Immutability

There are some persons who talk about God changing his purpose; such people do not
know what God is at all. How could God change? God must either change from a
better to a worse, or from a worse to a better. If he could change from a worse to a
better, he is not perfect now; and if he could change from what he is to something
worse, he would not be perfect then, and he would not be God.

- Spurgeon

Unbroken

This past Christmas I gave my dad an audiobook of the story of Louis Zamperini, entitled Unbroken.  I had read some good reviews of the book from trusted sources, and I knew Dad would like a good WWII biography. 

When we visited home this past spring, he handed it back to me and told me we HAD to listen.

I innocently popped one of the CDs in the stereo on Monday, not knowing how I would be transfixed for the next four days.  Those of you who read Beth or Erica's blogs might have already read their reflections.  I couldn't stop listening.

Wow, just wow.  I can't say much more than that.  To just scratch the surface of this man's life, look at this interactive feature from the Wall Street Journal about Zamperini.

I hope to make this part of my boys' high school reading when they get to WWII.  I can't think of a more compelling example that history is what happens to real people.

Bed in Summer

In winter I get up at night
And dress by yellow candle-light.
In summer quite the other way,
I have to go to bed by day.
I have to go to bed and see
The birds still hopping on the tree,
Or hear the grown-up people's feet
Still going past me in the street.
And does it not seem hard to you,
When all the sky is clear and blue,
And I should like so much to play,
To have to go to bed by day?

-  Robert Louis Stevenson

Oh Boy! (with bonus home updates commentary)

Today I am going to show you some pictures taken by my friend Heather of a shower I threw for our friend Erin (who just so happens to be Heather's sister-in-law).  It was a great day!  When these pictures went up on facebook a while back, our friend Erica commented that we had made a lot of changes to our house since she'd been there.  I realized I hadn't blogged most of those, so I'll insert that commentary as we go along, too.

Hello, welcome to the shower, I am your awkward head-tilting hostess, Kelly.  Now I know where my children get it from.

(Notice the kitchen walls are now blue. 
I also feel compelled to tell you that I have chopped off my hair since this photo was taken)

Please have a seat alongside the guest of honor (in black) and play our baby word game.

(New white leather couch was a find on craigslist.  New gray area rug was a bargain at Ollie's right before I hosted the house concert and decided that the five dollar yard sale rug wasn't going to cut it anymore.  There is a photo collage on the wall under the stairs.)

Quick, look at the cute banner because if you touch it, it will fall apart.

(New wall color in main living area/entryway/everywhere -- Sherwin Williams Oyster Bay.  I love this color and never want to live without it.  However I am too cheap to buy SW paint so I took the swatch to Walmart and they matched it for me.)

Yum, food.

Owl cake pops and pink lemonade.

I promise she wanted to eat the strawberry.  I did not make her.

An update since this event...Erin gave birth to Haddon Abraham on May 18th.  Happy one month, little man!

Winning at Home

As I type this, I'm watching the last game of the Stanley Cup Finals.  I am not a hockey fan, but there's a Boston team on the verge of a championship, so I'll pay attention.  Besides, I know some Bruins players besides Bobby Orr.  Like Adam Oates.   And Ray Bourque.  And Cam Neely.  And probably no one who currently plays for the team.

They're playing the final game in Vancouver.  As the Bruins have a 3-0 lead with eight minutes to go, I suspect they may win this thing...in Vancouver.  The wrong city.  They should win at home.

Earlier this week, we saw the Dallas Mavericks clinch the NBA title in Miami.  It's so awkward watching the celebration when that happens.  The home crowd doesn't know what to do.  Do they exit quickly to avoid the winning team's jubilation?  Stand in stunned silence?  Applaud politely for the victors?

Each time the Red Sox won the World Series in the last decade, they were away.  The first time, in 2004, I didn't mind so much.  In fact I didn't care at all -- I was just so deliriously happy that they finally got the monkey off their back.

The second series win, in 2007, came late on a Sunday night if I remember correctly.  I watched the final out and saw the team rush the field again.  I was happy, yes.  But after a few moments I wistfully said, "I just wish they could clinch at Fenway...."  So many dedicated fans...so much history...it seems tragic that they couldn't just once have it happen in front of their home crowd.  (But hey, there's always this year, she said cautiously.)

Unfortunately, at the time I was sitting with a Cubs fan and a Twins fan, so you can imagine how much sympathy I was offered at that moment.  Two sets of eyes looked upon me with daggers of contempt.

Two plus minutes to go and another goal.  I'll call it here and say congratulations, Bruins.  Fellow New Englanders, it's a great time to be a fan.

What I'm Reading

• I just finished up Elyse Fitzpatrick's daily devotional, Comforts From the Cross.  It has about a page and a half per day for thirty days and is surprisingly meaty for a devotional.  As you may expect from the title, this book centers around Gospel meditation.
• For my dose of fiction recently, I have begun rereading The Lord of the Rings.  It's been a few years since I've read them.  Maybe next time I read them, there will be some boys reading alongside me?
• Erin and I are working our way through Piper's recent book called Think.  I have found it more approachable than his earlier work.  Am I getting used to his style or is he getting easier to read?
• Our women's summer Bible study is going through CJ Mahaney's Cross-Centered Life together.  This is a re-read for me but it's well worthwhile.  Very short but pithy -- full of good content.
• I also recently picked up Mary's books:  Family Feasts for $75 a Week and A Sane Woman's Guide to Raising a Large Family.  I appreciate her example in creativity and humor.
• David is reading Do Hard Things with hopes that we might work through it with our teens in our Sunday School class.  He is enjoying it more than he expected to.

Alton Wins Again

Since 2008, I have brined my Thanksgiving turkey using Alton Brown's recipe.  Alton is a favorite in our house because he explores food and cooking (my favorite) from the approach of a scientist (my husband's favorite).  I highly recommend his show if you feel out of sorts in the kitchen -- he explains what happens and why in all his recipes.

Therefore Alton was my go-to guy when it came to baby back ribs.  There are just some things you want to do right, you know?  On Memorial Day I gave his recipe a try and it was a huge hit.  You should try it!

My notes: 

• Allow about an hour for the sauce to reduce on the stovetop. It will thicken more upon standing, also.
• Instead of doing the final broil, I finished the ribs on the grill.  I imagine either method is fine.
• Make sure you put an empty bowl on the table for the bones your family has licked clean ;-)
• Even though the recipe says it makes several batches of dry rub, I used the entire quantity for one batch of ribs.  Maybe that's why they were SO GOOD.

Alton Brown's Who Loves Ya Baby Back?

Ingredients

• 2 whole slabs pork baby back ribs

Dry Rub:

• 8 tablespoons light brown sugar, tightly packed
• 3 tablespoons kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon jalapeno seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon rubbed thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder

Braising Liquid:

• 1 cup white wine
• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped

Directions

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.

In a bowl, combine all dry ingredients and mix well. Place each slab of baby back ribs on a piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil, shiny side down. Sprinkle each side generously with the dry rub. Pat the dry rub into the meat. Refrigerate the ribs for a minimum of 1 hour. In a microwavable container, combine all ingredients for the braising liquid. Microwave on high for 1 minute.
Place the ribs on a baking sheet. Open one end of the foil on each slab and pour half of the braising liquid into each foil packet. Tilt the baking sheet in order to equally distribute the braising liquid. Braise the ribs in the oven for 2 1/2 hours.
Transfer the braising liquid into a medium saucepot. Bring the liquid to a simmer and reduce by half or until of a thick syrup consistency. Brush the glaze onto the ribs. Place under the broiler just until the glaze caramelizes lightly. Slice each slab into 2 rib bone portions. Place the remaining hot glaze into a bowl and toss the rib portions in the glaze.
*This recipe makes several batches of dry rub. If more rub is needed, it can be extended by any amount, as long as the ratio of 8:3:1:1 remains the same.

One Thousand Gifts 6.06.11

( I really loved Ann's post today.  If you have been in my home, you know I have a soft spot for fresh flowers and her reflections and photography were a perfect blend of beauty.)

101. 34 years yesterday. Hello, mid-thirties.

102. Siblings

103. Hidden gems

104. Head tilts

105. Ice cream cones

106.Cub scouts

107. Pink sunglasses and bed heads

108. Boys' birthday party at the movies

109. Strawberry picking (it was quite bright that day...can you tell?)

110. My mother's day breakfast, complete with chocolate covered strawberries

111. This moment, and the fact that I took a picture

112. My mother's day/birthday gift...an upgrade from my wedding present so long ago (no, it's not the children...I already had them)

All in June

All in June
by William Henry Davies

A week ago I had a fire

To warm my feet, my hands and face;

Cold winds, that never make a friend,

Crept in and out of every place.

Today the fields are rich in grass,

And buttercups in thousands grow;

I'll show the world where I have been--

With gold-dust seen on either shoe.

Till to my garden back I come,

Where bumble-bees for hours and hours

Sit on their soft, fat, velvet bums,

To wriggle out of hollow flowers.