Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Wittenberg Academy

There is a new on-line Classical Lutheran High School that is set to begin in the fall of 2012.  It is Wittenberg Academy.  Check it out, pray for it, pass the word along, and consider enrolling your student(s) for one or two or for all classes.

From their website:


About Wittenberg Academy

Mission: Provide the best in classical Lutheran education for today's high school students through online delivery.
What makes us different from other online classical education institutions? We are unabashadly Lutheran, meaning all of our classes are grounded in the Sola's- Grace Alone, Faith Alone, Scripture Alone, Christ Alone.
luther glass rose

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Fasting

Does any other Thanksgiving cook think the day before should be a fasting day?

With a head full of when to get the turkey done, the pies and rolls baked, the salads prepared, the vegetables peeled and cooked, when is the cook supposed to think about, let alone have time to prepare, meals for the family to eat the day before?

Instead, let us just get good and hungry for the beautiful feast by not eating the day before.  Think it will work?  I can't discuss it anymore, I have family hollering for something to eat for dinner - gotta go.

Monday, November 21, 2011

Smoke

I love NASCAR. Tony Stewart is my favorite driver.  I've known him since 7th grade and it thrills me to no end that he is so successful at what he has loved to do his whole life.

I am overjoyed that he won the Sprint Cup title this year - his third - and he did it in an absolutely amazing race that came down to the wire.

I wish I could have watched it, but I don't have cable tv.  Plus I was gone for most of the race due to other obligations.  However I was on pins and needles listening to it on the radio for the last 37 laps when I got home.

Way to go Smoke!  Thanks for an incredibly exciting Race for the Chase.  Congratulations on winning the Championship!


Picture from The Associated Press

Saturday, November 19, 2011

Home Free

Last week David was the guest speaker at the Fall Banquet Fundraiser at the Lutheran High School he attended.  The entertainment was Home Free Vocal Band.  They are very good.  They are five guys without instruments who sing.  Their stage presence and jokes are very well done and it it amazed us how the one who "plays drums" creates those sounds.

Here is a video of them singing at a corporate convention earlier this year.



I bought one of their albums and all of us have thoroughly enjoyed an original piece, How Nice I Really Am, otherwise known as the stalker song.

Friday, November 18, 2011

Happy Hops Hobby for Hubby

My husband used to brew beer when we lived in another state.  Then we moved here and it seemed like life got in the way of his hobby, although he tried a time or two over the past eight years.  One time the taste wasn't the greatest, although it was perfect to cook with, and another time, just last year, the yeast was a bit too active and exploded the top off the five gallon primary fermenter.

Life hasn't gotten any slower, if anything it seems to have gotten busier.  Most likely just because of the extra business, David wanted to try brewing again.  I was glad to help.  So a week ago we brewed a batch of Dunkelweizen, and put it into the the primary fermenter.  This time we put it into a glass carboy with a tube fitted for the blow-off to prevent last year's mess and heartache.

Last night we moved the brew into the secondary fermenter.


And in about a week we'll bottle it where it will sit for a few weeks before we enjoy our labors.  I'm quite happy to help my hubby with this hops hobby.

Cake

Here are the pictures from Sam's birthday supper last Friday.

The cake was made by Hannah and Nathan.  They did a great job!  Uncle Matt is my husband's brother.  His birthday is the same day.  That means that my fifth child and my mother-in-law's fifth child were both born on the same day.



Sam told me earlier in the day that he hoped he would get lots of Legos.  Fortunately for him - everyone got him just that!
I was trying a different setting on my camera - apparently one I shouldn't use again!

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Two Sides

I just finished reading Over the Earth I Come The Great Sioux Uprising of 1862 by Duane Schultz.  Before reading, I knew little about the events that took place that year.  How the Sioux Indians were mis-treated, how the revolt began, and how cruel the Indians were in their slaughter of the white settlers in the area.  I had heard of some of the names prior to reading, Little Crow,  Governor Ramsey,  Henry Sibley, and many of the places, New Ulm, Mankato,  Fort Ridgely, Fort Snelling for example.

But what I'm more astonished with than my new knowledge of this piece of history is that the author, in my opinion, did a very good job showing how all sides were guilty of wrong.  I came away from reading this not liking many of the people's actions and very saddened that there was very little forgiveness on either side.  Revenge and the way one looks to one's people (either white or Indian) very much guided the actions of the day.

Mistrust, arguments, fighting always contain two sides and it was nice to read a book that presented both and didn't try to justify the actions of one side over the other.

Friday, November 11, 2011

9 on 11-11-11

Our youngest is 9 today!

He picked cinnamon rolls for breakfast:



For lunch he picked chicken wings and mac-n-cheese:

His supper choice is corn dogs, baked beans, and either Doritos or Cheetos.  Hannah and Nathan are decorating his cake and I'm making the homemade ice-cream.  We'll be ready by 6pm because Sam wanted his Grandpa and Grandma, Aunt, Uncle, and cousins, plus a family from church to celebrate with him.  I'll have pictures of the festivities after the evening is over.

Wednesday, November 09, 2011

How Far I've Come

When I first met my husband we were students at Concordia River Forest.  At Thanksgiving break our junior year, I went with him to his home to meet his family.  I distinctly remember feeling quite annoyed that all his family did was talk theology.  "Enough already" I thought.

Fast forward 20 years to tonight.  I'm sitting with my beloved spouse, enjoying a glass of Rosso and listening to President Harrison's report at the Ft. Wayne Seminary and then to his sermon preached on Reformation Sunday.  And I don't think "enough already," I think, "how beautiful."

Sola Deo Gratia!

Friday, November 04, 2011

October Happenings

I downloaded pictures from my camera and found several that will give you a glimpse into what happened in our home during October.

Our eldest turned 16:
Emily loves her Hannah

Instead of cake, she requested Fruit Pizza, her favorite dessert.  Grandpa and Grandma came over to enjoy as well as her uncle and aunt and cousins.



These two sisters get along very well.  For that I am very grateful.


Our church had to replace the roof on the bell tower several years ago.  In doing so, the cross had to be taken down and couldn't be put up again due to the shape of the new steel roof.  Well, finally a new one was put back and I was able to take pictures of the work in progress.


I'm always amazed how God provides.  All the people you see working on the cross are members of our congregation and own the equipment being used.

Last Halloween, Hannah and Ellie decided they were going to sew LOTR costumes for everyone for this year's trick-or-treat festivities.  They did.  No patterns were used.  They simply looked at a picture from the internet and began stitching.  Everything except Abby's skirt was sewn.

Abby as Rosie Cotton, Ellie as Eown, Nathan as SamWise, Hannah as Arowyn, and Sam as Frodo

David and I went to a Murder Mystery Dinner at a friend's home.  We, too, dressed up, had fun solving the mystery.
David as Asthmaedeus, Prince of Dimness, me as Glumda, the Wicked Witch of Depressed