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Fearless

C5, Florida, September 2006

September 28, 2006  |  Comments (4)  |  TrackBack (0)  |  Permalink

 

 

Swashbuckling Collectivist Adventure

Great phrase, huh? And to think Hubby has used it in a serious academic paper related to Marxist history and pirates. Grad school is fun.

September 28, 2006  |  Comments (0)  |  TrackBack (0)  |  Permalink

 

 

We Went "Camping"

Camping my speed. Air-conditioned cottages on a lake. Screened-in porches that kept most of the spiders and mosquitos out. Both were plentiful.

We went to Lake Louisa State Park with Hubby's parents, and his little brother and his girlfriend. We had a wonderfully peaceful weekend. Slept more than fished.

The boys got their first fishing rods from Grandpa, who still has his very first fishing rod from when he was a little boy. We didn't catch anything, but we did drown some worms.

The boys also tried out archery, played catch with Uncle Andrew and rode in the back of a pick-up truch for the first time.

C5 and R7, Fishing

J10, Lake Louisa

Self Portrait, Hubby and Me

Little Brother and His Girlfriend

September 25, 2006  |  Comments (3)  |  TrackBack (0)  |  Permalink

 

 

Monty Python Meets Gary Ezzo

Q: What is the air speed velocity of an unladen swallow?
A: UNBRIDLED MATERNAL DRIVE!

(Jump into the conversation.)

September 21, 2006  |  Comments (7)  |  TrackBack (0)  |  Permalink

 

 

Music to My Heart

J10 is singing "Rock of Ages" with the newish melody. My heart melts.

Our team in Ukraine used to try to sing Rock of Ages alternating the new and old tunes with each verse. We always struggled to keep them straight.

Update: J10 told me Daddy was singing both melodies with them today, and that they were singing the first verse over and over to learn it. T8 asked me to stop singing it "because it makes my stomach hurt" because of what they did to Jesus' side.

September 20, 2006  |  Comments (3)  |  TrackBack (0)  |  Permalink

 

 

Museum Day! September 30th!

This past Monday, Hubby took the boys to the Ringling Art Museum. Every Monday admission is free. I asked the boys what made an impression this visit. J10 talked about the Fates cutting the life string of the young lovers. C6 piped up about "the head in the basket" referring to beheaded John the Baptist. R7's favorite was the Blue Madonna, but he also described finding a cat "hidden" in a still life. T8 was reluctant to name a "favorite."

We love museums. And so I was especially excited to see this:

On September 30, 2006, for one day only, museums across the country will join the Smithsonian Institution in its long-standing tradition of offering free admission to visitors.

How Does The General Public Participate?

Museum Day is on a Saturday, and museums across the country are participating. Click here to find a local museum to visit.

Participating museums in Florida include:

Amelia Island Museum of History
Fernandina Beach

Appleton Museum of Art
Ocala

Elliott Museum
Stuart

Florida International Museum
St. Petersburg

Kid City, The Children's Museum of Tampa
Tampa

Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art St. Petersburg
Palm Harbor

Lowe Art Museum
Coral Gables

Miami Museum of Science & Planetarium
Miami

Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium
Sarasota

Navy UDT-SEAL Museum
Fort Pierce

Orange County Regional History Center
Orlando

South Florida Museum
Bradenton

The Alger-Sullivan Historical Society
Century

The John And Mable Ringling Museum of Art
Sarasota

The Mary Brogan Museum of Art and Science
Tallahassee

The Mennello Museum of American Art
Orlando

So hard to choose!

September 20, 2006  |  Comments (0)  |  TrackBack (0)  |  Permalink

 

 

Let's Get Together, Yeah Yeah Yeah

Me and Kristen, Atlanta

Kristen and Her Sweetness Lexi

Yup, we need a girl. . . *grin*

September 19, 2006  |  Comments (7)  |  TrackBack (0)  |  Permalink

 

 

Pictures from the WIC Conference

I went to the PCA 2006 Women in the Church Conference with ladies from our home church. We drove up Thursday, attended the pre-conference workshops on Friday, learned and worshiped together on Saturday, and returned home on Sunday. These are the women who attended from my home church.

I'm not posting identifying details, such as names and locations, out of respect for other's online privacy or transparency.

(More updates and photos to come.)

September 19, 2006  |  Comments (5)  |  TrackBack (0)  |  Permalink

 

 

Hacked

Hubby's main site and ROP site have been hacked by Turkish muslim hackers. Anyone know how to fix this and willing to help? Thanks!

Update: Not sure whether Hubby fixed it, or if he had some help--either way Le Sabot and ROP are back online. Thanks for the quick and supportive responses!

September 17, 2006  |  Comments (9)  |  TrackBack (0)  |  Permalink

 

 

2006 WIC Conference - I'm Going!

I'm gearing up for the Women in the Church Conference. I'm really appreciative of the lady from our home church who is organizing a group of us going. I'm not going to pull a Challies and liveblog the conference, but I do anticipate meeting some of y'all there! *grin*

September 12, 2006  |  Comments (8)  |  TrackBack (0)  |  Permalink

 

 

Stupide Chérie

I'm listening to Hubby teach the boys thier French lesson. We're using Easy French Junior. The main characters are a girl named Marie and a cat named Chérie.

Hubby takes great liberties in using the book's dialogue for teaching. This is part of the conversation I just overheard:

Marie: You are the worst French speaking French cat ever!
Chérie: What is your father's name?
Marie: What? You don't know? You live here! Mon papa s'appelle Jean.
Chérie: Your father's name is John?
Marie: Stupid cat! That's what I just said! Mon papa s'appelle Jean.
Kids repeat, Mon papa s'appelle John.

Honestly, the boys' accents are great and they are learning French so easily. But Hubby epitomizes the homeschooling axiom of the parent being master of the curriculum rather than the curriculum master of the parent.

September 08, 2006  |  Comments (7)  |  TrackBack (0)  |  Permalink

 

 

Florida Voters Following Election Results

I've been pleased to see the Florida Department of Elections update the election returns throughout the night.

The Buchanan/Hudson/Detert early returns were interesting, huh? I heard that some on the radio were calling it for Detert before Manatee county votes were even tabulated--which obviously was a mistake.

Hubby and the boys went sign waving. I wonder if Hubby got any photos?

September 05, 2006  |  Comments (1)  |  TrackBack (0)  |  Permalink

 

 

Green Thai Curry

I love Thai food. My attempts at it, while yummy, have never quite reached the divine flavors of the Bangkok Restaurant's Pad Prik Coconut or Red Curry.

KatieKind mentioned making Thai Green Curry the other night, so I asked for her recipe. She kindly obliged, and I'm reposting it so I can find it easily in the future. (I search my blog for bits and pieces I save all the time. . .) I had several of the foundational ingredients on hand, but bought fish sauce for the first time today.

So, thanks to KatieKind:

This is one of those recipes that calls for a couple of exotic ingredients. You can get fish sauce and Thai green curry paste at a Thai or international grocery. We bought a bottle of fish sauce and a container of green curry paste a year or two ago at Gloria's (an international grocery in our town) and have kept them in the fridge ever since. They are just fine. I grow basil every summer because it is so wonderful. If you live in my town and need some for a recipe, let me know.

Green Thai Curry

1 can coconut milk, divided
1 t green Thai curry paste (to taste--a heaping teaspoon in this recipe was plenty for me, I'm wimpy)
1 onion thinly sliced (flexible)
handful sliced green or red peppers if you have them
2 cups veggies, steamed (flexible)
1 minced green onion (flexible)
bamboo shoots if you have them
1 pound-or so-chicken breasts, chopped into 1 inch pieces
oil to saute chicken in
1 or 2 t sugar
1 t fish sauce -- slop in according to taste
fresh lime juice--squeeze in a nice juicy half-lime or to taste
handful chopped cilantro
sliced fresh basil leaves--some for sauce, some for garnish
serve over rice with additional lime, cilantro, and basil as desired

Instructions
1. In largish pot, bring 1/4 can of the coconut milk and the curry paste to simmer. Stir in the rest of the can of coconut milk, sugar, and fish sauce. Bring to a simmer; let cook 1 minute.

2. Meanwhile you've steamed the veggies.

3. Meanwhile you've also sauteed the chicken and onion slices in oil--make sure chicken is cooked through.

4. Add chicken and veggies to coconut milk mixture. Add bamboo shoots if you have them. Add chopped cilantro, lime and basil. Mix well, make sure everything's nice and hot.

Serve over rice.

This was more than plenty for three.

Update: I roughly doubled the recipe for our crew, hoping to have lots of leftovers. We didn't. *grin* The fish sauce makes a big difference. I think it would have likely tasted better had I used another can of coconut milk--or maybe if I didn't use the "lite" coconut milk. This recipe will definitely go into the regular rotation. And I forgot the basil, even though I have some growing fresh in my kitchen.

September 04, 2006  |  Comments (6)  |  TrackBack (0)  |  Permalink

 

 

To Know Ourselves, We Must Know God

Our wisdom, in so far as it ought to be deemed true and solid Wisdom, consists almost entirely of two parts: the knowledge of God and of ourselves. But as these are connected together by many ties, it is not easy to determine which of the two precedes and gives birth to the other. For, in the first place, no man can survey himself without forthwith turning his thoughts towards the God in whom he lives and moves. . . . On the other hand, it is evident that man never attains to a true self-knowledge until he have previously contemplated the face of God, and come down after such contemplation to look into himself.

John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion
Chapter 1, from sections 1-2

September 03, 2006  |  Comments (0)  |  TrackBack (0)  |  Permalink

 

 

Baseball and Apple Pie

We took another step in the boys American cultural education today. They went to their first minor league baseball game.

As we approached the gate, an older fellow came up to us and asked if we wanted free tickets. He's a season pass holder and couldn't use them all--so we got free seats right by first base!

Also it was "Wings Night 2006" with area restaurants providing free wings for the spectators in a bid to be voted Sarasota's Hottest Wings.

The game was fun, the boys learned a lot, but the Sarasota Reds lost.

September 02, 2006  |  Comments (3)  |  TrackBack (0)  |  Permalink

 

 

"If I'm Ever a Professor at West Point. . ."

That's how J10 began an elaborate conversation with me. I love how my boys' minds work.

September 02, 2006  |  Comments (2)  |  TrackBack (0)  |  Permalink

 

 

Carol's Back!

After a summer hiatus, Carol's Storybook blog is back online! Her informative family website, Parenting Decisions, has been updated as well.

Carol was one of the inspirations for me to go ahead and jump into blogging, instead of merely watching and encouraging Hubby with his. So I'm especially happy to see her back.

September 01, 2006  |  Comments (1)  |  TrackBack (0)  |  Permalink

 

 

The Kids Were Up At 5 AM

I don't wake up that early.

When I stumbled out to make my morning coffee, T8 annouced, "I've been awake since 5:02 and haven't been able to go to sleep since!"

They are playing Axis and Allies now, with reminders to check their chore list and school list.

I wanna go back to bed. Just thinking of getting up at 5 makes me tired.

September 01, 2006  |  Comments (1)  |  TrackBack (0)  |  Permalink