calmly carrying on

I have wanted one for a long time and I finally ordered it last week.

Yes, it's just a [poster].  I actually read on-line before I purchased it that hipsters now find the poster cliche.  Or something like that.  But, I don't consider myself a [hipster].  In fact I recently read a book that confirms I'm not:  Hipster Christianity.  Despite the fact that I like NPR and Shane Claiborne and shopping at thrift stores.  Apparently I don't drink enough or smoke enough to be one [I don't at all].  And I tried listening to Sufjan Stevens but found him too odd for my tastes.  But that's a topic for another day [maybe, most likely not].

Anyway, I like this poster for a couple reasons: 

1. The saying is great.  Keeping calm is important.  I don't like it when people get out of hand.  Plus carrying on is necessary, right?
2. The history of this poster is quite interesting.  click here for info  Can you imagine, living in Great Britain during WWII?  Good grief, they'd been a powerful nation for centuries.   They were bombed, blitzed and realistically feared Nazi invasion.  They moved their children from London to the country for protection.  I could go on and on because. . . . I find history compelling.  I'm actually loving this book:  The Knight of Maison-Rouge.   Marie Antoinette, the French Revolution. . . . maybe history's not your thing?

The poster is on its way.  And I find it's good timing because it's panning out to be an interesting week.  I had a job interview yesterday that turned out to be a [group interview].  Yes, me and three other people vying for the same job while questioned by a panel of five.  Before our group, five candidates went through the same process.  Did I mention they gave us a [test] beforehand?  Then today, we discover mold in our workplace.  And the workplace finances we hoped that would get us to Thanksgiving are going quicker than we'd hoped. I have another interview Thursday.  This time at the University of Kentucky, so I'm already mentally preparing myself for the sheer stress of finding parking.  

Today, on the way home from work I stopped at Good Foods.  The purpose being to purchase an organic dark chocolate bar.  No, Hershey's doesn't cut it anymore.  I want the good stuff.  Like I wrote above, I'm not a drinker, so picking up a bottle of Kentucky bourbon on the way home doesn't appeal.  Am I addicted to chocolate?  No, I'd say not.  But it helps get me through the day, and hey, the message on the back of the chocolate bar says this:  "By choosing Equal Exchange fairly traded products, you support a food system that builds stronger farming communities, creates a more equitable trade model, and preserves our planet through sustainable farming methods." 

So, I'm preserving our planet my eating chocolate.  Not to mention good chocolate.  Which helps me keep calm until my poster arrives.  Did I mention I wasted some time at the post office today?  Ugh!  [keep calm, keep calm. . . ]

sometimes. . . .

Sometimes I think I'm addicted to baking.  Or else I'm addicted to baked goods.  In less than a week, I've baked a coffee cake, chocolate chip cookies, cream cheese banana muffins, and Jamie made brownies.  Mind you, none of these goodies have left our home (except in lunch boxes).  It was all for us!!!!

Sometimes I listen multiple times to Seeking You by Hillsong United.  It's my go to song when I'm down.  And yes, it's old now [1999], and nothing close to their best stuff, but I like it.

Sometimes I play Bach on the piano when no one is around.  Just so I'll know I still can.

  Sometimes I eat hot fudge sauce straight from the jar with a spoon.  Yes, I look both ways, open the fridge, and indulge. 

Sometimes I feel like the world might stop turning if I don't visit a Kroger once a day.  And sometimes I'd like to shout at people who call it "Kroger[s]", 

"THERE IS NO [S], PEOPLE!!!"

Sometimes I wonder why Allie has brown eyes.  I have green, Chip has blue, Jamie has green.  My mom has brown, so I suppose that's where.   I don't remember all that dominant gene biology business. 

Sometimes I realize that I think too much about nonsense, and should be 

spending the time baking.

What I Ate for Dinner

While I could write about my aversion to bumper stickers that say things like "Don't spread my wealth, spread my work ethic" and "My blue heeler is smarter than your honor student", I will instead write about something dull, like what I ate for dinner.

No one else is home, so I decided to make myself a frittata.  I got turned onto these this summer, when I checked Mediterranean Harvest out of the library.  I stopped by our community garden plot this evening, picked a couple tomatoes, and came home, ready to cook. 

I decided to add a slice of toast to my plate, topping it with my mother's homemade peach jelly.  

{Hers is the absolute best}

Here's dinner:

Labor Day Weekend

Allie and I spent the weekend together [sans Chip & Jamie].  Our men are in Haiti.  

Check out Jamie's blog.

One accomplishment was the completion of a project Allie's been working on for quite some time.  It relates to her summer reading required for Language Arts class.  She put together a scrapbook based on Warriors Don't Cry, by Melba Pattillo Beals.  If you don't know about this important story, I recommend you research it a bit.  Allie's school is 48% white, son Jamie's is 42%.  I am excited they experience diversity in their educational life, and find it crazy to think that over half the students at their current schools wouldn't have been welcome at Little Rock's Central High.

[Allie reads/eats/listens to DOJO]

We enjoyed a picnic at Ashland, the Henry Clay Estate, while listening to the music of DOJO.  Sunday morning we went to Vineyard, and heard a stellar message from our pastor, Kevin Clark about being a disciple. 

And. . . . . Monday we celebrated Labor Day by hiking at Raven Run. . . . .  

 then we finished off the evening watching 

Unfortunately, Allie forgot she needed to practice band [she plays percussion] sometime this weekend.  So. . . . she will have to practice 40 minutes today [Tuesday].  And. . . finish an additional summer reading project.  And. . . complete any other homework.  

The good news is. . . . . the weekend will come again.  And we'll make our own variation of these.  [If you've never stopped by  The Pioneer Woman's sight, you absolutely MUST!]

And we'll welcome home our  

Haiti travelers [yay!]. 

Fiction Blog

A while back I had what I consider a pretty nifty idea:

Create a fiction blog!

I like to write.  I actually wrote a novel [no, it was not published], but that's another story [literally].

Well, daughter Allie enjoys writing too, so I thought, why not make this a joint effort?  Maybe we can even get Chip and Jamie to participate also.  So far, it's just Allie and I, but we're having fun.

Our fiction blog is in the form of a journal or diary.  It is based on the Constant family, and includes 4 members:

• Veronica {Shane's wife; Danny & Larissa's mom}
• Shane {Veronica's husband; Danny & Larissa's dad}
• Danny {son of Shane & Veronica; Larissa's older brother}
• Larissa {daughter. .  .you get the picture}

Up to this point, Allie has written all entries for Larissa, and I have entered the rest.  If you'd like to read what we've written so far [which we hope you do!],

please follow this link:  A Few Constants

Once there, go all the way to the bottom [the first entry is dated July 20] and work your way up.  Thanks!  And please comment to let us know your thoughts.

Happy Reading!

Down with Plastic

       I'm putting this on my Christmas list: 

Or at least something similar.  It's the Pyrex 14-piece Storage Plus Set.  Yes, Pyrex = glass.  I've read too much about plastic storage containers and their harmful effects.  Plus they often [take on] the smell and/or taste of whatever's been stored in them.  And I'm tired of dealing with the mess plastic containers and lids cause in the cupboard.

Meanwhile, I came across this yesterday:  The Beauty of a Mason Jar.  I've decided that I will begin utilizing my mason jars as refrigerator storage [more often than I do now].  Currently I use them for homemade salsa, salad dressings, and a few other things.  But why not leftovers?  I have a pretty good collection, thanks to a mom that cans peach jelly, pickles, etc. . . . . . .
{I conveniently forget to return the jars when I visit.}

Teenage Inspiration

Here is the Urban Dictionary definition of teen angst: 

When teenagers, for any number of reasons combined with their hormones and stress from school, get depressed. Contrary to popular belief, some teenagers actually do have it rough and have to deal with [crap]* most adults don't have to. Other teens don't and just like to pretend they do. Either way, everyone has a right to be pissed off.     

*I changed this word.

My son Jamie was recently featured in the [Get to Know. . .] section of our church worship folder.  Basically, he was asked some interview type questions.  At the end, when asked is he had anything else he'd like to say, he added this:

"........I am immensely proud that we are a church that 'unabashedly serves the poor and the meek' 

You should be proud of that as well."

I found that to be, at least a bit, inspirational.

2 weeks from today, he'll be in Haiti.  2 years after his original venture to the island.  He's going with his dad, along with a missions team.  He wants to go.  He's happy to go.  He'll miss 5 days of school, but that's not a worry for him.  Haiti is far from a resort destination.  And after the earthquake, he and his dad really don't know how different things might be from their last visit.  I think that's pretty inspirational. 

A few days ago we received an envelope addressed to Jamie, containing $40 cash from a girl he went to school with last year.  He has since transferred schools, but their friendship has apparently continued.  She was inspired to send him $40 towards his Haiti trip.  Which I in turn find. . . . inspirational.

So, while I know that my teenager will at times suffer from a classic case of "teen angst" {he is a musician, after all}, it's comforting [and inspirational] to know he has a ♥ and is a positive influence.  And it seems some of his friends are, too.