Providence

PROV'IDENCE, n. [L. providentia.]
1. The act of providing or preparing for future use or application. Providence for war is the best prevention of it. [Now little used.]

2. Foresight; timely care; particularly, active foresight, or foresight accompanied with the procurement of what is necessary for future use, or with suitable preparation. How many of the troubles and perplexities of life proceed from want of providence!

3. In theology, the care and superintendence which God exercises over his creatures. He that acknowledges a creation and denies a providence, involves himself in a palpable contradiction; for the same power which caused a thing to exist is necessary to continue its existence. Some persons admit a general providence,but deny a particular providence, not considering that a general providence consists of particulars. A belief in divine providence, is a source of great consolation to good men. By divine providence is often understood God himself.

4. Prudence in the management of one's concerns or in private economy.

-- From Noah Webster's 1828 Dictionary

#3 is certainly my favorite of the four definitions, and I was witness to that kind of "particular providence" yesterday. It "just so happened" that I was given a sermon on CD on Monday night. I popped it into the CD player on my way to the grocery store yesterday morning, and was richly fed by our elder Tom's exposition of John 11:1-46. That passage contains the story of Lazarus' death and Jesus' subsequent interactions with Mary and Martha (and later, Lazarus). The overriding theme of the sermon was that Jesus demonstrated perfect love and perfect authority in his actions and interactions concerning these three friends, and in his act of raising Lazarus . One thing that stuck with me is that the word used for Jesus' grief at Lazarus' tomb can also be used to mean anger or agitation. Some commentators suggest that Christ was righteously angry to see the effects of sin and death coming to bear on his close friend. Although He came to abolish that death, his friends felt the loss of their brother keenly and He wept with them.

The themes of the sermon came back to me as I visited Linda and her family in the afternoon. I was only there for a short time, but looking on Linda's face, I was grieved and almost angry to see her still fighting for her life. I was angry at death to be torturing her so, and I longed for her to be free of her disease-ridden body...quickly. God granted her freedom from her mortal body in the evening. What a relief it must have been for her to go to her eternal home.

In so many ways, God's perfect authority and love in unison were demonstrated through Linda's life and death. In the way He provided this teaching for me yesterday, God's perfect authority and love were demonstrated to me. Nothing is an accident.

"Some persons admit a general providence,but deny a particular providence, not considering that a general providence consists of particulars. A belief in divine providence, is a source of great consolation to good men."

Home

Linda went home to the Lord tonight. We will miss her but we are so happy for her.

Haste thee on from grace to glory,
Armed by faith, and winged by prayer.
Heaven’s eternal days before thee,
God’s own hand shall guide thee there.
Soon shall close thy earthly mission,
Soon shall pass thy pilgrim days,
Hope shall change to glad fruition,
Faith to sight, and prayer to praise.

She is finally praising face to face the One who made the birds, flowers, and people she loved so dearly.

For Linda

Holy Sonnet X
by John Donne

Death, be not proud, though some have called thee
Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so;
For those whom thou think'st thou dost overthrow,
Die not, poor Death, nor yet canst thou kill me.
From rest and sleep, which but thy pictures be,
Much pleasure; then from thee much more must flow,
And soonest our best men with thee do go,
Rest of their bones, and soul's delivery.
Thou art slave to fate, chance, kings, and desperate men,
And dost with poison, war, and sickness dwell;
And poppy or charms can make us sleep as well
And better than thy stroke; why swell'st thou then?
One short sleep past, we wake eternally,
And death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die.

Our brave friend Linda continues her battle with ovarian cancer. Please pray for her and the family.

Overheard

Kelly and boys walking out of Food Lion.

Cashier: Ma'am? You forgot your groceries.
Kelly (blushing): Sorry, I try to just not forget the children.

If Women Ruled the World

This made me laugh...especially the speedometer!

Two-movie weekend

I saw two movies this weekend, and they are both "new," meaning they've been released in the last year. That's huge for me.

Friday night, David and I finally rented the newest version of Pride and Prejudice. I have a few comments...

• You must understand, first of all, that we are used to (a) the book, and (b) the six-hour A&E production. So this version felt WAY too FAST! Everybody was talking a mile a minute and it left so little time for...subtlety. And Lizzie and Darcy need the time for subtlety. Also, the longer version really gives you the feeling that the Bennett girls are just... waiting...for the right man to come along. Because they are! With the new version I just felt like I was on a trip around the world in a high-speed plane or something. I think if I didn't know the story, I would have had a hard time following it.


• Dame Judy Dench is a fantastic Lady Catherine. She made me afraid to marry Darcy!


• The guy playing Darcy was really good, and (hold your breath now) I liked him better than Colin Firth in a few scenes (ducking). He was more believable as a "misunderstood" Darcy...he showed some shyness and even smiled in a few scenes. That is my major complaint with the A&E version...Darcy DOES NOT SMILE ONCE until the screen is about to go black! Jane Austen's Darcy smiles.


• Keira Knightley is TOO PRETTY to play Elizabeth Bennett. She just is. Sorry.

There were a few "paying homage" moments that I liked...Darcy's second proposal, when he says "you have bewitched me, body and soul," seems to echo a line from Jane Austen's Persuasion...."you pierce my soul." And one shot of Mrs. Bennett lying on the settee with a plate resting on her stomach (before Bingley and Darcy's entrance) was the exact pose that Mr. Hearst strikes in A&E's version.

Anyway, there were some nice moments but in general I felt like I was being rushed through a wonderful story. In fact, when David woke up this morning he said, "I still have a headache."


Today I attended a showing of Amazing Grace with some friends from church. It is the story of William Wilberforce, the man primarily responsible for ending the slave trade in Great Britain. What a story of perseverance under extreme persecution! I would heartily recommend a reading of the many biographies available of Wilberforce, because the movie glosses over his main reason for enduring the way he did -- namely, his faith. He was passionate about ending slavery because he believed man was made in the image of God. He was passionate about his politics because he believed that God had placed him in that time and place for that purpose.

Anyway, it wasn't surprising that Hollywood skipped that part...in general the movie was well done. Albert Finney plays a wonderful John Newton and had me choked up for most of his scenes.

All in all I think America benefits when movies like this are produced, because they provide admirable portraits. I hope that many people will walk out feeling the way I did, that they want to learn more about the people in the story and how much of the story is accurate the way it was portrayed onscreen.

Chicken Enchiladas

Here's my recipe for Chicken Enchiladas...

Chicken (for amount, see below)
1 C. chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 16-oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 8-oz can tomato sauce
1 4-oz can green chilies
1 t. cumin
1/2 t. oregano
1/2 t. salt
3 C. mexican cheese (I've used Colby Jack, Monterey Jack, or a mixture), divided use
1 1/2 C. sour cream, divided use
10-12 tortillas

Cook a buncha chicken. I usually do about 4 large breasts or the equivalent off of a cooked whole chicken. Shred the cooked meat.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large skillet and add onion and garlic. Saute for 3-5 minutes. Stir in undrained tomatoes and tomato sauce. Add chilies. Stir in cumin, oregano, and salt and simmer for about 30 minutes.

Spoon all but 1/2 C. of the sauce into a bowl and add the chicken, 2 cups of cheese, and 1 cup of sour cream. Mix thorougly.

Now comes the messy part.

To make the enchiladas, first place a tortilla flat in the sauce (still in the skillet and probably still hot, so watch your fingers!) and mush it around so the one (facedown) side is covered in sauce. Spoon about 1/2 C of filling into the tortilla, roll up, and place seam side down in a greased 9x13 pan. Line the enchiladas up so they're touching each other. When all the filling is gone, or all the tortillas are gone (hopefully at the same time!), pour the sauce from the skillet over the top of the enchiladas and bake at 325 degrees for 20 minutes. Spread the remaining sour cream and cheese on top and bake for another 10 minutes.

I have also used less chicken and added black beans, rice, or both to fill up the enchiladas.

Mothers of the Wise and Good

Mrs. Hannah Woodd and Rev. Basil Woodd

Rev. Basil Woodd was an influential member of the Church of England around the turn of the 19th century. He was raised by his mother, Hannah. His father died the January before his birth in August 1760.

The afflictive circumstance of her husband's death, nevertheless, proved an eventual blessing, though conveyed in the disguise of woe. By one stroke her mind was severed from worldly prospects, and being rent from the love of the creature, she now began more anxiously to seek the knowledge and love of the Creator. She had from early life been of a devout turn of mind, a strict observer of moral duties, and the ritual of religion; but now, in the day of adversity, she was brought to deeper views of the depravity of her heart, and the need she stood in of a Savior. She perceived the insufficiency of her own righteousness, and the necessity of being born again.

Two friends who were influential at this time of crisis were Mrs. Wilberforce (I assumed Mrs. William Wilberforce, but the time is not right...he was married in 1797) and Mrs. Conyers, wife of Dr. Middleton Conyers. They brought to light the beauty of the Gospel for Hannah, and she found new joy in what had previously been merely a religious exercise.

Her son later said of her,

This is a subject on which, I hope, I shall never think without heartfelt gratitude to her and to God, who so favored me. The whole of her deportment was calculated to win my early attention to religion. I saw in her what it could do: -- How happy! How cheerful! How humble! How holy! How lovely in life, and afterward in death! How full of mercy and good fruits, it could render the happy possessor!

What a wonderful reminder that we as mothers can train our children's "palates" to savor the sweetness of a life lived for the Lord. We must go beyond mere training of little bodies in religious exercise to unlock little hearts. The best way to do this is to savor the Lord ourselves!

"Get Mommy"

...is a popular after-dinner game here in our home. It involves an unnatural amount of silence while the boys and Daddy gather up every (soft) ball in the house. They then descend upon Mommy's quiet solitude with screeches and pellet her with all the balls. It usually becomes "every man for himself" at that point.

It's baseball season

Everybody put on your red...you too, Manny.

Mothers of the Wise and Good

Sorry for my recent diversion from this series. I have still been reading this book every Friday, but I have not been posting because the entries require more attention than a run-of-the-mill post.

Dr. Philip Doddridge and His Mother

Doddridge was born in June of 1702 and immediately presumed dead. It is not hard to imagine that he was presumed to be so; he was preceded by eighteen brothers, all of whom died in infancy. He did have one surviving sister. By God's grace, someone in his mother's birthing room noticed the baby showing a little bit of movement and so took greater care to revive him.

Before he could read, his mother taught him the whole history of the Old and New Testaments. "His parents were eminently pious, and his earliest years were by them consecrated to the acquisition of religious knowledge."

During his school years, he excelled in the study of languages as well as theology, and at sixteen he was admitted as a member of the church. In his first year of school, he read sixty books in six months. After his schooling was complete, at the age of twenty-one, he assumed the post at Knibworth, which was a quiet, rural village.

In that retired and obscure village, there were no external objects to divert his attention from the pursuit of his studies, and his favorite authors; Richard Baxter, John Howe, and John Tillotson he read with frequency and attention. To his pastoral duties he was not, however, inattentive; but in religious conversations and visits of mercy he spent a suitable portion of his valuable time. His preaching was plain and practical; and while his mind was richly stored with knowledge, and his imagination was lively, he made all his talents subservient to the moral and religious improvement of the people committed to his care.

My reflections on this chapter are twofold. First, the perseverance shown by his mother in bearing twenty children though eighteen of them died is to be praised. Her hope in God allowed her to continue on even though she must have borne much heartache! And what a sweet gift she was given to enjoy her youngest child until she died during his years as a schoolboy.

Second, the author makes plain that Doddridge's life was characterized by a complete devotion to God. Although he possessed the skills to become a great thinker and author -- and indeed he was, as shown by his authorship of The Rise and Progress of Religion in the Soul, a book that influenced Wilberforce, Newton, and Edwards -- his faith was not bound in his mind only. It took hold deep in his heart. This was demonstrated by the care and concern he showed for his congregation and their devotion to God. This indicates that from his earliest years he saw that religion was not merely a "head pursuit," but a change in life. His parents' piety was certainly influential in this.

Oh Lord, make us parents who are not hypocritical, but demonstrate in our minds, hearts and habits our devotion to God and to other people!

You can read more about Philip Doddridge here.

The Hardaway comment

Nice to see this kind of honesty on ESPN.com.

I'm a born-again, Bible-believing Christian (no, I'm not a member of the Religious Right). And I'm against homosexuality (I believe it's a sin) and same-sex marriage.

But before you label me "homophobic," know that I'm against any type of sex outside of marriage between a man and a woman. That includes heterosexual fornication (premarital sex).

...from Chris Broussard. Here's the whole article.

Here's the back story in case you haven't read it yet.

We'll be in Noda tomorrow night to see..

Jason Harrod

The Evening Muse
http://theeveningmuse.com/
3227 N. Davidson Street (corner of N. Davidson & 36th)
Charlotte, NC
706.867.6332
8:00 pm
with Erika Blatnick

www.jasonharrod.com

My Favorite Valentine's Day

So, here it is. Valentine's Day. It's not really a major holiday here in our home, but still a chance to give and receive gifts and express our love towards each other.

Dana's post tweaked my memory about my favorite Valentine's day. It is a memory from my days at Messiah College.

February 14th, 1998 was dubbed "Black Saturday" by my girlfriends and I. It was a tumultuous time for many of our romantic relationships...I myself was not involved with someone at that time. I had recently washed my hands of the whole male gender, and now I watched with amazement as several boyfriends' boneheaded actions led their girlfriends -- now, ex-girlfriends -- to do the same. There was my friend L, who was infatuated with the same guy from the day she stepped on campus, and he seemed to give her a little encouraging feedback and then flirt with other girls....there was L's roommate C (the Cameron Diaz lookalike) who had her heart shattered by a guy she was dating for months...and there was my friend J, a fellow Resident Assistant, who was sick and tired of being away from her boyfriend (she knew -- or thought she knew -- that she was going to marry him) who was attending seminary. Then there were the rest of us, who quietly hoped for all our romantic dreams to come true, but then looked around...and...let's just say the picture wasn't encouraging.

On Wednesday of the week leading up to Black Saturday, I received a call from my boss, the Resident Director of our building. She quietly swore me to secrecy and then proceeded to tell me that J's boyfriend had called, and he planned to propose to her that Saturday. We had to conspire to make sure she was packed and ready to go on an overnight trip to his parents' house for the occasion. She was also an elementary education major, so I had 80% of my classes with her. I sat with her in every one, and for those few days I was on pins and needles hoping not to tip her off with my excitement and happiness around her. The week culminated with Friday night, the night before the proposal would happen, when she and I were "on duty"
together in our building. This meant we were confined to the building, and we had to enforce the rules for visitation in the dorms. In between our "rounds," we watched the movie "My Best Friend's Wedding," and she tried not to get depressed about how much she missed him. One time that we went on rounds, I spent the whole time reassuring her of his love for her while trying hard not to let it slip that the next night she would be engaged.


Meanwhile, that same evening, my friend David (the guy who lived at my parents') and our mutual friend S were on their way down from Massachusetts for the weekend. The band Caedmon's Call was performing the next night at Messiah and they were coming down to visit friends and attend the concert. They left after work and arrived late that night...I don't remember if I even saw them since I was working.

Saturday morning, Valentine's Day, dawned cold and clear. I met David and S for a walk around campus. While I was walking around campus, my friend J was on her way to her engagement weekend with her boyfriend. He showed up that morning and whisked her away for a day hike -- he served her communion and washed her feet on top of the mountain -- followed by a romantic dinner after which he proposed in a church filled with little lights and roses. Let's just say from that day on, "who has the best engagement story?"-type conversations began and ended with J. It became a campus wide legend. He was famous. Anyway, as I thought about them that day, my heart was so full for her. I knew she had found a wonderful man and I was so glad that he was committing to her in such a demonstrative way. She was a godly, encouraging friend who was worthy only of the very best in my opinion. God had been so faithful and generous to them both by giving them one another.

The concert was that night, and opening for Caedmon's Call were Andrew Peterson and Bebo Norman. Bebo also knew a couple who had gotten engaged that weekend -- his sister and her boyfriend -- so he sang a song for them that he had written for his brother's wedding. It's a song about grace calling people to God and to one another over the span of their lives. In eighteen short months (to the day!) I would be dancing to that song as the first dance with my husband at my wedding reception.

Beneath the air of autumn, she took him by his hand/And warm within the ardor, she took his heart instead/And high upon the mountain, he asked her for her hand/Just for her hand/A page is turned in this life, he's making her his wife

The concert, since it was Valentine's Day, was unusually filled with songs about human love. Derek Webb , who was still single at the time, sang "Table for Two," which is his song about having pancakes with his friend Danny and talking about women and the sovereignty of God.

Danny and I spent another late night over pancakes/We talked about soccer and how every man's just the same/We made speculation on the whos and the whens of our future/and how everyone's lonely but still we just couldn't complain

I remember sitting there, feeling happy for my friend J, feeling sad and confused about my own apparently deceased love life, and looking at all my friends -- a crowd of twelve or more -- who were attending the concert together. I can honestly say, I was amazingly content in that moment. I was so thankful for the way that God's grace was being shown to me and to my friends...calling us out of destructive relationships, giving us better ones, keeping us together as friends, and bathing us in the grace of beautiful music. It was a wonderful moment.

After the concert, we all went out to Denny's, which was a diversion from our usual habit of going to Eat 'N Park. We stayed there until the early morning hours, talking, laughing, and probably annoying the waitresses. I think I remember David's car making weird noises as he pulled out. I can't remember what the problem was...the brakes, maybe?

We all went to church together the next morning and David and S headed back to Massachusetts after lunch. I gave both of them a quick hug, said goodbye, and headed back to reality after what turned out to be one of the best days of my life..."Black Saturday," indeed!

Worth reading all week long

This week over at girltalk they are "inviting" us into their homes for dinner. Carolyn and each of her daughters are putting in an entry about their regular mealtimes, including a picture of their table with everyone around it. It's a fun read, and I am already gleaning many ideas for around-the-table activities.

Overheard

Ben: Mom, I'm pretending I'm Jesus, and Andrew is pretending he is...(to Andrew) who are you?
Andrew: Superman.
Ben: I'm Jesus and he is Superman and we are taking care of our pets.

Thank you...

• to my friend Joanne who prayed for my errands this morning. You'll find out why in a minute.
• to the cashier at Aldi, who was merciful to me and continued to ring up my groceries even though I was beginning to panic over the seeming lack of a wallet in my purse.
• to the manager in the front office at Aldi, who agreed that they would take a check from me even though they don't do that usually.
• again, to the cashier, who took my check even though all I could give her was two phone numbers since I didn't have my license number with me.
• to God for ordaining that my wallet was simply in the front seat of the van instead of at home so I could rest my mind and go back in to give the cashier my license number.

Little mercies day by day...count your blessings...

My Ikea purchases

Yes, we made it back from Atlanta O.K. It was a fun time. We had some good old-fashioned girltalk and stayed up late, had a big breakfast at IHOP and strolled around Ikea with the Saturday crowds for a total of seven hours. Then we had some misadventures on the way home...read Nicole's recap here.

The major things I bought were things for our bedroom: a duvet, cover, throw pillows, and afghan. Here's a picture of our new bed:




And a closeup of the embroidery on the duvet cover:




And the pillows:




I also bought some little plants and pots to live in our bathroom.




The other major thing I bought was a new picture for over our mantle for the spring and summer. You'll have to come over in the spring to see that, since it's been put away for safekeeping and there's no picture of it on the website!

Overheard

Andrew: Mom, I'm sorry I did broke your heart.

(he actually knocked over a heart-shaped cookie tin that's on the mantle)

Who are you?

Take the 100 Acre Personality Quiz!

Too busy?

Lydia posts on a commonly heard phrase...

Instructions for Daddy

Tonight after dinner I will be leaving with Nicole and Joy to travel to Atlanta for an overnighter. We're going to Ikea tomorrow. I thought I should leave instructions here for David, as any piece of paper I leave will soon be doodled on, dripped on, or eaten.

1. Please attempt to keep the kids' sodium levels below that of a hypertensive 70-year-old. Bojangle's for breakfast, lunch, and dinner is not an option. Fruit is our friend. I have already told the children to tattle on you.
2. If someone breaks something, just clean up the mess and don't tell me about it. I probably won't notice and I'd rather not know...unless it's a wedding present or something. Seriously, it will all burn at the judgement, and having four boys is teaching me this quickly.
3. The giant purple bruise on Jonathan's head did not happen under your supervision. He fell out of Andrew's booster seat yesterday at lunch, when I was supposed to be watching him.
4. The paper plates next to the stove are for your use. You are freed from dish duty.
5. The kids will probably notice if you try to put them to bed at 6 p.m.

But seriously, David doesn't need any instructions like this. He is more than capable, having been on this intensive parental-training journey along with me for over six years now. When Cameron was born, he was very pointed about wanting to learn to manage the kids on his own...and it has served me well. I will never forget the weekend that I went on a women's retreat, leaving David with a six-month-old Ben and a twenty-one-month-old Cameron.

Thank you, David, for allowing me this little bit of refreshment. I won't know how to pack today, thinking only of what I need and no one else.

Cameron's birthday pictures

Excited!


He had a little trouble blowing out the candles but some friends quickly came to his aid.


Surrounded by his friends opening gifts.


One of his favorite gifts was this model rocket, which we put together soon after. It was his first foray into model-making, something I'm sure we'll be doing a lot of!
Sorry it took me so long to get these up here.

Cameron is our firstborn, and he was the child that most clearly taught us that children are the Lord's, not ours. His first year was tumultuous! But I am so thankful that God chose to teach us those lessons...that we would hold our children loosely. And I am more thankful that God has given us six (seven, really!) wonderful years being Cameron's parents. He is a joy!

Interesting

Maybe it's been there all along, but I just spotted this on the Together for the Gospel blog.

Affirmations and Denials

Some of it is getting through...

I was telling my friend Beth on Sunday that I feel like I say things until I'm blue in the face with little or no encouraging signs from the kids that they are hearing me. Here's a sampling of things I say over and over and over again...

• Stop screaming. Use words.
• Sit down.
• Are you thinking about yourself or others right now?
• It's not a race.
• What is more important: your brother or the (spoon, toy, food, piece of TRASH! I swear these kids will fight over anything!!)?
• Sit down.
• The silent "e" makes the vowel say its name.
• It's not a race.
• Stop screaming. Use words.
• Sit down.

I'm sure you fellow moms of young ones can relate, and you probably have a list of your own! At times I feel like heading out into the backyard and yelling at the trees, "ISN'T ANYONE LISTENING TO ME??!!!"

The Lord has been faithful to encourage me this week through some fruit shown by my oldest guy, who just turned 6. Last week, as you faithful readers know, we had a beautiful snowfall overnight, and the snow continued to fall throughout the early morning hours. I crept into the older boys' room to tell them the good news since I knew they were already awake. I opened the blinds to reveal the snow streaming through the light cast by the streetlight outside our house. The boys gasped and expressed their delight, and then Cameron went on to say, "oh, MOM! What a beautiful thing God made! We should pray and thank Him!" Yes, honey, we should. And we did. I was so pleased to see his admiration of nature immediately turn to worship of the Creator.

Yesterday we were in the grocery store and were approached by two men from the nearby bank who were handing out balloons (and advertising free checking). They only had two balloons, but promised to return with two more for the other guys. I assured them that this wasn't necessary, since Andrew was already hiding behind my leg, apparently terrified of strange men bearing gifts (and here I say...maybe that's not such a bad thing in this day and age). So we trekked through the rest of our shopping with our two red balloons in tow, and made it safely to the self-checkout line, where Ben abruptly lost his balloon. I am not sure how this happened, since it was tied around his wrist. But it happened, and Ben instantly dissolved into a puddle of tears. Cameron, seeing that it was going to be impossible for Mom to scale the heights of Super WalMart to retrieve his brother's balloon, quickly remedied the situation by selflessly giving his balloon to Ben. Ben was flabbergasted and thrilled, and I talked myself blue in the face praising Cameron. All the way out to the van, Cameron and I talked about how God gives us joy when we obey.

We work tirelessly to enrich our husbands' and children's lives, and yet our toil at times goes unappreciated. We may wonder if our families even notice our efforts of kindness and goodness. However, Proverbs 31 anticipates that for the godly woman, "Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: 'Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all'" (Prov. 31:28-29).

I can tell you from experience that if you devote your life to advancing your family's happiness, the rewards will far exceed the sacrifices. It may be awhile yet before you receive many of your rewards, but being kind and doing good today will yield sweet fruit in the latter years of your life. Marriage will become more precious. Motherhood will grow more dear. The rewards will start coming -- with bigger and bigger returns.

However, our greatest returns are still to come, and they will far surpass what we can fathom here on earth.

--from Carolyn Mahaney's Feminine Appeal

So, a little encouragement for today. And now I have to go break up a fight.

Only in Charlotte...

...would you see this on craigslist.

Update: I guess it already sold. Apparently Jimmy Johnson ceiling fans sell like hotcakes around here. This was a set of two, with lights that looked like headlights. :-)

Strike up the music, the band has begun...

...the Pennsylvania Polka!

IT'S GROUNDHOG DAY!!!

I know it's odd, but today is a minor holiday in our home. These are the traditions we observe:

• Mommy running to the TV, only to find that she has once again missed the televised coverage of Gobbler's Knob
  
• Making Groundhog cupcakes. Find the recipe here.
  
• Watching the movie "Groundhog Day."

Here are some favorite quotes from the movie:

This is one time where television really fails to capture the true excitement of a large squirrel predicting the weather.

People like blood sausage too, people are morons.

[to the groundhog who he's holding behind the wheel of the truck he's driving] Don't drive angry. Do not drive angry.

For those of you who have not seen it, "Groundhog Day" is the story of Phil Conners, a weatherman from Pittsburgh who ends up reliving Groundhog Day over and over in Punxatawny, PA. It stars Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell.

I may be overthinking it, but this movie reminds me of "A Christmas Carol" a little bit. Remember Ebenezer Scrooge, resolute but terrified, insisting to the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, "a life can be made right!!"? Phil must learn a similar lesson in Punxatawny.

UPDATE: I just went over to Between two Worlds and saw that JT posted on the movie, too.

More snow pictures

Forgive me if I'm boring you with these, but we had a lot of fun in the snow yesterday.

We walked down the street to where some more neighborhood kids were playing. The girls were making a snowman and the boys were having a big snowball fight. While gallant Cameron and Ben stopped to help the girls roll their giant snowball, Andrew ran right into the boys' fray, apparently unaware that he was half the size of everyone else involved.

After we got wet and cold enough, we came in and had some hot chocolate.

Trolley Car

Here's a song by Ellis Paul, a Boston-area folk artist. It's an oldie but a goodie. It's also a sad love song, something Ellis is really good at. Any folk artist worth his salt is.

from the album A Carnival of Voices

It's a snowy night, the cops shut down the freeway
big men in plows are out carving up the streets
Below them, jammed on a subway,
I'm with two hundred over-dressed strangers brushing snow off coats and shoulders
kicking snow off dress shoe feet

You live six miles down this trolley car's trail
up above the red line, where the street musicians wail
Where Baby, we used to chase down coffee on the sidewalk take in tunes
We'd drink in the waning hours till we polished off the moon
Who knew the moon would fail above the trolley car trail

"Park Street, next station" says a voice with an accent I've heard
and I see shoppers on the platform where green and red lines diverge
I fight my way through the packages and the bows to a pay phone,
the operator knows she says to me, "Your nervousness shows"
I say, "'Nervous' is too kind a word"

You live three miles down this trolley car's trail
up above the red line, where the street musicians wail
Where Baby, we used to chase down coffee on the sidewalk take in tunes
We'd drink in the waning hours till we polished off the moon
Who knew the moon would fail above the trolley car trail

I think snowfall should be measured
By how much it takes a city by surprise
By how far back old timers go to remember
the last time a blizzard stung their eyes
Last time I rode a subway you had summer in your eyes
you did

Your phone rings, but it only brings your voice on a message machine,
"I'm not here, the tape is clear" me, I'm off the hook it seems
"I called," I say, "to say 'hello' to coax you out where the snowmen grow
but you're not home, and hey, I gotta go, it was good to hear your voice."

You live six miles down this trolley car's trail

up above the red line, where the street musicians wail

Where Baby, we used to chase down coffee on the sidewalk take in tunes

We'd drink in the waning hours till we polished off the moon

Who knew the moon would fail above the trolley car trail

© Ellis Paul Music (SESAC) 1996

Snow. Much. Fun.

Look what we woke up to this morning...

The boys quickly wolfed down their breakfast and headed outside for some fun!

The least experienced walker stayed on his feet the longest.