Jewelry making

First, I wanted to say that on this 3rd anniversary of Hurricane Katrina- to please pray about Gustav that is sort-of heading in the same direction. I have relatives living in New Orleans and specifically have recently re-connected with my cousin Kristy after many years of not seeing each other and I know she is very, very worried. Her house was destroyed in Katrina and she is preparing to have to leave again. Please pray specifically for her and my aunt, uncles, and other cousins down there. Pray that Gustav will weaken.

On another note, below is a picture of the bracelet I made today that I am proud of. My friend Sonja and I are making jewelry for a hobby and with big dreams of maybe even selling some stuff if we can get good enough at it. It is really alot of fun and I enjoy spending the time with Sonja. This was really all her idea- her youngest started kindergarten this year and she was looking to fill some time. Also, anyone who knows her knows that she is really into accesorizing. I do not share her gift for knowing what looks good together, but we make a good team because she can create, but she can't see well enough to actually string the beads! :-) I can string the beads! But, this bracelet below is one I designed all by myself. The bigger beads are more of a green-ish than they look in this picture.

More pictures

This is Jacob and his good friend, Alec. They were in the same class at school last year and Alec lives in our neighborhood. He's a sweet kid who seems to leave an article of clothing at my house every time he is here, which is pretty much daily. Sarah has her first piano student.She says he is a very serious student and shows signs of promise as a pianist!

Things That Bother Brenda

This morning I turned on the TV and lingered on PBS a minute so Sam could watch part of Curious George. When it was over, a little ad for another PBS show, Between the Lions, came on. I remember encouraging Jacob to watch that show when he was younger because it's a cute show that aims to teach reading.

So, on this ad that I saw this morning, they had two "country singers" (they could be someone famous, I don't know...) singing a little song about learning to read. They showed the lyrics they were singing at the bottom of the screen.

This is what they were singing:
"I got a reason to read, I got a reason to read...."

Yeah, I guess you do...

Shouldn't a song about learning to read actually contain properly constructed sentences? I guess in my little world, it would. And I can't really even see how changing the "I" to "I've" would affect the song at all.

That's all. Just wanted to get that off my chest. :-)

Just Sharing a Verse...

Psalm 119:165 "Those who love your instructions have great peace and do not stumble".

Soccer

I won't blog about soccer every week... but I had a few observations for today.

We had overlapping games today, plus piano lessons, and a tire that needed replacing, so the logistics have been fun... I know this is a typical use of time for the American family on a Saturday. (Or any day). But, it's tiring, too. I got to see up through part of the third quarter of Sarah's game and then had to run over to Jacob's game at another park. Sarah scored the game-winning goal AFTER I left. I was happy to hear about it, but I wish I could have been there.

Jacob's game was kind-of funny to watch. This is my first time at a U8 soccer game.... it's amazing to me how far "ahead" they are at Sarah's age in their skills and such. I think kids can start soccer at 4 1/2 years old... I'm sure that would be hilarious to watch!

First, Jacob's team is called the Green Goblins. And, I am proud to say... this team name was my son's idea! So now I have to yell, "Go Goblins!" all season! Today they played the Red Road-Runners. :-)

There is no goalie at this level-- so I've noticed there is either no one in the goal, or else the whole team is in the goal. I've noticed, they just tend to run up and down the field in a big pack and kick the ball whenever they can. Some of them, you can tell, though, are going to be really good players.

All that matters to me, really, is that Jacob scored a goal and our team won!! Oh, the other thing that matters to me is that Jacob was NOT the child who struck a ninja pose during the game and screamed (literally) at the top of his lungs, "STOP YELLING AT ME DURING THE GAME, DAD!!!" Wow.

Anyway..... there was a cool breeze today and it's overcast, so it was very pleasant to be outside this morning.

Here's a picture of Libby with Sam just to give equal treatment:

Pictures

My mom wanted some pictures... this is what I have come up with... not too exciting... I'll have to take some more soon. :-)
Libby taking her own picture in the car.

Jacob with a spider he built from legos last Christmas.... I need some new pictures of Jacob!

Sarah after she "curled" her hair one day.

The girls at their piano recital in June.

Southern Home Cookin'

I think you'll agree it's official... We have probably lived in the South too long because I am about to share a recipe for Corn Bread with Black-Eyed Peas. Yum-yum. And, what's more... the reason I searched out this recipe is because Tim grew Black-eyed peas in our garden! Anyway, this is a unique recipe that is easy and pretty yummy. Go easy on the black-eyed peas because it tends to be a little dry, anyway. Also, I think sausage might taste good instead of the ground beef. Serve this "bread" with a tossed salad and you have a scrumptious meal your family will thank you for!!

Corn Bread with Black Eyed Peas

1 lb. ground beef, browned and drained
1 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cream-style corn (I dumped in the whole can)
1 cup cooked or canned black-eyed peas, drained
1 medium onion, chopped (I used onion powder)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk *
2 eggs, beaten
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 tsp. baking soda

In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well. Pour into a greased 9 x 13 baking dish. Baked at 350, uncovered, for 40-45 minutes or until it is golden.

*Did you know you can make buttermilk if you don't have any on hand? Just put 1 Tbsp. vinegar into a measuring cup and fill it up the rest of the way to 1 cup with milk. Let is sit for at least one minute to sour. Voila! Buttermilk.