this realization, I looked at my kitchen and tried to imagine it as a closet filled with clothes, shoes, and the like. I don’t think my daughter and I together own enough clothes to fill such a space. How many clothes do people own anyway?

Books. I could definitely fill 70 square feet with books.

Oil Monitor

Sorry for the two week absence. I was crazy busy with homeschooling and church, not to mention some gigantic home organization tasks (the results of which will probably show up on Gooseberry Lane in the next few days). But now I’m back…and ready to keep tabs on the price of crude oil; hence, the addition of the oil monitor in the sidebar.

Being an economics major, I am curious to see exactly when the price of a barrel of crude oil will hit $100. The market has been creeping toward this century mark for a while now, but doesn’t ever quite break through (not that I want it too). Oil-Price.net, where I found the crude oil dashboard, has a one-year forecast price of $122/barrel, as of today. The market believes the price will eventually push above $100/barrel. Some economists believe it will go even higher. As a consumer, I just get to wait for the proverbial price shoe to drop, all the while paying $40-$50 each time I fill my Subaru and attempting to make each tank last 7-10 days. I met the former limit last week. Ten days may elude me, what with commutes to music lessons and performances. I am up for the challenge, though.

The home heating oil season is also upon my family. The furnace has been on in the mornings for 2-3 weeks now. A few of the chillier days had it up and running throughout the entire day. Currently, the thermostat is set at 68º F during the day and 65º F at night. Being programmable, it shifts between the settings without much ado. It did, however, lose its mind this morning, heating the house to 70º F at 3:00 AM. I know this because I was too warm and woke my husband to check the furnace. Much to my chagrin, I may be shopping at Home Depot or Lowe’s this evening, if the thermostat has truly “given up the ghost.” Oh well, better a new thermostat than an out-of-control, oil hungry furnace.

So, how is your family coping with the high price of gas and oil? How many tanks of gas do you use per week? Have you changed your habits in order to conserve energy this winter? I am curious to hear what others are doing to address this issue.

Update on California Friends

Good news from the west coast! Our friends and their relatives are all safe and back home, or they were never evacuated because the fire steered clear of their communities. All their property is intact and life is returning to normal, whatever that is considering that large portions of San Diego County are still engulfed in flame. The current estimate is that ~1500 homes were destroyed in the San Diego area alone, with ~ 482,000 acres burned in total throughout the state. Residents will be cleaning up for a while.

If you would like to monitor the wildfire recovery effort, visit the San Diego Fire Blog. If you would like to donate to the cause, visit either the American Red Cross or Charity Navigator. If neither of those activities is possible for you, I would ask that you pray for all who were (and are) affected by the disaster. Thank you.

Still Counting: 60 Days

Ten more days have passed since my last banging of the Christmas-countdown gong. The holiday is definitely approaching and preparations have begun, not just at my house but in the stores as well.

This morning while I was waiting for my daughter to finish her combined piano/organ lesson (90 minutes in length), I studied in the library of the Episcopal church where this weekly event occurs. While there, I perused the shelves a bit and found an interesting little book entitled Advent Begins at Home: Family Prayers and Activities for Advent and Christmas. Tucked away in the back of this miniature volume was the following activity under the heading “Tree Decorating and Blessing.”

In order to bless a tree, you should remember that a tree can also bless you. For that to happen you need to come to know the tree. Let all members of the family gather around the tree, before it is decorated, and take a good look at it. If it is a cut tree, look at its trunk and try to tell how old it is --- one ring stands for one year. Count the branches; look closely at the needles; feel them, let them tickle you. Smell the pine scent. You could give the tree some water as one in the family reads this prayer.

O Father and Creator of this most special tree which has come to our family, help us to be ever-mindful to feed and give drink to each other as we now feed and give drink to this tree. Help us to know that we receive life from each other, that we need each other, and that we need most especially to remember each other at this season. Amen.

Next, while the tree is being placed in its stand, the following prayer may be said by the head of the household.

Father and Provider of our home, as we give this tree a home within our house, help us to remember the homeless and the poor at Christmastime. Help us to be ever thankful that we are together as a family and that we shelter each other. Finally help us to make our house a happy home. Amen.

When it is time to decorate your tree and as the first string of lights is placed, one family member may read this prayer.

Jesus, Lord of light, we stand in awe as we take our own part in bringing light to this tree. We know the meaning of you as the Light of the world, but we can never fully understand just how far that light can reach and into how many corners it needs to be brought. Help us this Christmas season not to hide our own lights under bushel baskets, but to shine them before all --- to be radiant, happy, and loving people --- showing forth your light in our very faces. Amen.

Now, I must admit that I have never blessed one of my Christmas trees; in fact, it never even occurred to me to bless my Christmas tree. I always just put it up and kept moving with my holiday preparations. I am also not completely comfortable with the wording of this particular “tree blessing ceremony;” it is a bit too sentimental for my tastes. Yet, the idea of remembering the Lord while putting up a Christmas tree doesn’t seem completely out of line, especially when the tree can symbolize the eternal nature of the Trinity. Whether I actually bless my tree in such a formal way is still under consideration. I may just put it up and say a prayer over it. Either way, the idea is now on my list of things to contemplate when planning my Christmas tree related activities.

How about you, what sort of tree traditions does your family observe?

Annual Bloodwork

Last Friday, I attended my annual physical and had blood drawn for some basic tests. What fun! Well, just as all seemed well at my exam, all seems well with my blood numbers, too. Here is the profile:

Complete blood count: normal
Glucose (fasting): 94
Cholesterol: 153
HDL (good cholesterol): 62
LDL (bad cholesterol): 80
Thyroid function test (TSH): 0.97

I am ecstatic about my fasting glucose number, as the last reading was 104 (in 2002). My cholesterol has gone up about 20 points in five years, 133 to 153. Of course, it was 140 when I was 24 years old, so I appear to be waffling within an acceptable range; I would just like it to be a bit lower. I was hoping my HDL would be a little higher and my LDL a little lower, but they are both within range as well. My thyroid number is especially pleasing (to me) since I live amongst the thyroid-challenged on a daily basis. Overall, I am at peace with the picture.

My biggest challenge for the year, which isn’t reflected in these blood work results, is my blood pressure. It tends to wander between 115/72 and 136/84, with the higher number manifesting itself as “white coat hypertension,” that phenomenon where blood pressure spikes in the doctor’s office. Since some physicians see this as an indicator/predictor of future hypertension, I feel I need to address this as aggressively as possible. Looks like a 30-minute walk should happen every day and not just on occasion.

So, now you know my health picture. How about you? Have you scheduled your annual physical and blood work for 2007? If not, I can recommend a great doctor.

Please Pray for California Friends

My family has been watching the news coverage of the San Diego fires quite closely the past few days as some of our friends, and the parents of some of our church friends, live in the affected areas.

Our friends, The Family R, live in Oceanside, a town that has (thankfully) escaped evacuation and fire…so far. We telephoned them yesterday to see how they were faring. Cheerful and upbeat, they informed us that the air in their part of town was clear. They couldn’t smell any smoke; although if they stepped outside their front door, they could certainly see smoke in every direction. My daughter checked a Google map of the fires this afternoon and The Family R is definitely surrounded. Their current flame-free status very much depends on the wind at this point. We are praying that they will be able to remain in their home.

Mr. & Mrs. S, the parents of our church friends, have not fared as well. They were evacuated from their home last night. At this point, I am not sure if they are staying with friends or if they are in an evacuation center. Their home is under much greater threat at the moment, so we are praying that their residence would be spared even the slightest amount of damage. That may seem like an unrealistic request/expectation at this point, but God is a God of miracles. Defying common sense is His business. He saved my husband from cancer; He can certainly save a house.

Any prayers that you could lift up on behalf of these families, and the thousands of others who are currently displaced, would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

HPP: Calendar & Creativity

This is Week 2 of an 18-week Christmas organization plan from OrganizedChristmas.com. I am behind and trying to catch up, preloading my holiday stress so that I can enjoy Advent and the actual Christmas season.

The reading assignment for this installment of the Houseworks Holiday Plan was about decluttering and organizing craft supplies, and about organization in general. Since I don’t do a lot of crafts, I didn’t get much out of the first part of the assignment. The latter part, however, offered these principles:

- think function, not appearance
- think process, not product
- a place for everything (and everything in its place)
- get the family on board
- create activity centers
- think zones: hot, warm, & cold
- label, label, label
- store items vertically (when possible)

While none of these ideas was new to me, it was helpful to be reminded of them. Particularly helpful: a list of suggested activity centers. Unfortunately, Ms. Ewer recommended a one activity-one center plan, with supplies for the activity stored in the center if possible. Well, since I live in a small house, my activity centers have to overlap, a complication that forces a bit more thought about function and process than if I lived in a larger abode. Hence…

I am still working on one of the tasks from the first week of the Houseworks Plan: organizing “Information Central,” that wonderful desk environment where relaxation and planning are supposed to converge. Well, convergence in my home is taking bit more time and work than the Houseworks folks had in mind because my desk space has been a disaster for much longer than I care to admit. When the space is finished, I will post a picture (hopefully).

I did make one decision about my desk: I am no longer saving catalogs unless I have some pressing reason to do so (like Christmas shopping). Instead, I have created a shopping folder in my Internet browser. If the catalog has a companion website, the paper version goes into the paper recycling (unless, of course, I have a reason to save it). So, my “catalog procedure” is now:

1) look through the catalog
2) highlight any items of interest with a highlighter marker
3) dog-ear the pertinent page(s)
4) file the catalog in the bottom drawer of the desk filing cabinet

For more than ten years, I have limited my stash of catalogs to one file drawer near my desk, the result of a compromise I made with my husband over paper clutter. Well, by adopting this new “procedure,” I was able to fit my catalog stash into ~50% of the drawer. Not bad, especially in light of the fact that I live in a 900-square-foot house and I don’t really have the space to save every catalog known to man.

The holiday preparation checklist portion of this installment of the Houseworks Holiday Plan included:

- creating a holiday calendar
- planning holiday travel
- holding a scheduling session
- starting a tear file
- starting (and using) a shopping list
- inventorying craft supplies & unfinished projects
- making a “gifts to make” list

The calendar wasn’t a problem for me, as I always keep one on my computer and on my Palm. I prefer to add my Christmas events and activities to these “routine” calendars, rather than creating a special holiday version that will (inevitably) fail to reflect some run-of-the-mill activity. With my busy schedule, missed events on a calendar can wreak havoc on the time management system around here, not to mention the nerves of certain family members. My only challenge in this area is getting other people to commit to dates so I know the extent of our outside commitments. I am still waiting for a few confirmations. I am sure they will turn up soon.

As for holiday travel, with the price of gas and my daughter’s handbell concert schedule, no one is going anywhere. I was hoping to take a trip to Colonial Williamsburg sometime this fall, but I doubt that will happen. A few days off and a rendezvous with some friends from Washington, D.C. would be great (and very de-stressing) but we have too many projects and issues to address on the homefront this year.

I had to chuckle at the “scheduling session” idea and the suggested events that may need to be scheduled: carpet cleaning, chimney inspections, and furnace checks. I have no carpet, and to get a chimney or a furnace inspected or cleaned in my neck of the woods this time of the year would have required a call to the my oil company sometime near Memorial Day. Since that didn’t happen, I have no scheduling tasks to complete in that area. I am purchasing a new refrigerator this week. That delivery will be scheduled for early November.

Tear files. For those who are unfamiliar with these, they are idea files that contain pictures, recipes, and craft ideas that are torn out of magazines or catalogs. I really have to be careful with these. For years, I saved magazines in order to create tear files. All I managed to do was create a pile of magazines and catalogs. Lately, I only do this for Christmas (and for some current home improvement projects). I also try to cull through these particular tear files on a regular basis so they remain small and contained. My Christmas file is actually located inside my Christmas planning notebook, tucked inside protector pages organized by subject (e.g., gifts, food, greeting cards, etc.).

Start and use a shopping list. No problem here! I have been shopping for at least a week, maybe a little longer. My mail-away gifts are coming together. Hopefully, they will be finished by November 1st. My goal is to mail them just after Thanksgiving so I won’t have to deal with the crowds at the post office, and so I won’t have to pay an exorbitant rapid-delivery rate to get my packages there “just in the nick of time.” Fortunately, my friends and relatives have humored my early-bird shopping bug and given me some wonderful gift ideas.

The last two tasks on the holiday preparation checklist for this week are to inventory craft supplies and to make a “gifts to make” list. Neither of these activities impacts my family at this time. I am not making any gifts this year and if I haven’t worked on my Christmas craft projects by now, they have already been shifted to my 2008 off-season work list. The off-season is also when I plan to inventory my craft supplies. One great guideline here: the Rule of Four.

If you have more than four unfinished craft projects, or if any single project is more than four years old, don’t schedule any new crafts!

Using this principle, and given the number of unfinished projects that currently reside in my attic, I should be able to start a new project when I am ~80 years old. :-)

My progress is slow, but I am definitely making headway. How are you doing?

HHP: Planning & Paperwork

Late in September, I wrote an article about choosing a Christmas organization plan, and about which plan I decided to try (see 90 Days!). At the time, I was late to the process; but not to be discouraged, I decided to work steadily on completing the tasks as they were assigned.

Quoting directly from the Houseworks webpage:

Part book club, part organizing schedule, the Houseworks Holiday Plan [HPP] is an 18-week holiday plan designed to help you clean and organize your home in time for the holiday season --- and take care of seasonal preparations, too.

Each week, participants are given a reading assignment from the book House Works: Cut the Clutter, Speed Your Cleaning, and Calm the Chaos by Cynthia Townley Ewer. This is called your weekly focus. For week one, the topic was decluttering your home. I read through this information one afternoon while my daughter was in music composition class and found it quite helpful. Ms. Ewer began by outlining a clutter cessation method she calls STOP: Sort, Toss, Organize, and Put Away. She also discussed some declutter strategies, as well as some ways to keep the clutter from returning once it has been culled. The best part, though, was determining my “clutter personality.” Given the checklist and the descriptions in the book, I figure I am a deferrer and a perfectionist, with a touch of sentimentalist. The counterproductive part is that my husband is also a deferrer and a perfectionist, with a touch of rebel. Is it any wonder we got married --- common ground with enough opposite to attract? But I digress…

The week one reading assignment also covered the creation of “Information Central,” that place in your home where you perform essential household organizational tasks: menu planning, bill paying, event scheduling, and the like. For me (currently), that would be wherever my laptop happens to be; however, I know from past experience that if I have a space with a comfortable chair and a desk, I will sit there to complete organizational tasks, so long as I can plug my headphones into a movie or some music while I work. So, as I stated in a previous article, my house task for week one is to create “Information Central” by decluttering my desk, and by deciding which desk to use --- the one in my living room or the one in my family room. I have a comfortable new chair for each one, thanks to a great sale at Target and the repair abilities of my darling husband.

As for the Christmas preparation half of the Houseworks Holiday Plan, those tasks are known as the “holiday prep checklist.” For week one, they included:

- making a promise to spend some time each day preparing for Christmas
- setting up a Christmas notebook
- completing a family values worksheet
- creating a Christmas planning activity center
- establishing a holiday budget
- considering a Christmas savings plan
- beginning a master gift list

So, how am I doing on those, you ask? Not bad. I work on some Christmas-related task every day. I already have a holiday planning notebook. I completed the family values worksheet. I have a Christmas club account into which I have deposited $200/month since January 2007, so funds for early shopping are not a problem. I also started a master gift list. The only task not yet tackled is the creation of a Christmas planning center. In my house, that is much the same as creating “Information Central.” Looks like I should be/will be working hard on my desk space.

If you would like to find a Christmas organization plan to use for your holiday tasks, check out OrganizedChristmas.com for some great ideas.

My Annual Physical

After taking all three of my cats to the vet for their annual physicals, today was my turn. Yippee. I hate going to the doctor. Every time I walk through the door of a clinic or an emergency room, my pulse quickens, my blood pressure goes up…my body exhibits all the classic signs of a fight or flight reaction. Truthfully, there isn’t much “fight” involved; it is just flight. My instinct is to flee. What exactly I am fleeing from, I do not know. Fear of the unknown, I suppose. Ah, well…

I started the day with my actual physical exam. Then, because I had fasted for seventeen hours, I headed straight to the lab for blood work. I won’t have the results for a few days. Hopefully, they won’t indicate any major problems (like elevated glucose). My other test results will be back in about two weeks. My physician didn’t indicate that anything was amiss, so I am assuming that all is well (at least for the moment). My other appointment for the day was an annual mammogram. Again, the technician who took a preliminary glance at the film didn’t indicate that anything was amiss, so I am assuming all is well in that department, too.

As much as I stress over this annual ritual, I am always relieved to know that I am in reasonably good health. Recommendations for the year: lose some weight, exercise more, and make sure I consume plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables. In other words, behave myself.

NEA Dislikes Homeschooling

Wow! Shocking news. The National Education Association recently passed this resolution/statement on home education. Not surprising, they favor government regulation of this educational lifestyle:

The National Education Association believes that home schooling programs based on parental choice cannot provide the student with a comprehensive education experience. When home schooling occurs, students enrolled must meet all state curricular requirements, including the taking and passing of assessments to ensure adequate academic progress. Home schooling should be limited to the children of the immediate family, with all expenses being borne by the parents/guardians. Instruction should be by persons who are licensed by the appropriate state education licensure agency, and a curriculum approved by the state department of education should be used.

The Association also believes that home-schooled students should not participate in any extracurricular activities in the public schools.

The Association further believes that local public school systems should have the authority to determine grade placement and/or credits earned toward graduation for students entering or re-entering the public school setting from a home school setting. (1998, 2006).

Being a faith-based homeschooler who desires as little connection as possible with the public school and little (or, preferably, no) government regulation of home education, I have a problem with the implication that my daughter needs to study a state-mandated curricula and take state-mandated tests, and that I need to be licensed by the state in order to teach. I also disagree with the idea that homeschooling cannot provide my daughter with a comprehensive educational experience. Just examine our 2007-2008 instructional plan.

Beyond that, I am ok with their point of view. I, too, believe that parents should teach only their own children and that families should carry the financial burden for their educational choice. No government payments should be given to homeschoolers and no hired tutors should be permitted to do all the teaching while both parents maintain full-time employment. As for the school, I believe that if each state is to retain their authority under the Constitution per education, then local school districts are certainly within their rights to determine graduation standards for their students and to set rules for participation in their extracurricular activities. Let government schools be governed by the government and homeschools be governed by homeschoolers.

Apparently, what was more upsetting to some home educators was the NEA resolution/statement on diversity:

The National Education Association believes that a diverse society enriches all individuals. Similarities and differences among race, ethnicity, color, national origin, language, geographic location, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identification, age, physical ability, size, occupation, and marital, parental, or economic status form the fabric of a society.

The Association also believes that education should foster the values of appreciation and acceptance of the various qualities that pertain to people as individuals and as members of diverse populations.

The Association further believes in the importance of observances, programs, and curricula that accurately portray and recognize the roles, contributions, cultures, and history of these diverse groups and individuals.

My guess is that these words were disconcerting because they did not recognize educational choice as one of the similarities or differences that “form the fabric of society;” nor did the choice to homeschool come up to the NEA standard of “appreciation and acceptance of the various qualities that pertain to people…as members of diverse populations.” This was aptly demonstrated by the aforementioned anti-homeschooling resolution.

Personally, I don’t much care if the NEA recognizes or validates my educational choice, or if they are blind to the fact that educational choice does contribute to “the fabric of society.” In the end, the NEA is nothing more than a labor union. It is not a regulatory body of the United States government; it is an employee organization. Knowing that, why should I, as a homeschooler, be concerned with their policy platform? And, really, that is all their resolutions constitute…a policy platform.

DYK? MRSA

Did you know that MRSA stands for Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus? According to Wikipedia, it was discovered in 1961 and is now widespread in hospital settings. It is known by several different acronyms:

MRSA may also be known as oxacillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (ORSA) and multiple-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Strains of S. aureus that are non-resistant to methicillin are sometimes called methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) if an explicit distinction must be made.

Although MRSA has traditionally been seen as a hospital-associated infection, community-acquired MRSA strains have appeared in recent years, notably in the U.S and Australia. The abbreviations CA-MRSA (community-acquired MRSA) and HA-MRSA (hospital-acquired MRSA) are now commonly seen in medical literature.

So why ask the question? Because I am concerned about the recent outbreak of MRSA in schools on the east coast, most notably Virginia, where a teen recently died from the infection. From an Associated Press article:

Ashton Bonds, 17, a senior at Staunton River High School, died Monday after being diagnosed with Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus, or MRSA, his mother said.

- snip –

Ashton went to Bedford Memorial Hospital on Oct. 4 after complaining of a pain in his side, his mother said. He was sent home after doctors ruled out appendicitis, but was readmitted three days later and transported to Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital.

Last week doctors diagnosed Ashton with a MRSA infection that had spread to his kidneys, liver, lungs and the muscles around his heart.

Early Thursday morning, Ashton had to be sedated and put on a ventilator. He was about to undergo surgery to drain the infection from his lungs when doctors detected a blood clot near his heart. [His mother] said the clot was inoperable.

So what can you do to keep MRSA out of your environment? Try these top ten tips from MRSA Notes. They are listed in reverse order.

10. Use disposable razors.

9. Regularly clean the surfaces of your home, and don’t forget your bathtubs and showers.

8. Reduce your use of antibacterial products around your house. The best way to get rid of bacteria is to wash it down the sink, not partially kill it with chemicals.

7. Learn about antibiotics and when they are appropriate to use. Consider changing your lifestyle and letting your body deal with illness as much as it can rather than taking an antibiotic for everything that ails you.

6. Do not pressure your doctor to prescribe antibiotics.

5. Bathe very regularly.

4. Do not share towels.

3. Change your dishwashing rag/sponge every day. If you don’t want to throw out your sponges every day, try a microfiber washcloth and use a new one (and a new dishtowel) every day. By the time they start to stink, they are already riddled with bacteria.

2. Avoid any elective surgery.

1. Wash your hands well, and frequently. Obsessively, even.

Well, I don’t know about you, but I will be shopping today for some disposable razors and some non-antibacterial soap. I will also be cleaning my bathroom. Stay healthy!