Monday, November 16, 2015

Outside my window...  Too cloudy.  I can't function on cloudy days!  

I am thankful...  For family time this past weekend.  My babies are growing up (i.e. old and dusty).  

I am wearing...  Always pretty much the same thing.  

I am creating...  Still knitting the shawl.  I just realized that I am going to see her on December 5th.  That's crunch time.    

I am going... Girl Scout meeting later today.  We only meet once a month now because everyone is so busy.  (My Girl Scouts are getting old and dusty too, sigh).  

I am reading... I've read 5%of Home Comforts:  The Art and Science of Keeping House.  It doesn't sound like much until you realize I'm on page 50 of 896.   

I've read 18% of Fascinating Womanhood.  

I've read 43% of Nella Last's War.  This reminds me that I need to get back to journaling.  It was easier when I had more daylight hours.    

I am watching....  I watched the Good Eats episode about gravies and sauces.  It was helpful because both my French Onion soup recipe that I shared last week, and my favorite macaroni and cheese recipe from Epicurius both involve making a roux.  I also watched the episode on fish just because it was next.  It doesn't matter how fish is cooked, I will NEVER eat it.       

I also just learned that Design on a Dime is now on Netflix.  Woot!

I am learning...In my October 26th Day Book, I wrote the definition of skilled according to the Ancient Hebrew Research Center's lexicon:   

skilled:  (mahiyr in Hebrew - Strong's H4106) means quick, prompt, ready, diligent

That was confirmed for me in my reading of Home Comforts: The Art and Science of Keeping House.  

"Practice skills.  My Italian grandmother taught me that speed and physical dexterity in cooking techniques (and in all housework) are important; her hands moved faster than the eye could follow when they chopped and peeled.  If you chop the celery in slow motion, you won't want to chop it very often.  True skill involves not only producing the right result but being able to do so in a reasonable time, and the only way to learn speed is to practice, practice, practice.  (But be safe!  Do not go faster than you can without cutting yourself.)"

Our upper elementary math curriculum had a drill test to be performed before each lesson.  My children will remember the phrase "speed and accuracy" from that time in our homeschool history.  

(Proverbs 22:29 ISR98) - "Do you see a man who is skilled in his work? He does stand before sovereigns, He does not stand before obscure ones."

Contrast that with:   

(Proverbs 31:23 ISR98) - "Her husband is known in the gates, When he sits among the elders of the land."


(Proverbs 18:16 ISR98) - "A man’s gift makes room for him, And brings him before great men."

Biblically speaking, it seems that it is always important to increase in skill, wisdom, and knowledge of whatever it is that you've been called to do.  

(Ecclesiastes 9:10 ISR98) - "All that your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or planning or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going."

One of my favorite things...  Sanban's sense of humor.  He was reading (Genesis 24:28 ISR98)  "Then the young woman ran and informed those of her mother’s house he went to Jared."  It's a jewelry store where we live.  I almost missed it because he was reading while we were driving in the car.  LOL 

A few plans for the rest of the week:  A new career high for The Grand Duchess.  A museum exhibit that she spear-headed is opening this week.      

From the learning rooms... 

Senior:  Grading his Pre-Calculus tests hurt my eyes.  Numbers are old school.  It's nothing but symbols.  Outsourcing higher level math was the smartest thing I have ever done.  LOL 

On the other hand, my soft spot for my children sometimes prevents me from being as hard on them as I should be.  I should have been harder on The Grand Duchess on some things that would have been helpful to her future.  I regret that now.  Sanban is now down to crunch time on something.  Nice Mommy is about to leave the building.  Y'all pray his strength in the Lord.   

"Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD."  Jeremiah 1:8 KJV

Sophomore:    Still trying to play catch-up.  Today is going to be a day of sticking to the schedule.  

We have read 88% of Things Fall Apart.  

  

Noticing that... When one group of people gets attention in the news, other groups of people get on social media to say what about me?  I really get annoyed with a victim mentality.  I'm guessing many people in the world do because a constant victim gets tuned out after a while.       

Pondering these words...  

  

All three are necessary.  If you work hard but have no stick-to-itiveness, all you produced was a momentary sweat.  Common sense tells you that it took you a while to get into the predicament that you're in (physically, mentally, financially, etc).  You're not going to sweat for a minute and get out of it.  

From the kitchen...  We tried organic grits for the first time this week.  They were pretty good!  They were yellow, but other than a little bit smoother consistency, they were no different than the Quaker man.  My hometown is supposed to be getting a new kind of Whole Foods the year after next.  That's great because I need them to bring my beef bacon a few miles closer.  Just sayin'.  

  

Sanban and Princess Butterfly's craving for fruit loops has been satisfied in a Whole Foods 365 organic version.  They didn't care for the Cascadian Farms knock off.  I have to say, the Whole Foods version is VERY good.  I'll have to send a 365 knock-off Cinnamon Toast Crunch to The Grand Duchess.  

Around the house... I cleaned my room!  LOL

A peek into my day...  I have been taken off of QA for consults and progress reports, which means I can work much faster.  I just wish their work didn't start coming in until around 10 in the morning.  I suppose it's probably a good thing, but with shorter days and not wanting to work after sunset, I really have to be SKILLED.   

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