Written Treasures

Weekend Wanderings

December 10, 2011

I keep wanting to blog, but laptop troubles and lack of sleep keep getting in my way.

My poor laptop is having a hard time deciding whether it wants to charge or not. I thought it was the battery, but a new battery didn’t help. Now I’m wondering if it’s the adapter. Thursday it simply refused to turn on, at all. After Josh took apart the adapter and cleaned it, it runs as long as the adapter is plugged in. If it gets knocked out or tapped or bumped even slightly, the computer jumps into standby mode immediately.

Clumsy me plus three little ones means that it shuts off often. If you have any ideas of possible fixes, please let me know. I’d prefer not to have to get a new adapter, but that would definitely beat buying a new computer!

Photo by Jakub Krechowicz

Baby Daisy has also decided to start getting up in the night all of a sudden and the last couple of nights I’ve been so tired I went to bed very early (like 8 o’clock Thursday night!) instead of staying up to blog.

Since it’s shaping up to be a fun but busy weekend, rather than actually blogging about anything, here are a few articles from around the blogosphere that encouraged me this week:

Women, Stop Submitting to Men Men as heads of their homes have been given a bad rap. Images of domineering men cowing women perhaps come to mind. But a twisted, perverted sort of patriarchy flourishes in our modern culture. A “patriarchy” that demands instant gratification without wanting to pay the price of commitment.

In the traditional Church calendar, December 25th is simply the first day of the season of Christmas, which lasts for 12 days ending with Epiphany. Passionate Homemaking shares wonderful ideas for blessing your husband with 12 Days of Christmas. The author starts on December 13th and works up to Christmas Day. You could also start on Christmas Day and celebrate the traditional 12 Day of Christmas.

I have learned so much from Blogging with Amy (in both blogging and life.) She’s so authentic and helpful. Her post this week What Are You Avoiding? And How? was inspiring. For me, I know I’m avoiding a task if I start hunting for chocolate.

Amy’s Finer Things (another lovely blog from an Amy!) linked to this great post: Breastfeeding Bullies. What a wonderful reminder! Even though something (whether it be nursing or a certain school or food or gifts) may be best for my family, doesn’t mean it’s best for yours. God has given us principles that we should all follow, like “love your children,” but the methods can vary widely!

Have a wonderful weekend and blessed Sunday!

Tagged with: weekend wanderings

Sing at Your Work

November 4, 2011

photo by Kay Pat

“[God] loves to have his servants sing at their work, it proclaims him a good Master”

~ Matthew Henry

College while Cleaning: or learning on the go

June 16, 2010

If there were one household duty I would gladly resign, it would be ironing. Since entrusting a three year old with a hot iron probably isn’t such a brilliant idea, I think I’m stuck with the job [except on those mornings when my already over-worked husband wakes up to find not a single ironed shirt in his closet.]

That’s one of the reasons I love modern technology. While steadily conquering that pile of shirts, there are so many wonderful free things to listen to.

Librivox.org- Volunteers from around the world have combined forces to provide free audio versions of numerous works in the public domain. Recordings range from poetry and fiction to politics and science. Since done completely on a volunteer basis there is a wide range of recording quality, but many are simply outstanding. Wile away the hours with Homer’s Iliad, Psmith in the City by P.G. Wodehouse, Austen’s Emma or Chesterton’s Ballad of the White horse.

Plus, if you have a microphone (even the one on the computer will work) you can add to the collection…

Lectures- There is just so much wonderful information on the web! Peter Kreeft’s lectures are fascinating, even if I disagree with much of them. Nearly any area of possible interest has down-loadable lectures.

Teaching Company Lectures- This company has made some of the finest professors from the most distinguished schools available to all of us. The topics range from literature to calculus to the history of the Supreme Court.

In fact, Joshua and I both did much of our studying for college via these recorded lectures then testing out of the class. Nothing like listening to college courses while washing dishes!

My absolute favorite are by Timothy Taylor on Economics. Yeah, I know, supposedly a rather dry topic; but he made it so interesting that even my 8 and 11 year old siblings were begging to dry dishes so they could finish the lecture…that’s pretty impressive! (These are incredibly expensive but many local libraries have a huge collection.)

Pandora.com- This site is amazing: customizable radio at your fingertips. Create an account and pick the genre of music you want played. As you listen rate the songs with a “thumbs up” or “thumbs down” and voila! it generates personalized selections.

Sermons- There are several databases of compiled sermons like sermonindex and sermonaudio. Many churches have their own websites as well that allow you to download the weekly message.

And, of course, there are Podcasts on just about every imaginable topic from grammar tips to “all things baby“.

What do you do to make ironing (or other household duties) more enjoyable?

part of Frugal Friday at Life as Mom

photo by Allan Sorensen

Tagged with: college • librivox

Just Obey

June 13, 2010

In her book Second Mile People, Isobel Kuhn described an acquaintance’s business like acceptance of God’s commands. An acceptance that stands in stark contrast to the way I try to wiggle my way out of simple obedience.

“…When he received instruction…he accepted it explicitly for just what it said… not… in the dubious manner in which many modern Christians approach God’s Book of Instructions:

“He did not eye it all over, then say to himself, ‘I wonder if this really did come from the Boss! Just as likely as not it is a forgery by his secretary, though why for the life of me I cannot think! But I had better be very careful about this and investigate it thoroughly before proceeding to obey.’

“Nor did he receive it in a second favorite attitude, ‘It doubtless is from the Boss, sounds like him. But how very drastic! ….It must not quite mean what it says. Now let me see, how could we interpret this to make it more plausible?’“

“Nor did he adopt a third even more popular plan, ‘Oh dear! This looks rather disagreeable ; guess I’d better not read it very carefully… it is just as well to be a little ignorant. One can always say then that one was ignorant.’”

What convicting inspiration to just obey!

photo by Colin Brough

Tagged with: book review • matters of the heart • real life inspiration

Creation and Evolution

April 14, 2010

In his spell-binding book Notes From The Tilt-A-Whirl N.D. Wilson breaks the “origin beliefs” down into three categories:

Something inanimate evolved into all that we see today: i.e. evolution
A Higher Power created the world from some inanimate matter: i.e. the earth is really part of the defeated god _____ (fascinating, but not a good bedtime story)
A Higher Power created the world from nothing: i.e. Scriptural Creation

Whatever your worldview, it falls into one of the three categories (unless of course you believe that we aren’t really here, but that presents dilemmas all its own.)

Each worldview makes demands of us: requiring wonder, hope and faith. Focusing on the first and last…

Evolution evokes wonder: the world and all we see, touch and feel was once primordial goo. That goo, thanks to indefatigable Chance and billions of years evolved in form and became flowers, birds and thinking man. Amazing!

Scriptural Creation evokes wonder: in just six days, God spoke those flowers and birds and man into existence. Amazing!

Evolution encourages hope: just as man evolved from monkeys, someday the upward progression will emerge with a fitter species and we will evolve emotionally, physically or mentally into better beings (unless we deplete the ozone layer first, of course.)

Scriptural Creation encourages hope: though man sinned against the Creator and pushed Paradise from our grasp, God sent His Son to restore hope of a coming perfect world.

Evolution demands faith: None of us have ever watched a stone transformed into a cat. (If you have, document it. I’m sure you’d win a Nobel Peace Prize) The millions of dollars and decades spent trying to recreate evolution have hardly provided compelling proof that modern stones can become cats (to the relief of our over-crowded humane societies). Even the ancient trees of the forest are too young to remember it happening in the beginning.

Scriptural Creation demands faith: Spoken words are hard to trace. Alas, tape recorders weren’t invented until Creation was long over. We have to trust a Story: the WORD made flesh.

Either worldview will shape your life. Both cannot be true. As for me, creation sings that there is a Creator. That He is God.

Photo by Revati Upadhya

(Full disclosure: The links to products in this post are my referral links.)

Tagged with: book review • creation