Certain uncertainty...

Appetizer How much money do you plan to spend this upcoming holiday season? Our budget is really tight this year, but was always pay cash for Christmas. See, Mom, I did learn something! Soup What was the last television show you watched, and was it good? I watched The Unit online yesterday evening. Yes, it was very good. Salad If you had to paint the walls of your living room tomorrow, what color would you choose? I would go with a nice sage. I have a thing from green these days. Alas, we are stuck with Dover White. Main Course Name something clever or practical you have thought of that should be invented, but hasn’t yet. I had an idea for something the other day, but it has totally left me. Dessert List 3 things you would like to receive as gifts this upcoming holiday season. 1) The King Arthur Flour Whole Grains Baking cookbook. I checked it out from the library and am completely enamored of it. I looked for some of the recipes online, but no such luck. 2) Visits from family....

I am back in the saddle this week. Beginning with a Feast, and another few posts browning in the oven... Appetizer What is your favorite fruit? I love love love fruit. I would rather have fruit that chocolate! Blueberries are a long time favorite. Mom tells a story about going to a pick-your-own blueberry farm with me when I was around 18 months old. She parked at the end of a row and put me in the back of the car with the tailgate open, giving me some toys to pass the time. When she went back to check on me, I was out of the car, sitting beneath a bush, and shoving ripe blueberries into my mouth as fast as I could pick them. Soup Who is someone you consider as a great role model? Just one? I'd have to go with my dad. He has overcome such adversity in his life, and never cried, "Poor me." Dad just takes what's handed to him and keeps plugging away. Salad If you were to spend one night anywhere within an hour of your home, where would you choose? Wow, I ha...

Appetizer What do you consider to be the ultimate snack food? I cannot narrow it down to one, so I have to go with one sweet and one savory. Sweet- grapes; I love how they start out ho-hum and then literally burst in my mouth. Savory- I am a hummus junkie; garlicky, lemony, garbanzo bean-y hummus. Soup On a scale of 1 to 10 (with 10 as highest), about how popular is your last name? I would go pretty low for both my maiden name and my married name. Perhaps 1.5 for my married name and 2 for my maiden name? Salad Who is your all-time favorite sitcom character, and why? Gosh, I am drawing blanks this week. Right now I will go with Karen from Will and Grace . That annoying voice and the constant stream of alcohol and prescription narcotics always proved an interesting mix. A somewhat less vulgar Patsy Stone , if you will. Main Course Do you shop online? If so, name some sites you like to browse for goodies. Does a wild bear live in the woods? Yes, I shop online. Amazon , Lands...

Appetizer Name something you think is “the best.” Fisher's Popcorn is the best snack food. Ever. Soup On a scale of 1 to 10 (with 10 highest), how stressed are you today? Today was a 9.8 all the way. Fortunately, I have a super-understanding husband who lets me vent and gives me time to get over myself. Yay Jon! Salad What kind of cleanser do you use to wash your face? Until one week ago, when my eyelids swelled up, it was ProActiv . Now I am using Neutrogena . Anyone want some Proactiv? I have two unopened cleansers, and one each of the toner and repairing lotion. Ugh... Main Course Tonight is a blue moon ! What is something that you believe only happens “once in a blue moon.” Once in a blue moon I can get one over on my husband. Maybe. He's pretty quick-witted. Dessert When was the last time it rained where you live? I don't remember, but it has been a couple months. This is the Mojave, after all. We are actually coming up on our "monsoon season" in ...

Appetizer Name a sound you like to hear. My Jonathan playing his guitar and singing from the front room. I love to go to sleep to that sound. Soup What is your favorite kind of cheese? Hard to choose. These days I am all about lovely tangy goat cheese. Salad Do you sleep late on Saturday mornings? Why or why not? Nope. I try to lead a well-ordered life. I can get so much done in the morning. I am usually up at 5:30 or 6:00 at the latest. I like to have all the grocery shopping done by 9:30. Main Course When was the last time you forgot something? What was it, and how long did it take to remember it? I totally forgot my wallet this morning and didn't discover it until I wanted to get a sandwich for Jon's lunch. Oops! Dessert Fill in the blank: I notice ____________ when _____________. I notice scents when I have a headache. I think my sense of smell must be just this side of mutant, I tell you! You too can dine here .

"Until you settle the issue of your own worth, it's impossible to bring holiness into anyone else's life. Until you understand that your worth is already determined by the fact of your birth, everything else is an exercise in propping up a dying tree." ~ Carol Brazo ~ "No Ordinary Home" Worth is something other than value. I am valued by my husband as a wife, by my church as a servant, by my boss as an employee. My value is determined by those around me. I would venture to say that I am more valuable to my husband as a wife than I am to API as an employee. Value is determined by those around me. But what am I worth ? MY worth exists independently of what I do. Worth is about who I am. More importantly, worth is about who I am becoming through Christ. Because, truly? I am worthless; I am the product of a fallen creation, a dirty sinner who is helpless; I am the opposite of worthy. The issue of my own worth is this: I am un worthy. ...

It is that time again. I am very thankful that this work week is drawing to a close-- next week will hopefully have a slightly less frenetic pace. Appetizer How fast can you type? Not very fast, I am afraid. The last time I was tested, it was 55 wpm. I confess that I am a self-taught typist, as the typing classes in school always conflicted with art or music classes. Soup What is your favorite online game? Zuma! I am a recovering Chicken Invaders addict as well. Salad On a scale of 1 to 10 (with 10 as highest), how intelligent do you think you are? I am not comfortable with this question, and I shall refrain from answering. Main Course Name three of your best teachers from your school years. 1) Dr Singh was my high school Latin and Greek teacher. She the all-time best teacher I have ever had, and probably ever wil have. No nonsense, no excuses, no class too small. Doc gave up her morning planning to teach us Greek, and she gave up her lunch hour to teach four of us AP Latin; ...

Appetizer What is your favorite kind of bread? Um, I am a bread fanatic. Lately, I have been trying to perfect a beautiful milk bread recipe. My next loaves will be semolina bread, though. Growing up, my favorite was Mom's onion bread. Soup When was the last time you bought a new pillow? About six or eight months ago. Before that, I am too embarrassed to admit. Salad Approximately how many hours per week do you spend surfing the ‘net? Twenty hours? Could be more, but that would depend on what I am doing at work. I think I need to channel some of that surfing time into sewing time. Main Course What’s the highest you remember your temperature being? I really cannot say for sure, but I do remember 102.5 once. A very sick girl, was I. Dessert Fill in the blanks: When I ____________, I _____________. When I laugh, I sometimes snort. Come dine with us here .

Appetizer When you were a child, which crayon color was your favorite? Cornflower was always the smallest crayon in my box. I used it pretty much to the exclusion of all other blues. Soup On a scale of 1 to 10 (with 10 being highest), how likely would you be to change jobs if it required you to move? I would have to put this on the very low end of the scale, perhaps 2, because there is more to be considered than my employment. Jon's career path somewhat limits us geographically (not too many openings for sound engineers in Small Town Anywhere, USA) Salad Take all the numbers in your birthday and your phone number and add them up, one by one. What’s the total? 79 with area code. Main Course Have you ever “re-gifted” anything? If so, what was it and who did you pass it on to? I don't think I have. I cannot remember, and even if I could, I don't think I would choose my blog as confession point. Too great a risk of hurt feelings. Dessert Name something you need from th...

Appetizer When you travel, which mode of transportation do you prefer? I actually am happy in the car(front seat). We tend to fly a lot, though, as time is usually a factor. Soup Have you ever met a blogging friend in person? Nope, cannot say that I have. I have met in-person friends on blogs, though. Salad When was the last time you were really, really tired? This week I am emotionally and mentally tired, but physically? That would probably be the last Habitat house I worked on. Sometime last year. Main Course If you could have dinner with any one fictional character from a book or movie, who would it be? This one really tripped me up, because I am having difficulty deciding on only one. I think it would have to be Henry Fleming from The Red Badge of Courage . Dessert Fill in the blank: One day, I hope to see _______________. One day, I hope to see Mt Fuji . Come dine with us here .

"At the heart of the story stands the cross of Christ where evil did its worst and met its match." ~ John Wenham ~ Holy Week has always drawn my heart. Even as a child, I was fascinated- first by the contrasts. I can remember asking my mother how people could change their minds so quickly. Palm Sunday's lauding crowds so quickly became an angry mob. How could this happen? How could these people not see? Mom's answer was that the road into Jerusalem simply had to lead to the Cross . It couldn't happen any other way, or we would have no hope. I didn't fully comprehend for years- heck, I don't know that I do even now. Everything points to the Cross, and that colors everything I read in Scripture. I have a Messianic friend who insists that to understand the New Testament, I must read with a Jewish sensibility. I must respectfully disagree with this assertion-- while reading...

Jon and I have been married just over four years. I wouldn't have thought I could grow too much, but thinking about Christine's questions helped me realize that I don't really know that girl anymore. I was not exactly a kid when we married, but I was far from prepared to share my life and all that entails. I can remember our pre-marital counselor telling us that we "just made the cut" for age and success rates or something like that. At the time, I was probably rolling my eyes (on the inside)- I was twenty-seven years old, after all! My mother married at twenty, and my younger brother was making snarky comments about Jon maybe being my only chance. As far as I was concerned, I was getting long in the tooth. Yeah, the age thing-- not really convinced that helps much. We were statistically old enough, but no more "ready" than anyone else. The funniest part is that, no matter what my expectations were, they were way off base. Whatever I thought abou...

Appetizer What are you proud of? Wow, this is a tough one for an appetizer. I am proud to be a small, tiny part of the work we are doing at Gracepoint Church. Does that count? Thing is, it really isn't "us" so much as it is Christ in us... Soup What is the best thing you’ve ever won as a prize? I am not a person who wins things, as a general rule. When I was in school and there were specific competitions, I had a better track record. I remember participating in the Duke TIP in jr high. Since we couldn't afford for me to go to their summer camp, they sent me some pretty cool books. Oh, man, my nerd alarm is going off right now... Salad Name something you do that is a waste of time. I am often found on the time suck that is YouTube . Oh yeah, and I will play Chicken Invaders until my wrist is throbbing. Main Course In what year of your life did you change the most? 2003. Married in December of 02 and moved 2800 miles away ten months later. Dessert Where is...

Appetizer Who is your favorite news anchor/reporter? Why? Well, he is no longer an anchor, but I admit to having a teensy weensy cruch on Tony Snow . Does that count? Soup Name 3 foods that are currently in your freezer. Edamame, pineapple juice concentrate, English muffins. Salad If you were to have the opportunity to name a new town or city, what would you call it? Happydale. It sounds like an asylum, but I like it. Main Course What will most likely be the next book you read? That is easy: City of God , as it is next on my reading list. Dessert What's the first thing you notice about the opposite gender? Wow, this question totally touched a pet peeve of mine. Gender is masculine, feminine, or neuter; Sex is male or female. Gender is for words or a set of characteristics; sex is a biological designation for people, plants, or animals. So, what I notice about gender is that I need to make sure my adjectives agree with my nouns. (In Latin class, that is). What I notice about...

This is it until next week. I am going to abstain from unnecessary internet this weekend. I have lots of sewing to do and I want to spend some time with Jonathan sans computer. Oh yeah, and we are going to see Spamalot on Saturday-- super yay!! Appetizer Name two things that made you smile this week. Trying to bust my boss for sneaking a cigarette and instead catching him sneaking a peek at someones girlie mag stash. He actually blushed. Walking through Sam's club with Jon-- it's like color commentary for life. Soup Fill in the blank: Don't you hate it when ________? You have just gotten tucked in all comfy to bed with a good book and then realize that the front door is not locked? Salad When you can't go to sleep, what is your personal remedy to help yourself drift into Lullabyland? If it is really bad, I get up and iron. Otherwise, I simply close my eyes and listen to the cricket scores on BBC radio. Main Course What is something about which you've always won...

Katrina is hosting another reading challenge , and I am ready with my list: When I Don't Desire God (John Piper) I have been "meaning to" get to this one for quite some time. Crimes Against Logic (Jamie Whyte) Sitting on my bookshelf for way too long Nineteen Minutes (Jodi Picoult) Because I need one more thing to make me cry. City of God (Augustine of Hippo) Ashamed to say how long this one has sat on my shelf. (Through four moves) The Twelve Caesars (Suetonius) Two of my favorites: history and classics. What could be better. The Aeneid (Virgil) In English this time. Der Steppenwolf (Herman Hesse) I missed this one in school. We read Siddhartha instead. As I Lay Dying (William Faulkner) Love love love him. The House of the Seven Gables (Hawthorne) This is mostly because I never could stand his work when I was younger. I am going to try again, with fifteen years under my belt. Ok, they are now out there for anyone to see.

Saving time + Saving Money = Happy Bass Player's Wife. Pardon me for being excited about something so silly, but I am tickled to death that I can get milk delivered to my door each week. And by milk, I do mean hormone free, cold filtered, very very fresh milk . This means that I can eliminate at least two trips to TJ's each month, and any time I can save that time and money, I am a happy girl. Now Winder's is just in our area (Las Vegas and Southern Utah), but check out this page to find a milkman in your area (Continental US only, I am afraid). (Diamond Organics delivers nationwide, but they are a little spendy for me.) So, in this week of a kitchen WFMW , I give y'all the milkmen, not dead at all. Head over to Shannon's and see what works for others .

Appetizer Where on your body do you have a scar, and what caused it? I have several, but the worst is on my left knee. When I was thirteen or so, I thought it would be fun to skate down the hill. It was about a 7% grade. Ok, maybe it wasn't quite THAT steep, but it was steep. So, I fell and ruined my favorite paisley jeans (it was the late 80's, okay?) and was picking asphalt out of my leg for hours. It is a reminder of one of my less though-out adventures. Soup What is something that has happened to you that you would consider a miracle? Rolled my car when I was nineteen and had only a small bruise on my ankle. And some shock. But the car was upside down and ten feet away from being wrapped around a tree. Salad Name a television personality who really gets on your nerves. Kate Couric, Joy Behar, anyone who uses the non-word " irregardless " or " that" instead of "who " Main Course What was a funny word you said as a child (such as "pas...

Appetizer What was your very first job with a paycheck? I worked at Chick-Fil-A. What a great company for a teenager-- Sundays off and scholarships. Before that, it was lots and lots of babysitting. Soup Did you ever lose something really important to you? Last year, some crackhead broke into our place and stole a bunch of DVD's and some of my jewelry. Among the jewelry stolen was a diamond necklace which belonged to my great grandmother McLellan. It still upsets me that whoever stole it got probably $20 bucks for it. It didn't have much monetary value, but it is irreplaceable to me. Salad What is the best Christmas present you ever received? I know it is silly, but my father always took the time to buy something small for each of us, something he alone picked out. One particular year, he gave me a really nice Paul Mitchell paddle brush that I had been wanting but couldn't really justify buying (it was a $30 hairbruch, for cryin' out loud!). Just know ing that my ...