Bruno, my baby

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Since my kitty decided to sneak into my last photo, I decided to post pictures of him here. A little over two years ago, someone at my hubby’s job discovered a litter of tiny kittens. They accidentally scared off the momma kitty, who never returned. Hubby called me and asked if I wanted one. How could I say no to this adorable face?

We took Bruno to the vet the day we brought him home. The vet said that he looked healthy but that there was nothing she could do for him. She warned us that the kitten may not survive without his mother but we were determined to try. The vet told us that he would open his eyes around a week old. A week later, Bruno opened his eyes. That means we brought Bruno home when he was only a day or so old. Poor baby lost his mother so early!

Once his eyes opened, he was a total fuzzball. Extremely curious, needy, and loveable.

I’m not sure why, but Bruno learned to fall asleep in the weirdest positions.

He spends a good portion of his time on my desk when I’m sitting here. He loves falling asleep with his head on my keyboard, which makes it really hard to use the computer!

Showing me how blogging is done:

This is my most recent picture of him, taken last week. I somehow managed to take over 1,000 photos of our cats in the last two years! But I can’t help it! They are so cute!

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Photos!

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I haven’t posted photos of myself in forever because I’m usually shy about the camera. But since I’ve been making a few new friends lately, I thought I should post some updated photos. These are from yesterday. I know I always enjoy knowing who I’m talking to. 🙂

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Blind Hope – A Book Review

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Blind Hope is the story of a broken woman who rescues a blind dog. At first, Laurie believes her dog Mia is the one being rescued. However, she slowly realizes that her dog is actually the one doing the rescuing.

The great – I loved all the photos. Each chapter begins with a photograph of Mia and Laurie. The photographer deserves huge kudos as the pictures are absolutely stunning.

The good – In a world full of books which are labeled Christian but contain a watered down message, Blind Hope delivers a very strong message. Parallels are drawn between Mia’s experiences as a blind dog and Laurie’s relationship with God. The messages are Biblical and inspiring, though a bit heavy handed at times.

The not so good – I struggled to follow the sequence of events. Laurie and Mia are the main focus, yet the book is written from another author’s perspective. For example, the author tells of a ski trip she and Laurie take. During that ski trip, Laurie tells a story about her and Mia. The book is a story of a story and thus hard to follow.

Overall, it was a quick read. I was touched by the vibrant spirit of a little blind dog and wished I could have seen more of her throughout the book. Mia and Laurie learn some wonderful lessons of love, friendship, and the power of God’s forgiveness.

Thank you to WaterBrook Multnomah for providing a free copy of this book.

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Menu planning

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One of my worst homemaking skills is menu planning. I don’t know why, but I am so lacking in this area. I’m really good at shopping sales to get us great fruit every week, though I haven’t figured out how to have ripe fruit available every day.

But when it comes to menu planning, I’m… bad. Sunday afternoon generally finds me scrambling to put together some sort of a menu so that we can go grocery shopping. By Friday, we’re usually scraping the bottom of the barrel and wondering what to eat.

This week I’m going to try something different. Yes, it’s Tuesday and I haven’t gone grocery shopping yet. But I planned out a menu through Friday night and then we’ll go shopping Friday as soon as my hubby gets off work. This way I have two days to put together a comprehensive menu that covers Sabbath through the following Sunday evening. That will get us back to grocery shopping on Sundays like I prefer to do.

Wednesday – vegan mac & cheese – This is a really good recipe. I’ve made some tweaks to it, but I really like it.
Thursday – pumpkin coconut curry from a vegan cookbook
Friday – orange chicken-style tofu – Another really good recipe. I’ve made some major changes to this recipe so I’ll plan on posting mine once I figure out the last change. I’ve stopped using processed sugars while cooking, only using a bit of honey and dates. So I’m going to figure out if I can make this recipe with honey and then post it. Yum!

I’ve already put together a shopping list. Surprisingly, we already have most of what we need for each of these recipes but we’re missing a key ingredient. No bread for the mac&cheese. I might have everything for the curry. And no tofu for the orange tofu. Oops.

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Loving my family

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Today was a low productivity day, but I’m okay with that. My brother is stationed in Iraq until next summer. He was on-line this morning and really wanted to play games. We spent almost two hours playing an on-line version of Pictionary. How fun!

After he went to bed, I washed the dishes and picked up around the apartment. I spent an hour learning Japanese this afternoon and then took a nap. Hubby’s receiving emergency work calls almost every night and we’re both really tired.

So all in all it’s been a very quiet day. I’m trying to remember that relationships are more important than feeling like I’ve been productive enough. I have a hard time relaxing when I feel like I should be doing something. But taking a nap with my husband or spending some time playing games with my brother (who I won’t see for another year!) is way more important than a pristine house. Now if I can just learn how to actually relax!

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Themes vs. details

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When I read through the Bible earlier this spring, I tried to pass over the details and instead concentrate on the themes. Reading 12 pages each day does not really allow one to soak up all the details. Instead, I jotted down any specific texts or topics I wanted to come back to later.

One topic I’ve been intending to study for the past several years is death. It can be a depressing topic, I suppose. What happens when you die? Is there consciousness after death? And a more recent addition to my questions – is there any conscious existence before a man is born?

The Seventh Day Adventist church, of which I am a member, has an official position on the topic of death. However, I do think it is of vital importance for each Christian to study and know what the Bible says for themselves. I want to know that my beliefs are the same as those of the church that I attend or I may need to find another church. The only way to discover what I believe is to dig into the Bible for myself.

I started with Genesis 2:7, which talks about God creating Adam, the first man. Then I looked up all the cross references that are listed in my Bible for this text. When I finished reading all of the cross references, I moved on to the next text on my list and looked up all the cross references attached to that text. I now have 6.5 pages of notes and texts related to creation, death, and the breath of life.

I’m not yet done with this study, but I am noticing a bigger theme that just what happens when you die. God is in control. Regardless of what else I find in my study, I am relieved and hopeful because I can be confident that God is always in control.

Here are several of the verses that illustrate this.

God created man. – And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul (Genesis 2:7).

God gives to all life, breath, and all things. – God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; Neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things (Acts 17:24-25).

My soul is in God’s hand. – Who knoweth not in all these that the hand of the LORD hath wrought this? In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind (Job 12:9-10).

In God, I live and move and have my being. – For in him [God] we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring (Acts 17:28).

Praise the Lord! I can have confidence that God is in control.

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Fabric strips complete!

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I’m so excited! I finished cutting my last color of fabric this afternoon.

Here are all my lovely strips:

I’m not sure I like all of the colors together, but we’ll see how it turns out. I need to take a color theory class or read a good color theory book. Maybe then I will feel more confident picking out fabric. Oh well! Live and learn. 🙂

Now I have to figure out how I’m going to arrange the strips so that I can start sewing. Ooh, I’m so excited!

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Maybe THIS time!

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Only one more piece of fabric to cut! I’m very excited about working on this quilt and I’ve been trying to set aside time each day to make some progress.

Here’s what I worked on last night while waiting for my husband to finish a late shift:

And here’s what I completed this afternoon:

I only have one more color to cut and then I can start sewing! I’m so excited! I know I’ve caught the bug when I’m already thinking about what my next project will be… My mom and I need to keep working on our Hazel’s Diary quilt and I need to continue working on the quilt for my grandparents. My goal is to have it shipped up to Wyoming by Christmas.

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I was optimistic in thinking that I’d get to start sewing blocks for my new quilt early this week! It seems my time tables are usually optimistic and that I need to allow more time to complete things. Either that, or I need to seriously curtail my internet time… Hmmm.

Here are the strips I cut yesterday. The picture didn’t quite capture the color, but I think it’s a wonderful shade of pink. I wish I had bought extra to use in a later quilt that I’ll be keeping!

I think I’ll take my own advice and get off the internet, as I still have some studying to do. Maybe later I’ll have time to cut the next piece of fabric into strips. Only three colors left to go until I can start sewing. I can’t wait!

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Bible in 90 Days

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Bible in 90 Days- join in July 2010

I am very excited that the Bible in 90 Days program is starting up again. If you haven’t signed up yet, it’s not too late to join! The reading starts today but there are also two grace days built into the schedule.

Reading the Bible through so quickly is challenging but very rewarding. Sometimes it’s difficult to read the Bible for 45 minutes to an hour each day, especially during some of the “hard” books like Leviticus and Numbers. But reading so quickly gave me a new perspective on how God has worked throughout history. It shows how God has had His hand guiding His people. It’s really amazing to see that the God who created and taught Adam is the same God who protected His people during the 40 years of wandering. That is also the same God who guided David and the judges during Israel’s rocky history.

I’m not reading the entire Bible during this 90 day period but I am going to be doing some intense Bible study. I have a list of questions from my last read through and I want to try to answer some of those during this 90 day challenge. I’m also looking forward to the opportunity of praying for and encouraging some of the participants.

I cannot recommend this challenge enough. If you have never read through the entire Bible, please prayerfully consider joining. It will be a worthwhile experience!

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