Day 30

As my bodily hunger increases, so does my spiritual thirst~
More of You LORD
As I learn how the former is temporal and the latter eternal~
More of You LORD
As my focus is less on the former and more on the latter~
More of You LORD
As I am encompassed by Your saving grace~
More of You LORD
As I am enlightened by Your holiness~
More of You LORD
Amen

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me
I once was lost but now am found, was blind but now I see

'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, and grace, my fears relieved
How precious did that grace appear the hour I first believed

 Through many dangers, toils, and fears I have already come
'Twas grace that brought me save thus far, and grace will lead me home

The Lord has promised good to me, His word, my hope secures
He will my shield and portion be, as long as life endures

When we've been there ten thousand years, bright shining as the sun
We've no less days to sing God's praise, then when we've first begun

 
I love you Lord, and I lift my voice to worship You
Oh my soul, rejoice!!
Take joy, my King, in what You hear
May it be a sweet, sweet sound to Your ears.

Day 29

It is a marathon, this race we run
No sprint; tho I admit that I think I need to sprint sometimes
To make up for the times I've walked
Or crawled
Or even stopped.

In the state of hyper-awareness of my sin that this time of year brings me to
Help me never ever forget You,
Your love
Your kindness
Your mercy

 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor present things, nor future things, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

 

Day 28

Lord of Love~
Teach me to live and love as You live and love
show me the most excellent way
Be patient with Your servant, he is slow
but he wants more of You, more of You
Break through my shell of protection, indifference, apathy, self-preservation
Conquer me, in spite of me!

Lead me this day Lord

Day 27

Lord of Love~
Help me to-day to see Your Presence in every person I talk to, listen to, and interact with. Infuse me with Your grace and mercy so that these also see You in me.
In my life, Lord, be glorified, be glorified
In my life, Lord, be glorified to-day.

Day 26

Shepherd me O God
beyond my wants
beyond my fears
from death into life.

Day 25

Father, tonight I pray for our loved ones in different parts of the this great land: For mom and dad and mom and dad, for our aunts and uncles and cousins and cousins' kids, for brothers and sisters and nieces and nephews and nieces and nephews' kids, and especially for Jon and Jen and our beautiful grandbaby Joslin Mia.

 

Day 24

Father God, morning by morning new mercies I see!
As we express our thanks through self-denial and prayer, help us to master our sinfulness, and conquer our pride. Help us to show Your goodness to everyone we meet to-day.
Christ Jesus, by Your death, raise us to life. Teach us generosity, lead us to those who need You.
 

Day 23

If today you hear His voice, harden not your hearts.

Loving God,
I hear your invitation, "Come back to me"
and I am filled with such a longing to return to you.
Show me the way to return.
Lead me this day in good works I do in your name
and send your Spirit to guide me and strengthen my faith.
I ask only to feel your love in my life today.

Day 22

"Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth shall declare your praise."

Lord, this morning I pray for all men, that we would hold virtue in high esteem.
Give us a desire to do what is right, pure, lovely, true.
Heal our spirits, that we would be guided by our conscience and your good Spirit.
And let the glory and praise always be Yours and Yours alone.

 

Day 21

Our Father in heaven
Holy is Your name
Your kingdom, come
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread
And forgive us our trespasses,
As we forgive those who trespass against us.
Lead us not into temptation
And deliver us from evil, Amen

Day 20

Thank You for the time I was able to spend with my sweetie tonight, Lord.

Day 19

Gracious and loving God~
We praise You for the sunshine to-day, and for the beauty that is Your creation.
We ask for peace for our loved ones, and direction for Your Church, and victory for Michigan State this afternoon.
LORD, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Amen

 

Day 18

College basketball, cooking and eating, spring training Tigers, light, fluffy snow, bagging dog deuces, fixing up our home, reading by the fire in the evening.... all these we partake of at this time of year, Lord, but You I desire. More of You, Christ, more of You, Jesus. 
Fill me, possess me, thoroughly inebriate me, make me into one worthy of hosting Your Spirit.
I seek You, I desire You, I am destined for hell without You. 
I cannot have Life without You, Your Life calls me...patiently tugging at my conscience...
I am Yours, LORD; forgive my tardiness and absences.

 

Day 17

For Your Church, that She would continue to be guided by Your Spirit, 
For believers in parts of the world where it is not so easy as here to believe,
For the cold, hungry, hopeless, poor,
For our parents, in their retirement years,
For our siblings: raising children, paying bills, dealing with disease,
For our nieces and nephews, and their formative years,
For Jon, Jen, and Joslin Mia - the apple of our eye,
For our friends, coworkers, acquaintences, 
We pray to the Lord, hear our prayer.
 

Day 16

Lord, help me...

Day 15

My head is full of lenten hymns from my childhood: good Lutheran hymns with three parts of harmoniy supporting the melody and perfectly-placed accidentals and picardy thirds... not like the camp-fire songs they call 'hymns' nowadays.

Lord, help me to be aware of my speech: what comes out of my mouth, that other of your children hear. 

Thank You

  

Day 14

Lord, strengthen Your Church, that we would be more determined to resist the devil and twice as determined to serve you wholly. Change our hearts of stone, that the world would see You in each of us, and wonder...
You are holy, holy, holy
You are holy, holy, holy
Your laws are right and perfect, Your love is undeniable.
We sing of Your glory, we rest in Your mercy, we fight the good fight in Your Name.
We lay ourselves aside, that You may shine.
Amen


And I am the moon with no light of my own
Still you have made me to shine
And as I glow in this cold dark night
I know I can?t be a light unless I turn my face to you

~ by Sara Groves 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqC3F2VGVHU

Day 13

Lord,
your commandment of love is so simple
and yet  so challenging.
Help me to let go of my pride,
to be humble in my penance.
I want only to live the way you ask me to love,
to love the way you ask me to live.
Please break through the thickness and dense-ness that is my protection; peel away my callous like an onion. Bare me, that all would see You.
Amen

Day 12

Loving God,
there is so much darkness in my life
and I hide from you.
Take my hand
and lead me out of the shadows of my fear.
Help me to change my heart.
Bring me to your truth
and help me to respond to your generous love.
Let me recognize the fullness of your love
which will fill my life.
Free me from the darkness in my heart.
Amen
 

Day 11

To-day's Gospel, from Matthew 5, tells me to love my enemy.

So easy to say, so hard to consistently do.

We also read from Deuteronomy: 'Moses spoke to the people, saying:
“This day the LORD, your God,
commands you to observe these statutes and decrees.
Be careful, then,
to observe them with all your heart and with all your soul.
Today you are making this agreement with the LORD:
he is to be your God and you are to walk in his ways
and observe his statutes, commandments and decrees,
and to hearken to his voice.'

And from Psalms 119: Blessed are they who follow the law of the LORD.

And now this law says to love my enemy.

If I asked Jesus what He means by 'enemy', I know what He'd say.


LORD, I believe You have given me the grace to do this, yet I ask for more, yes more.
I believe You have equipped me but I still fail and fall and choose not to love, so I ask for mercy in Your judgment.
I believe You lead me so that I have opportunities to love an enemy at different times in my day; give me a renewed portion of Your good Spirit, along with an enthusiastic desire to follow your decrees. Forgive my lack of trust, and my lack of faith.
Because love does not coexist with fear. They are mutually exclusive, like disjoint sets A and B.
More of You, Jesus, more of You.
Amen

 

Day 10

O Holy One, I call to You, naming You as eternal, ever-present, and boundless in love. And there are times when I fail to recognize You in the dailyness and busyness of my life. Sometimes shame clenches tightly around my heart, I and hide my true feelings. Sometimes fear makes me small, and I miss the chance to speak from my strength. Sometimes doubt invades my hopefulness, and I degrade my own wisdom. 
Holy God, in the daily round from sunrise to sunset, remind me again of Your holy presence always near me and in me. Free me from shame and self-doubt. Help me to see You in the moment-by-moment possibilities to live honestly, to act courageously, to speak from wisdom, and to temper all with love.
Amen

~from our Protestant evangelical friends

Day 9

~St Patrick's Breastplate~

I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through belief in the Threeness,
Through confession of the Oneness
of the Creator of creation.

I arise today
Through the strength of Christ's birth with His baptism,
Through the strength of His crucifixion with His burial,
Through the strength of His resurrection with His ascension,
Through the strength of His descent for the judgment of doom.

I arise today
Through the strength of the love of cherubim,
In the obedience of angels,
In the service of archangels,
In the hope of resurrection to meet with reward,
In the prayers of patriarchs,
In the predictions of prophets,
In the preaching of apostles,
In the faith of confessors,
In the innocence of holy virgins,
In the deeds of righteous men.

I arise today, through
The strength of heaven,
The light of the sun,
The radiance of the moon,
The splendor of fire,
The speed of lightning,
The swiftness of wind,
The depth of the sea,
The stability of the earth,
The firmness of rock.

I arise today, through
God's strength to pilot me,
God's might to uphold me,
God's wisdom to guide me,
God's eye to look before me,
God's ear to hear me,
God's word to speak for me,
God's hand to guard me,
God's shield to protect me,
God's host to save me
From snares of devils,
From temptation of vices,
From everyone who shall wish me ill,
afar and near.

I summon today
All these powers between me and those evils,
Against every cruel and merciless power
that may oppose my body and soul,
Against incantations of false prophets,
Against black laws of pagandom,
Against false laws of heretics,
Against craft of idolatry,
Against spells of witches and smiths and wizards,
Against every knowledge that corrupts man's body and soul;
Christ to shield me today
Against poison, against burning,
Against drowning, against wounding,
So that there may come to me an abundance of reward.

Christ with me,
Christ before me,
Christ behind me,
Christ in me,
Christ beneath me,
Christ above me,
Christ on my right,
Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down,
Christ when I sit down,
Christ when I arise,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.


I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through belief in the Threeness,
Through confession of the Oneness
of the Creator of creation.

Day 8

Prayer
Fasting
Giving

Traditional Lenten spiritual disciplines; good for me, good for my relationship with God and my neighbor...

LORD, forgive my selfishness. Strengthen me that I might seek You always first in all I endevour. 
Forgive my fearfulness. Strengthen me that I might boldly proclaim You as King of kings.
Forgive my apathy. Strengthen me that I might care, and then act upon this caring.

You are all good, all holy; the ONLY God.

 

Day 7

A quote from Mother Teresa:

The fullness of our heart is expressed in our eyes, in our touch, in what we write, in what we say, in the way we walk, the way we receive, the way we need.

Good and Loving God~
I confess my sin to you, the sin which i have done and that which i have left undone. I know pride and selfishness all too well, they have been my companions for far too long. Cleave that bond, Father, that i might think always of the eternal consequences of my thoughts, words, and deeds, rather than the temporal. I ask this through Jesus Christ Your Son, in the unity and fellowship of the Holy Spirit. Amen


 

Day 6

Into Your hands we commit our marriage, our finances, our families, our future.
We thank you for always providing and meeting our every need.
Please, a special blessing on beautiful Joslin Mia this day.
Thank you, LORD!

 

Day 5

Lord, As You were tempted after a forty day fast in the desert and still did not yield, so keep us, who are attempting to follow You in this lifetime, strong; that we might stay the course and finish the race. To You belong all glory and honor, power and majesty; You alone we praise!
Lord in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
Amen 

Day 4

Praise God, because He sends the snow in due season!
His love endures forever
His mercy never ends

Praise Christ, for He endured temptation and suffering, and bore it patiently
His love endures forever
His mercy never ends

Praise the Holy Spirit, for He is the anointing of Christ, and of us!
His love endures forever
His mercy never ends

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end, Amen!


 

Day 3

There are times when I am reminded of some event that occurred in my life long ago; sometimes triggered by a recent event, often triggered by a smell, or a song, or even a dream.
I wonder if in Heaven we will have memories.

I think we will not need them, nor will we even know that we ever had them: God will outshine all!
So we will meet on the corner of Gold Street and Gold Avenue and our mouths will not cease praising Him, praising Him, praising Him.

When we've been there
Ten thousand years
Bright shining as the sun
We've no less days 
To sing God's praise
Then when we'd first begun.


Come, Lord Jesus, come.
 

Day 2

Lord, i still fear doing without. But I remember past habits that are now long forgotten but were, at one time, strongholds. I remember thinking 'not without Your help can i do this'. 
And You, Your love, Your strength prevailed. I have the victory in Jesus!
So as I enter into this holy fast, I think again 'not without Your help', and I rejoice in Your goodness.
Please continue to bless our marriage, give us each an unselfishness that surpasses the other.
Be with our parents, our brothers and sisters and their families, our friends - meet their needs and draw them closer to you.
Be with the leaders in our Nation and those in authority, that the decisions they make that affect so many people would be pleasing to you.
Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Thank you for our fathers and for our Fathers.

And we love You, too.

Amen

Ash Wednesday

Day 1 of this contemplative journey I am undertaking.



I fear fasting, I confess.
I fear abstaining, I confess.
I fear almsgiving, I confess.

Lord Jesus, make these three so much a part of me that I begin to welcome such opportunities; and forgive me for my selfishness. Be my sufficiency during this 40 days of Lent and beyond.
I praise you for your goodness.
Also, Father - I pray
For the men of Livingston County, that we would all turn to You with our whole heart;
For Pope Benedict XVI, his healing, and his successor;
For the Church, that YOU would continue to lead Her, guide Her, protect Her;
For our Protestant brothers and sisters, that You would open their hearts and minds to Your truth, and take away their bitterness and anger;
For those hurting, lonely, afraid to-day, that You would protect and comfort, and bring hope.

Thank You for Your Love, thank You for Your Son, thank you for Your plan.
In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
 
Amen

So God Made a Farmer

Paul Harvey's voice brings shivers to my skin, his voice and cadence so distinct. I happened upon this while playing a Youtube Supertones song; it was the Ad that i can skip in 5-4-3... but after it began i didn't want to skip it. I even made my wife listen to it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xvm4zCsO0Jw

And on the 8th day, God looked down on his planned paradise and said, "I need a caretaker." So God made a farmer.
God said, "I need somebody willing to get up before dawn, milk cows, work all day in the fields, milk cows again, eat supper and then go to town and stay past midnight at a meeting of the school board." So God made a farmer.
"I need somebody with arms strong enough to rustle a calf and yet gentle enough to deliver his own grandchild. Somebody to call hogs, tame cantankerous machinery, come home hungry, have to wait lunch until his wife's done feeding visiting ladies and tell the ladies to be sure and come back real soon -- and mean it." So God made a farmer.
God said, "I need somebody willing to sit up all night with a newborn colt. And watch it die. Then dry his eyes and say, 'Maybe next year.' I need somebody who can shape an ax handle from a persimmon sprout, shoe a horse with a hunk of car tire, who can make harness out of haywire, feed sacks and shoe scraps. And who, planting time and harvest season, will finish his forty-hour week by Tuesday noon, then, pain'n from 'tractor back,' put in another seventy-two hours." So God made a farmer.
God had to have somebody willing to ride the ruts at double speed to get the hay in ahead of the rain clouds and yet stop in mid-field and race to help when he sees the first smoke from a neighbor's place. So God made a farmer.
God said, "I need somebody strong enough to clear trees and heave bails, yet gentle enough to tame lambs and wean pigs and tend the pink-combed pullets, who will stop his mower for an hour to splint the broken leg of a meadow lark. It had to be somebody who'd plow deep and straight and not cut corners. Somebody to seed, weed, feed, breed and rake and disc and plow and plant and tie the fleece and strain the milk and replenish the self-feeder and finish a hard week's work with a five-mile drive to church.
"Somebody who'd bale a family together with the soft strong bonds of sharing, who would laugh and then sigh, and then reply, with smiling eyes, when his son says he wants to spend his life 'doing what dad does.'" So God made a farmer.

Be well. God loves you and so do I.

Recipe #9

This is a guacamole dish I tried to-day for the first time and we both love it with Kroger 100% white corn restaurant style tortilla chips.

2 avocados
1 brick of cream cheese
2 large tablespoons of sour cream
about a cup of Kroger Private Selection Mellow Black Bean and Corn Mild Salsa
salt, pepper, garlic powder to taste

Let the cheese soften, then mix with other ingredients in a small bowl. Whip it real good. Try it with some chips then put it in a Pyrex for tomorrow; it's better the next day.

Glorious sunny Saturday morning! Chilly cold and lots of frost on the windows so we're going to get us some wood!

Well we didn't get any wood, but we did save $5 at Dollar General in Pinckney! Got dog food, cat litter, tp, 4 litres of diet dew, and something else that i can't remember...

Bo Ryan is now 10-0 against the University of Michigan basketball team, hehehe. Great ending in overtime. I'm a Trey Burke fan all out because of his sportsmanship and cool like the other side of the pillow.

The Word of the Lord; Thanks be to God!

Brothers and sisters:
Strive eagerly for the greatest spiritual gifts.
But I shall show you a still more excellent way.

If I speak in human and angelic tongues,
but do not have love,
I am a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal.
And if I have the gift of prophecy,
and comprehend all mysteries and all knowledge;
if I have all faith so as to move mountains,
but do not have love, I am nothing.
If I give away everything I own,
and if I hand my body over so that I may boast,
but do not have love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient, love is kind.
It is not jealous, it is not pompous,
It is not inflated, it is not rude,
it does not seek its own interests,
it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury,
it does not rejoice over wrongdoing
but rejoices with the truth.
It bears all things, believes all things,
hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never fails.
If there are prophecies, they will be brought to nothing;
if tongues, they will cease;
if knowledge, it will be brought to nothing.
For we know partially and we prophesy partially,
but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away.
When I was a child, I used to talk as a child,
think as a child, reason as a child;
when I became a man, I put aside childish things.
At present we see indistinctly, as in a mirror,
but then face to face.
At present I know partially;
then I shall know fully, as I am fully known.
So faith, hope, love remain, these three;
but the greatest of these is love.

Lord, let this passage hold special value to us as believers, let our hearts never forget St Paul's description of Love; let us always live out our calling: to love.

 

Thumpin' Thursday on the job

Got the payoff finally for Wilburforce, Hurray! still is waiting on the subordination request, conditions are being looked at right now for Bloom, the termite inspection has been waived for Calvary, Franken-furter is looking for a home in the 100k range, Sadie is long done (thank you, Jesus!), Coal changed their mind and ended up putting 10% down after all so I must revise the 1003 both in our LOS and also in the bank's web, Right is on hold until the tax returns come in, Loess is still with the Pending Police to decide whether because of my mistake as a rookie processor this loan will be denied due to withholding information or not (whatever), LO (may he live forever) has been conspicuously quiet this morning.
Boss keeps offering to buy me lunch but i am holding fast to my bigass burger king breakfast story (it's actually true).
Trojan Man finally made it here and is debating with the boss about credit. This rep is a very good guy, very helpful and available. He liked my mints and left with a handful.
LO (may he live forever) requested follow up on OBAma appraisal and it is in review even as we type. We also locked Stanley's loan at three and three quarters on a 30 day fixed.

MSU - Wisconsin

Wasn't Wisconsin in the top 20 this season earlier??? Anyways tie game with 4 left in the first half... (yes they were, just checked)
We have a fire going and water running from every spicket so the pipes don't freeze any worst. Shepherds Pie and a bigass salad.for dinner with fresh-baked Grands smothered in butter, followed by Lemon-Nasty cheesecake for dessert. I am full. Otis is sitting on the arm of the futon grooming/swatting his tail, Sierra is outside in the 4 degree cold loving every minute of it, sweetie is cleaning up my humungous kitchen mess bless her heart.

Thank You, LORD, for this evening; for the rest from work and time with family. Thank you for our warm home and the food and drink You provide. 
Comfort those who are hurting tonight, be their strength and salvation.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end.
Amen

Tuesday Morning

The pipes froze so we have no hot water at home, if the insurance payment check gets deposited it will overdraw our account, i have no more time left on my monthly pre-paid cel phone, and payday is eleven days away....

BUT THAT'S OK, BECAUSE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JxCgo6iPrg

Oh, don't deceive me, oh never leave me...

Sometimes it's hard to just sit down and write. My nephew told me that Steven Spielberg said if you want to write, you need to put together at least 2000 words a day.
Sometimes it's hard.

36 so far, huh? ...

)-8

Friday Morning

Piety, Study, Action

This morning we look at the 2nd Chapter of Acts.

At the time this narrative takes place, there were many Jews gathered in Jerusalem for the festival of Pentecost - the Feast of Weeks or the Feast of Harvest, celebrated on the 50th day after Passover - the primary harvest celebration of the ancient Israelites.  On the day of the feast, there came the sound of a strong, driving wind that all could hear. There appeared tongues of fire which came to rest on every person there, and, in verse 4, 'All were filled with the Holy Spirit.' Folks began speaking in languages not their own about 'the marvels God has accomplished' (v. 11).
Many asked one another what this could possibly mean, wondering if these folks were drunk!

This was Saint Peter's cue. He stood up, along with the Eleven, raised his voice, and addressed the crowd. He begins by quoting the prophet Joel's prediction of this time, when God will pour out His spirit on mankind, with wonders and marvelous signs. He said that Jesus the Nazorean was the Man God sent with miracles, signs, and wonders, working in the midst of the Jews. He continued that this Jesus was delivered 'by the set purpose and plan of God' (v. 23), using pagans to crucify Him. But God emancipated Him from death; death could not hold the Son of God. Next Peter quotes Psalm 16 where David, who knew one of his descendents would rule Israel, predicted His resurrection.
Next Peter describes this Jesus as 'Exalted at God's right hand' (v. 33), Who 'received the promised Holy Spirit from the Father, then poured this Spirit out on us.' (v. 33). Then Peter again quotes ancient Scripture, this time the Messianic Psalm 110:

The LORD said to my Lord, sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool.

Saint Peter concluded his discourse in verse 36: 'Therefore let the whole house of Israel know beyond any doubt that God has made both Lord and Messiah this Jesus whom you crucified. (To which, to-day, in my kitchen, I add a hearty Amen!)

The people at this point were 'deeply shaken' (v.37). Many translations render this 'cut to the heart'. They wanted to know what to do! Peter instructed each one of them to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, that your sins may be forgiven.

That your sins may be forgiven. 

[This is huge for us, sitting comfortably in our warm homes with ESPN mindlessly droning in the background. But for God's people 2000 years ago, who didn't have the Bible, who didn't have 35,000 denominations advertising and soliciting, and who did not have centuries of church history tainting the person and mission of Christ Jesus, this was revolutionary!]

The text says Peter kept urging the people to repent. At the end of the day, 3000 of the gathered were baptized. Now flash back to the beginnings of  Hebrew History. Recently led out of slavery in Egypt by God and His Main Man Moses, the people were camped at Mt. Sinai, which Moses had climbed to talk to God.God tells Moses that there's no-good going on in the camp; Moses descends to find the people making rather merry and worshiping a gold idol they just made (which is what all the cool nations were doing at the time). Moses cried out, 'Whoever is for the LORD, come to me!!'. Those who chose God's side, we're told in Exodus 32, were then instructed to cut down with the sword those who did not. And 3000 people fell that day.


So much of our Old Testament reveals a great deal about what is to come in the New; the Jewish Feast of Pentecost is indeed a foreshadow of the coming of the Spirit, and the resulting harvest.

Come, Holy Spirit, and fill the hearts of the faithful
And kindle in us the fire of Your love
Send forth Your Spirit, and we shall be created,
And You shall renew the face of the earth.
Oh God, Who by the light of the Holy Spirit, instructs the hearts of the faithful,
Grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise
And ever rejoice in His consolations.
Through Christ our Lord,
Amen

 

Recipe # 6

Super Wednesday on BTN...

Tonight's dinner was a blessing from the LORD! I just happened to stumble upon the recipe to-day; we had a quarter of a bone-in pork tenderloin sliced into four chops and i wanted to do something different.

The recipe calls for a casserole pan covered with foil as it cooks. My benevolent wife has given all of the former away to family, so I broke out the big black roasting pan.

4-5 med potatoes sliced
1 med onion sliced
2 chicken boulion cubes
2 cups water
2 bay leaves
2 tbsp all purpose flour
4 pork chops
seasoning of your choice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Begin by adding the bullion cubes and bay leaves to the 2 cups of water and just bring to boil, then remove from heat.
In your baking pan, layer potato slices (i seasoned with fresh ground rainbow peppercorns) then the sliced onions, then the pork chops. You can salt/pepper your meat but i would not recommend going too crazy. I did use some dried basil just for kicks.
Remove the bay leaves from the water/broth, then whisk the flour in until you have a smooth consistency. Then pour the gravy over all. My pan was big enough that the meat was sitting just above the liquid but the potatoes were all covered.
Cover with a lid or foil and bake for 90 minutes.

The meat just fell off the bone and the potatoes were some of the best we've done here in Whitmore Lake.
I warmed up some corn to mix in the with the potatoes - you could do some bread or rolls also if you wanted or even add some fresh green veggies.

No stirring, no checking, just throw it in, enjoy the smell, and watch basketball. Wunderbar!!

This is our grand-daughter Joslin Mia, who lives in Cheyenne, WY, and will be 2 next month!

Sunday night goodness

One of the best weekends i can remember is slowly coming to an end here in beautiful Whitmore Lake, Michigan. 1/4 Friday I went to bible study in the early am with the brothers from Saint Patrick Church and then to work. It was payday so i did some lunchtime banking and paid a couple bills, then met my sweetie down the road cuz she wanted me to look at a tv stand for our living room. The price was right so we paid for it and were gonna bring my truck back the next day to pick it up. We went down the road a little farther to look for a futon mattress for our poor futon which hasn't had a mattress since ... well a few years back when the dog peed on it. 200 bucks for a real nice thick one that was pretty darn comfortable to sit on meaning it was probably pretty darn comfortable to sleep on. We didn't decide on that right away because she had seen a sofa/chaise lounge combo set at a consignment shop in town. We drove home pretty excited for the weekend to be upon us and stopped at Roadies in Whitmore Lake for a cold two and some unbelievable mozzarella sticks. Watched something or other until bed time and slept welll
Slept in a bit saturday but we told the guy with the tv stand we'd be there at noon so we got up and out and split a Firehouse Sub on the way there. BTW, this was pretty darn good - the company is run by real firemen; the soda dispenser has over 120 flavor combinations and we got a good deal on a huge sub, bag of chips, TWO pickle spears, and a 32 oz diet doctor pepper. Way good. So we loaded the tv stand ("entertainment center" better describes this piece) into the Ranger and drove slowly home. I backed up through about 6 inches of snow right up to the deck so we could shimmy the piece in but without the weight in the bed i couldn't get back through the snow. SO, i loaded patio blocks until i was able to get the truck out to our approved parking spot. We then wanted to look at the clearance center at Art Van in Howell, so we decided the turn it into an afternoon trip with a stop at Wal-mart for insulin, a produce gathering at Aldi's (don't you love Aldi's?!?), and then the Art Van expedition. Found a sofa that would fit our decor at a comparable price so now we had the dilemma of choosing to get a mattress for the futon which we already own, purchase a slightly used chaise lounge and matching sofa, or purchasing a brand new comfy sofa.
We didn't choose right then but took our produce home and watched something or other and fell asleep early.
8:00 mass this morning started our day then to Li'l Chef (the actual name) to split a western omlette with wheat toast. Then out towards Howell for some firewood (just enough to fill up the back of the grape), then back toward Brighton for Aco's on sale boxed logs, toilet tissue, and paper towell. THEN to Kroger for some charcoal because I was determined to barbecue these Omaha Steaks burgers that we got from the kids for CHRISTmas.
So, i'm watching some college basketball and my sweetie says 'hey why don't you make some soup?!?' and i'm like...k...., find me a recipe. And the search began: slow cook, fast cook, meat, no meat, tomatoes, potatos, ... She found a good crock pot vegetable soup recipe and i looked up how to do stock from veggies and veggie part.
The soup recipe called for 6 cups chicken broth so i used about half broth and half the stock i just created. It's been cooking on high for almost 4 hours so we'll see how it turned out...

Thank You, Father, for Your Love
Thank You for Your plan to sacrifice Your Son for our redemption.
Thank You for the daily blessings...
        and we love You, too. Amen


 

A Prayer ....

 
Holy, Perfect, Loving, Eternal LORD and Saviour,
Please soften my heart toward the ignorant Protestors; that I might not immediately desire to show them where they're wrong and how wrong they really are...but that I would remember the words of Ernie Harwell: "If I have the choice of being right or being kind, I'd rather be kind."
Help me to remember this, LORD. Help me to always remember this - with all people, in all situations. Any by Your grace, it will be done.

Thank You and amen

Recipe #199 - Kitchen Sink Chili

I made this just before CHRISTmas and we just finished it last night...lots of veggies in this comfort food!

Ingredients:
1 and 1/2 turn of extra virgin olive oil
1 white onion diced
about one third of a green pepper diced
2 carrots sliced thin
4 oz mushrooms sliced thin
1 rib of celery diced into small pieces
3-4 cloves of garlic diced
1 pound ground beef
4-6 oz of pork loin sliced into bite-sized chunks
3 medium red potatos diced
2 cans Brooks chili mix with beans
3 cans seasoned diced tomatos
1 can 14 oz tomato sauce
1 can 6 oz tomato paste
12 oz beer
2 tbs Worcestershire sauce
tbs chili powder
tsp basil
tsp chives
tsp garlic powder
tsp onion powder
cumin to taste

Serve with:
shredded cheddar cheese
sour cream
corn chips


I like to start in my 4 quart Cook's Essentials non-stick pot on medium heat with the oil, garlic, and vegetables until they're soft, then add the beef. Add seasoning to beef while cooking and cook til almost entirely brown then drain excess grease.
Meanwhile in non-stick T-Fal fry pan, heat the pork and potatoes in oil until cooked through, about 15 minutes.You may season these also at this point...i like to use montreal chicken season on my fried potatoes!
In 6 quart stockpot, combine contents both cooked pans along with other ingredients and bring to boil for about 5 minutes. Reduce heat and simmer for as long as you need to. Lid if you don't want to lose moisture, keep uncovered if you want to reduce water content.
Serve over chips covered with a dollop of sour cream and some fresh shredded cheese...we enjoyed it for lunch and dinner for many days...

Merry Christmas, Mr. Scrooge, in keeping with the situation!!

The cheesecake is chilling, the meatballs are warming, the last batch of Magic Cookie Bars are in the oven, the cheese is cut, the spice coffee is warm, the fire is warmer, the dishes are done, A Christmas Story is ending (for the 14th time), Les Miserables opens at our local MJR theatre in two hours, the dog is lying at my feet, and kitty is watching it all unfold: It is a glorious Christmas morning on Lamb Street (and elsewhere I'm sure!)

Hark! The herald angels sing: Glory to the newborn King!
Peace on earth, and mercy mild; God and sinners reconciled.
Joyful all ye nations rise, join the triumph of the skies
With angelic host proclaim: CHRIST IS BORN in Bethlehem!
Hark! The herald angels sing: Glory to the newborn King!

Hail! The Heavenly Prince of Peace
Hail! The Son of Righteousness
Light and life to all He brings
Ris'n with healing in His wings.
Mild He lays his glory by
Born that man no more may die
Born to raise the sons of earth
Born to give them second birth!
Hark! the herald angels sing: Glory to the newborn King!

Sweetie and I took a quick trip to see little sister in Port Huron on Sunday. Yestreday she rang middle of the day and I worked a little Santa gig in Brighton. We got a few quick inches of snow that covered every little thing and caused havoc on the expressways. We spent a quiet Christmas Eve evening together amidst baking and packaging and I triple dog dare ya. Already out early for a Christmas cappuccino; the roads are still slick so be ye full of care.

 

MLIA

Saturday night in Whitmore Lake. It's cold and clear and the waxing gibbous moon is high in the sky. Miracle on 34th Street is on AMC yet again and my bride is on her way home from work. We are going out dancing tonight, because we feel like it. We have both worked long hard weeks and we will tonight enjoy each others company.
Tomorrow is Sunday and then Monday is Christmas Eve. Tuesday is Christmas Day and Les Miserables.

Our hearts are sad, blood has been shed...

Lord of Heaven and earth,

Great is Your Name and greatly to be praised; You are worthy of all praise. To You belong blessing, honour, power, and glory. Your righteousness shines like the sun, Your holiness like a thousand stars. You are before all and during all and after all...YOU ARE!
I confess my sin to you this hour LORD, and I confess the sin of the whole world. We are a selfish lot, we are short-sighted and unwise. 
Lord have mercy
Christ have mercy
Lord have mercy
Forgive us by the power of the blood that was shed for our good; forgive us, please forgive us.

You are all Good, all Mighty, all Wise; in You is our hope, our faith, our trust.

Amen

 

)-8

Our Aunt Sue, Susanne Marie Randall/Luckritz/Baldner, went home to be with the LORD at 11:16 this morning. I am sad...

God our Father,
Your power brings us to birth,
Your providence guides our lives,
and by Your command we return to dust.

Lord, those who die still live in Your presence,
their lives change but do not end.
I pray in hope for my family,
relatives and friends,
and for all the dead known to You alone.

In company with Christ,
Who died and now lives,
may they rejoice in Your kingdom,
where all our tears are wiped away.
Unite us together again in one family,
to sing Your praise forever and ever.

Amen

Eternal rest grant unto her, O Lord,
and let perpetual light shine upon her.
May she rest in peace.

Amen

...and He shall reigh for ever and ever.

King of kings!
-forever and ever, hallelujah, hallelujah!
and Lord of lords!
-forever and ever, hallelujah, hallelujah!

Hal-le-lu-jah!!!

First Advent Post...

Bullets:

Rudolf on tonight
Chicken patty sandwiches and salad tonight, burgers last night
$2.99 lights on the deck from Target
Installed a valve for the outside water; still need to insulate and replace skirts
Server at the office just stopped working
Rooted for the Lions to lose on Sunday
Sister Nancy got her picture taken with Virginia Patton (Ruth Daiken Bailey from It's a Wonderful Life)
Saw A Christmas Carol - The Musical on Friday
Went to mass at Old St. Patrick in Ann Arbor on Sunday

I just don't like to make toys

A lament for Gandalf, ...I have not the heart to tell you, for me the grief is still too near

Let the night never cease to call you
Let the day nevermore be the same
Though you've gone where we cannot find you
In each heart you have set your name
Mithrandir far you wander
And long may your name be sung
Through kingdoms of starlight
And realms of the sun
Mithrandir though you're hidden
We're still guided by your light
You're walking beside us
A friend in the night We were lost when the dark descended
And the light gathered into a storm
You appeared like a sunlit morning
At the winds of a world at war Mithrandir far you wander
And long may your name be sung
Through kingdoms of starlight
And realms of the sun
Mithrandir though you're hidden
We're still guided by your light
You're walking beside us
A friend in the night Mithrandir rising through the shadow
Like a star shining deep in its home
You will dwell in our hearts forever
Nevermore will we stand alone

Important Dates

14 December 2012 The Hobbit opens

25 December 2012 Les Miserables opens

Nobody shouts or talks too loud, not in my castle on a cloud

My wife and I are finally (after 17 years) at the place where we are able to spend these wonderful HolyDay celebrations with our respective families without each other and be good with it. Yestreday Thanksgiving 2012 was a most wonderful day.
I got to sing most of Les Mis with niceces and nephews Ramon, Carlos, Isabelle, Alexander, and sister Nancy. I got to eat tons of food with my family. AND, I got to play football in the yard with neices and nephews and brother Gary and sister Nancy. What a wonderful day it was!?!?!?! More desserts than one get-together should be allowed, endless LOTR and The Hobbit conversations, football, Les Mis, warm hugs, and warm food. God be praised!!

Christ, the Life of all the living
Christ, the Death of death, our foe
Who, Thyself for me once giving
To the darkest depths of woe - 
Through thy suff'rings, death, and merit
I eternal live inherit.
Thousand, thousand thanks shall be,
Dearest Jesus unto Thee.

AMEN!

another day in the life...

Brought in dollar 'cookies' from cvs to dunk in my coffee this morning; the pot is a strong one and I am thankful: up at 4 am and wide awake but the 620 alarm was not very welcome i can tell you.
Made the coffee, lit the candles, checked email: nothing super-urgent, rebooted because it was slow...
Still slow and the server is beeping...WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?!?!
Checked on chumley appraisal and there's no word on the new comps supposed to be done...
Printed wife's supplement so only one condition left. LO (may he live forever) wants to close Friday.
Asked the closer at IMCO why when we agreed on a 2:00 closing for Needles the closing package didn't get to the title company until after 5:00...
Hannah is finally 'submitted' to IMCO and we await UW conditions.
Zilwaukee is closed and disbursed and (now that I've again driven to Land) we have our closing package for the file. For the file?
Now, to help organize old files...
Locked Zilwaukee after being unable to access the United online system for the better part of an hour.
Back to the organizing...

Thanksgiving Week!

I watched the Grinch last night on tv. Now, it must be said, that i've already watched Charlie Brown Christmas twice, It's a Wonderful Live thrice, Rudolf once, and I've listened to Handel's Messiah several times in the past month. It's all good. I love the season. My sweetie has already decorated the house and I made some simple meatloaf tonight.

Simple, yo, and the only thing i added not shown above was about a pound and a half of ground beef. The hour's almost up and the house smells pretty darn good.

Some fall feeder pictures:

 

fun...

At the end of the day you're another day older...

My wife rings a bell for the Salvation Army's Red Kettle Campaign. She started yestreday, Wednesday the 14th of November, and she will ring six days a week until CHRISTmas eve.She picks up her bucket and gets her assignment at 9 in the am, then drives to her destination, and starts ringing, ... and doesn't stop ringing until the driver picks up her bucket at around 8 in the pm. Other than quick bathroom breaks, she rings and greets and wishes God's blessing upon the shoppers in Livingston County for over ten hours a day in whatever kind of weather (frightful or not!) She got home last night with a red face just like Mrs. Claus, hungry and tired. We shared a quick supper and she told me she was ready to lay down. I kissed her good night and within about a minute i could hear the peaceful-slumber-breathing (not snoring!) from the bedroom and I was left to finish watching The Maltese Falcon on TCM by myself.
I am quite proud of her. I know I couldn't do it.
This is her third year and she often rings at the Wal-Mart that we love to shop at. It's the busiest door in the county and she gets to ring there because, for two years straight, she's rang in the most dollars. The Salvation Army has a nice banquet after CHRISTmas for all the ringers and then gives out a nice prize. She's humbled by the big hearts of the people of Livingston County
I'm so proud of her...

CHRISTmas carols on Pandora

To-day...

Woke up, got out of bed, dragged a comb across my head
Found my way downstairs and drank a cup
      and, looking up, I noticed I was late....

Actually it rarely happens that simply; to-day it certainly did not:
Woke up, got out of bed, dragged my fatass across the floor to let out the dog at 3 in the a.m. It was getting colder and I was so glad I was home with my snuggle sweetie. Ah another several hours of dreams...
The first alarm went off at 6:20 and this was much too early. Set the snooze for and hour and 7:20 inevitable came and I was still not ready to get up. My sweetie, on the other hand, was, and she went off to her favourite gas station to score a french vanilla cappuccino. I rested until i was rushed and shaved, showered, and dressed in record time. My darling made me a french bread sandwich, leftover meatloaf, and three little packets of m$ms lunch with a love note on the paper towel (-8 and I was off!
Expressway traffic is not bad at that hour and I found my favourite parking spot was waiting for my little white ranger.
Found my way upstairs and turned the lights, copier, computer, and coffee pot on, only to find that the server was not accessible. Did what I could but it turned out necessary to call the big techno dogs for a house call for the fix. An hour later I was golden and saw to the business of the day. Scheduled another closing for Wednesday and am very close to about three more done deals.
Left the office a little after six with the songs of Les Mis on my brain. So I got home, had my second dinner, and found the trailer to watch several times. Then Rufus doing Hallelujah and Schnappi by the little German girl, then Miss Saigon and Cats, just to feel well rounded.
Sweetie is embibing in DWTS as I finish this entry. (And, finally, Across the Universe by Rufus)

Found my way downstairs and had a smoke, and somebody spoke, and I went into to a dream...


Thank you, LORD, for a wonderful day
For the work I was able to do, and for the after-work time at home with Sierra the Malamute, Otis the Quat, and the Bride of my Youth.
And i love You, too.
Amen

At home...

Friday: after work to Walmart for insulin and pop, then KFC for a bucket o great chicken. Tough to drive all that way home without tearing into a breast or two...

Saturday: up real early to do laundry, have quick shared omelet, get some lumber from Lowes, and then home to build a wall in the back bedroom; also hung a door on the front bedroom.

Sunday slept in a bit and then worked outside: put in some perennials, got stuff put away in the shed, blew some leaves, ... it's about 70 and real windy. Kitty just got up from his fifth nap and is watching leaves blow by outside. The sun is low in the southwest and it seems like it's like 6 or 7 pm- it's not even 4 yet and i'm ready for my first nap.

Glory to God in the highest, and on Earth, peace, goodwill to men.

At work...

Parked in my favourite spot, unlocked door and came upstairs. Turned on the lights, made the coffee, turned on the copier and radio, unlocked dual screen Dell desktop. No email. Never seen that, not even a fax notification telling me i could get a cheap Bahama cruise.
Checked United pipeline: no lock status on Zilwaukee, no news from the underwriters on Hannah, no status changes on any loans at all. Checked IMCO pipeline: status update on Jarjar and Needle. Needles appraisal was yestreday so we should be hearing from the AMC soon. Met Mr. and Mrs. Jarjar yestreday also. Nice people to be sure. Wishing nothing but the best for them.
First phone call was from Drogo Zarubabbel, the Senior Underwriter from United. He told me that EVEN THOUGH we went through a costly and time-consuming credit rescore on the Harper loan, the case was still not approve/eligible because of the ratios. AE T-Roui recommended going to a 20 year loan as hes' seen AE-I ineligible go to approve/eligible by switching to 20 year. I presented this to the loan officer (may he live forever) and am waiting for his direction. Boss called and is involved in some sort of court drama or other and won't be in until late morning.
10:25 and i grabbed my first cup of coffee. started typing up some notes for the Boss also, 'cuz you're a good typer'. He's a nice guy - i like helping him during this stressful time in his life.

The next sequence of events is hard to summarize without the help of Steven Spielberg...
Loan officer (may he live forever) sends an email to me showing what he had just sent to his 'assistant' who is finding him loans regarding a client of theirs.

2:30 now, and the last four hours have been hectic....let's see...the loan officer (may he live forever) showed up in the office to sign some documents which had not arrived yet so his visit was in vain. Subsequently, we began discussing the Harper deal and the car allowance that is figured into his six-figure salary but which had not specifically been counted as income. So I collected appropriate documentation and provided it to the underwriter (as well as our loan officer ((may he live forever)), the Boss, and the AE), and I am eagerly awaiting a positive reply. Spent almost an hour trying to get an approve/eligible in FNMA's Desktop Originator for the Harper deal going with 20 years in stead of 30. But this would require a Change of Circumstance with United and all the associated

Typed some more for the Boss, checked on our facsimile server which is not apparently working to-day... and we can send faxes (we never need to do that, we scan and email everything) but not receive them...Submitted a bunch of stuff yestreday on the JarJar loan and the bank is acting like they never got anything...the lock on Zilwaukee is confirmed but we forgot to request the escrow waiver...called the AE on that one and left a message...
Checked IMCO pipeline again and nothing i am going to do with those to-day. I'm going to check into licensing with NMLS...

Got a list of conditions from the Lender for the Chumley deal so I am all over this before quitting time!!!

Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow!

Recipe # 18: Lasagna

We had this ton of shredded mozzarella cheese we got from my mom and i had been thinking about a frozen pizza just to use it up but my beautiful bride had a better idea...

Set cheeses out so as to assemble at room temperature.

2# mozzarella cheese

2.5 # ground beef

1 white onion diced

1 red onion diced

Several dried basil leaves crumbled up

3 cloves garlic minced

1 tbsp fresh Italian parsley

1 tsp fresh ground black pepper

Add 45 ounces of Ragu Old World Style Smooth Pasta Sauce Flavored with Meat

3 cans of diced tomatoes (one of which is Meijer Italian Style Diced Tomatoes with Oregano and Basil)

1 little can of tomato paste

2 cans of sliced mushrooms and bring to boil.

Reduce heat and start cheese sauce.

  

For the tomato sauce, preheat your big pot and give the bottom two turns of EVOO. Add onion, garlic, parsley, basil, pepper and meat; cook meat until almost done. Add tomatoes and mushrooms and bring to a boil then simmer while you build the cheese sauce.

Combine the following in a mixing bowl:

1 pint ricotta cheese

1 pint cottage cheese

½ cup Parmesan cheese

Several sprigs of rosemary

Several dashes of oregano

Several twists of fresh ground black pepper

Layer sauce, noodles, cheese and mozzarella until you run out of room. Cook for 45 minutes at 350 covered and then add some mozzarella to the top and cook another 15 uncovered.

 

This much actually made two pans three inches thick but I ran out of cheese sauce on the second one. I don't think you could use too much mozzarella. Make sure to leave room under the foil so that when you take the foil off, you can put tons of cheese on top.I would have added diced green/red/orange/yellow peppers to the sauce if we'd a had some. Fresh mushrooms are great also, we just happened to have the canned in the pantry. Also, you can add zucchini, carrots, or whatever the heck you want.

This turned out pretty darn good. My wife loved it and we made enough to share with family tomorrow.

Sola Deo Gloria

Stars

There, out in the darkness
A fugitive running
Fallen from God
Fallen from grace
God be my witness
I never shall yield
Till we come face to face
Till we come face to face

He knows his way in the dark
Mine is the way of the Lord
And those who follow the path of the righteous
Shall have their reward
And if they fall
As Lucifer fell
The flame
The sword!

Stars
In your multitudes
Scarce to be counted
Filling the darkness
With order and light
You are the sentinels
Silent and sure
Keeping watch in the night
Keeping watch in the night

You know your place in the sky
You hold your course and your aim
And each in your season
Returns and returns
And is always the same
And if you fall as Lucifer fell
You fall in flame!

And so it has been and so it is written
On the doorway to paradise
That those who falter and those who fall
Must pay the price!

Lord let me find him
That I may see him
Safe behind bars
I will never rest
Till then
This I swear
This I swear by the stars!

Thank You, Father in Heaven, for the food and water You provide for us. Thank You for a fire in the fireplace and shelter from the cold winds.

Game 4

Inning the First1
Pagan K
Scutaro FO
Pablo K

Jackson  some sort of out
Berry GO
Miggy BB
Fielder K

Inning the Second2
Posey K
Pence 2B
Belt 3B Pence scored
Blanco 4-3 Belt to third
Theriot FO9

Delmon Single up the middle
Andy FO8
Jhonny out
Omar groundout

Inning the Third3

Crawford I1B
Pagan FO9
Scutaro FO8
Pablo 1B, crawford to third
Posey FO8


G-Money some sort of out
Ajax BB
Berry sac bunt pablo great play to get the batter
Miggy "...and he's gonna run out of room!"
Fielder 6-3

Inning the Fourth4
Pence out
Belt four pitch walk
Blanco strike em out, throw em out double play

Delmon out
Andy out
Jhonny K

Inning the Fifth5
Therio out
Crawford out
Pagan 4-3 (thanks baby, for that one)

Omar bloop single
Gmoney bunt pop up
Ajax FO8
Berry 1-6-3 out with a head-first dive

Inning the Sixth6
Scutaro E-5
Pablo K
Posey 2 run homer 3-2 Giants
Pence K
Belt FO7

Miggy K
Fielder little fucking stupid ass popout
Delmon Homer to right
Dirks single
Jhonny long fly ball to left almost at the fence (3-3)

Inning the Seventh7
Blanco single to right
Therio ground out, Blanco to 2nd
pitching change: Smyly
Crawford FO8
pitching change: Dotel
Pagan 4-3 (3-3)

Omar 6-3
G-money Popped up to first
Ajax shitty atbat strike out

Inning the Eighth8
Dotel walks Scutaro on four straight pitches
Pablo 3 ua. Scutaro out 3-6-1. Two out.
Posey K!!

Pitcher for SanFran Jeremy Affeldt causing
pinch hitter Avisail Garcia: BB
Miggy K
Prince K
Delmon  K

Inning the ninth9
coke pitching...
pence CK
belt  K
blanco k

...breathe...
Dirks K
Jhonny FO8
new pitcher
Omar hit on the hand by Cassila asswipe; Worth takes first
G-Money ground out

Inning the tenth10
Theriot single to right
Crawford sac bunt, Theriot to second
Pagan K

I think it's beyond our control...

We've tried it all... new gray Tiger shirt, old blue Tiger hat, score the game, add to the kitchen Tigers shrine, old blue sleeveless Tiger shirt, watch the pregame, don't watch the pregame, yell at the tv, don't yell at the tv, beads, no beads, plug in the orange Tiger lights, leave them unplugged...I even ask God to help them win.

Bottom line is, the offense has been on a union break, and they need to punch back in.

Above the gas range, our Tiger shrine

priceless

worked late and brought home Guidos pizza and their famous GuidoBread with that unbelievable cheese dipping sauce omg. sweetie and i watched the video of my mom and dads 50th anniversary shindig...another omg.
I made a fire to warm us up and now i'm listening to les mis and she's watching tv. i'm going to attempt for the third time tonight a 2 suit spider solitair game.
I will win it: third time pays for all, as my old gaffer used to say.
Pizza and GuidoBread after work: $21.49
Getting my wife's PT Cruiser out of the shop: $348.90
Spending a Friday night with her, Sierra the Malamute, and Otis the Quat: priceless

Sweetie says no doubters in the house tomorrow night; only the faithful will be allowed here to cheer on the boys of summer. i am not too optimistic about this endeavour.

Autumn Blessings!!

Glorious day to-day; sunshine, leaves falling and blowing around, near 80 degrees, the smells of the leaves blowing and the leaves burning are everywhere, Glory to God!

I have an abscess and it hurts. I went to have an orthodontics guy clean it out to-day and he filled it with some medicine and i get to back to see him next month.

5:00 and I just woke up from my nap and it's still beautiful out!! My sweetie is cutting the grass and the Quat is watching diligently. Sierra the Malamute is lying somewhere comfortably, and I hope the Tigers are taking their vitamins. 

American League Champs!!

The Tigers beat the Yankees in the ALCS and await the Giants/Cards winner to compete to be MLB Champs.

Are you my kitty? It certainly appears so.

Cool here in Whitmore Lake and rain rain rain ... all the moisture we would have liked to have had in the summer is appearing now it appears.

In the fourth game, their ass goes down.

Doing a pork loin to-day, MSU @ U-M and this is the year that MSU can mess up Nard-dog's decent season so far...

Tons more pictures of the clinching night at http://longshotsblues.wordpress.com/, thanks!

 

Game 3 American League Pennant

My sweetie and I both worked til 3 and rushed home in anticipation. I had found online the place we were going for dinner before the game, and all the reviews said 'get there early'. We fed the dog and let her out, i reminded the Quat to be good; we grabbed an extra long-sleeved shirt and away we sped. There were very few tables with people when we strolled eagerly into Nemos in Corktown. Sports Illustrated had recently named this establishment one of the three top sports bars in the US of A.Not for its food, I can tell you (the burger wasn't bad, it was just the only thing seriously on the menu!), nor for the promptness of the shuttle bus that takes you to and from the game, but for the antiquity of the building and the Detroit sports stories that cover the walls.
We enjoyed conversation with people from all over as the restaurant and tables outside filled up. Busses not unlike the one below, one at a time, filled up with revellers and left, replaced by ones of similar kind and likeness.

We toasted the Tiger's fortune one more time and hopped aboard a bus parked in front on bricked Michigan Avenue that looked not a bit different from the one above and made our way to the park The driver let us off right at Gate B and we were in a festive mood so we walked over to the huge parking lot turned into pre-game party just east of Chelli's Chili bar. We hung out there for a while, listening to the music by some dj right there live and loud and then headed into the park. I tried to give the guy the wrong tickets (whiched caused a bit of stress for us during the Anthem and introductions) but we finally ended up at the highest top of the stadium you could be in, foul territory, right field.
We decided after about 2 innings to take our chances in lower level land and walked miles trying to find a standing room spot where we could actually see the game. We ended up in bleacher land for an inning or two until i got hungry so we went clockwise (our favourite direction) towards first base. Stopped where we could see a little bit of the batting area and infield....right behind the terrace seats behind first base. It was convenient there for several reasons. One, we weren't up in the stratosphere. B, we were within sight of restrooms, pizza, kick ass Italian sausages with mucho aroma, and miller lite vendors. Plus, we were immediately next to a portable refrigerator holding Leinenkugel kegs which served as a table for me to lay my score book on. Plus, plus, the vendors on both sides of us (Leinenkugel and Tiger Gear) were the nicest folks you could ever want to share a Game 3 with.
JV pitched into the 8th, and was relieved due to pitch count, not circumstance. He was not getting the strike calls that he enjoyed in the Oakland series. In fact, he threw 18 pitches in 3 ball counts and did not walk a batter. That set some sort of record or other.
...................................................................intermission..........................................................................

From Elias: Miguel Cabrera has at least one hit in each of his 16 career League Championship Series games, moving out of a tie with Pete Rose (1973-1983) and Manny Ramirez (2003-2007) for the longest hitting streak in LCS history.

Anyways, Phil Coke pulled off the two-inning save, and not one person left that park until the final out in the 9th. Great fans Detroiters are.Everyone was waving the white towels...not in submission mind you, but in revellry...which is where we started this shindig.
Our bus back to Nemos took forever to arrive and I suppose if we would have not been NemoVirgins, we might have enjoyed being downtown enjoying the revelry. We finally loaded and got back to Corktown. We made a final visit inside before piling into the Grape and heading home: Michigan Ave west, right on Rosa Parks, left on I-75 (south) and a quick right onto I-96 (west). 

It was a great outing with my sweetie, and one of the best birthday celebrations i can remember.

Hola~

Cold and drizzly here in Whitmore Lake but it's a beautiful Saturday because
i) God loves me infinitely more than I could ever love myself
ii) I am home with my sweetie and Sierra the Malamute and Otis the Quat
iii) I don't have to drive up north for work tomorrow
iv) The Tigers start their alcs in new york tonight, and we're going to the first home game on tuesday
v) I don't have to drive up north tomorrow
vi) We are blessed with a home, food, water, a toilet and shower, gas for heat and electricity for light
vii) TCM is on as I put together some white chicken chili

50th Celebration, part 2

Our Heavenly Father blessed this day for so many of us....so wonderful to see nieces and nephews, cousins, 2nd cousins, distant relatives and friends of mom and dad whom I hadn't seen in years. Music and comments/memories provided by the grand-kids, home-cooked thanksgiving dinner for all, many tears and much laughter.
I was the after-dinner emcee and if i would have had Tolkien's 'I don't know half of you half as well as I should like; and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve.' down, I would have used it. As it was, my little brother gave an absolutely professional, prayerful history of the family entitled 'God Knew'. (As it becomes available, I will reprint [with permission, of course] in this forum).

Thank you, Father, for my family - far from perfect and even contentious at times -  and for the time that You've given us together here, this side of eternity. 

 

The 50th Celebration Cranberry Sauce

So for mom and dads 50 anniversary party (which mom has decided will be a Thanksgiving feast for 80 of their closest friends and family), i asked if i could make the cranberry sauce. Turkey, stuffing, etc had already been doled out by the time i volunteered so I jumped on this opportunity.
I found what I thought was a good recipe, and then multiplied it (NOT 'timesd it') by 8. Here it is, in its entirety.

12 oz cranberries
3/4 cup orange juice
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup sugar
2 oz gold rum (optional)

SO, i adapted a bit off of this. I used the juice and zest of one orange instead of the 3/4 cup of juice. Then i added a pinch of nutmeg, a pinch of cinnamon, and the juice and zest of one half of a lime for each four-ple of the recipe. (I made two batches, each with 4 times each of the above amounts.)
I added about an ounce of spiced rum to the second batch.
The flavors are incredible as it is cooking...

It's October!!!

My wife asks me questions like 'can i give the dog some cheese?'. I say, no don't give her my precious cheese, give her some damn rice from the Chinese carry out from three nights ago that no one's going to eat anyway. She gives the dog cheese anyways.
Are these types of questions rhetorical? Am thinking so.

The Livingston Argus took more money out of our checking account to-day. This event was not unlike my wife's question and answer debacle: 'can i take money out of your checking account without your authorization?' No. And it's gone. So I angrily called tonight to give them a piece of my mind and (as God would have it) there was no one there to bitch at. So I will call tomorrow, when I'm in a better humour.

Go Tigers!!!

Cool saturday...

...but life is good because I'm home with Sierra the Malamute and Otis the Quat with Michigan State on the television, the Tigers on the radio, and beef stew in the slow cooker. Sweetie works til 6 and i will have a the home cozy with a roaring fire and our pumpkin candle! Today, the first day of Autumn, is football weather to be sure. Cloudy, cool, ... with the smell of wood fires everywhere.

Helped up at the plant stand this morning preparing for the pumpkins, corn stalks, and hay bales. Visited the Hartland WalMart several times and have syringes, huge clearance 15" inseam shorts, and some cool workboots to show for it. Also Krogers in Brighton on the way home but I don't like that one as much as ours. For one thing, many items are in the wrong place. For another, there's much less meat to select from AND not hardly as many Manager Specials as ours in Lakeland.

We closed three loans this past week at work and they were three deals from hell. All of them began way before I started with incomplete, unorganized, thick files. I am wholeheartedly enthusiastic about this new career and all the opportunities to help people realize their dream. For the last 20 years, very few people thanked me for helping them realize their dreams, I can say with an hundred percent assuredlyness.

Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow
Praise Him, all creatures here, below!
Praise Him above, ye heavenly hosts!
Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost.
Amen

 

New...

I no longer teach.

I have never said that before, but I have not-taught during different times in my adult life.
The first was when I graduated university. The time was the roaring 80s. I had just moved in with my parents in Westland and sent letters of application to all the districts in the area. A few interviews here and there but I did not have even the remotest clue on how to do that effectively so I got on the sub list of two districts and earned my $35 a day for two years that way. In a way it was nice because I had no planning or correcting of papers to do, and I was able to work other jobs in the evenings and on weekends.
Then, I moved to Cousin Bob's place out a ways and did some other things for money: made pizza, did phone surveys, abated asbestos, counseled summer campers, bowling alley mechanic and counter boy.
In 1993 I responded to a tiny classified ad in the Livingston County Argus for a high school teaching position at a tiny Christian school. I stayed there until 1999 when I accepted a position as an alternative ed teacher in Big Rapids. We bought a house in nearby Stanwood in 2000 but in 2005 our school was shut down.
I found another alternative job in Shepherd, MI and I will not even soil the 'Net with commentary on that foul place. Suffice it to say it was like working in Mordor.
The following year (2006) I tried subbing again and working home-bound jobs but it was too little. In late January 2007 (around Super Bowl time, as I remember sadly) I went south to look for work. Little sister has a house in suburban Detroit that she let me stay at whilst I again got on the sub list and worked minimal part time jobs. Selling insurance did not pan out during the summer (I sucked) and in the fall I again found a job teaching but it was even farther up north than Big Rapids.
So, for the last five years I've been renting in Onekama, teaching during the week and driving home to see my sweetie on the weekends. In 2010 I was cut back to half time and lost my benefits. We made it work for a year but all this past summer I was dreading the long drive north without my bride working so far away for such little pay. But I didn't know what to do. I applied to all kinds of jobs during the summer and never heard anything.
Until Thursday the 23rd of August, when I got a voice message that I didn't return until the following morning. I got the message regarding the opening, called the boss and met him at McDonalds for a pretty informal interview. I called him that night and accepted the position as a loan processor about 12 minutes away from home, not 4 hours away. So, on Monday the 27th of August (The Feast of Saint Monica), I began my new career in something other than teaching.
I am vested, and I will have some sort of pension when I'm quite old, for which I am thankful.
But I no longer teach, and I'm ok with that.

Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow
Praise Him, all creatures here below
Praise Him above, ye heavenly hosts
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. 
Amen

Behind the trapezoid...

Twelve Bullets for Tuesday

One. I had a terrible dream last night
Two. I couldn't sleep very well after that dream
Three. There were issues with our water over the weekend so I couldn't take a shower in the morning
Four. I got a cup of coffee on my way to my new job
Five. Former students texted me asking where I was
Six. My boss was late for work but I was there early diligently attending to the business of the day
Seven. My sweetie told me she was proud of me
Eight. Our God is an awesome God
Nine. Did some laundry after work
Ten. Did dishes after the laundry because the water issues are no more
Eleven. The Tigers are losing at home to the damnable Indians
Twelve. We are both tired from a long day and from rooting for our beloved losing Tigers

Thanksgiving

I am thankful because I don't have to pack up and leave my sweetie to-day - Labor Day in the US, Labour Day in Canada. I don't have to collect my toothbrush, shave cream, pillow cases, school shoes, snacks and salad dressing... and then say a very tough good bye to my bride. I am thankful that I don't have to drive north while trying to find a station airing the Tigers game, ever aware of when the next McDonalds will be available. I am thankful because the next forty or fifty conversations I have with my wife will not be over the phone. I am thankful that I get to close my eyes next to her tonight, and wake next to her in the morning.

Jehovah-Jireh, all praise and glory and honor belong to You. I thank You for what you're doing in our lives, in our hearts; thank You for this time of year and, in particular, this year this time.
And we love You, too.

 

Recipe #114: Early Autumn Chili

Saturday of Labor Day weekend, the Spartans won last night as did the Tigers, and we've got family to feed! My sweetie thought my chili would be just the ticket, even though it's not really chilly enough yet for chili (imho:).

Here's the ingredient list:

1 1/2 # ground chuck
1 1/2 # boneless regular cut pork chops
1 30.5 oz can of Brooks Quick Chili Mix (beans)
5 medium potatoes
1 cup ketchup
1 tbsp spicy brown mustard
12 oz beer
1 sweet onion
1 green pepper
8 oz sliced mushrooms
4 cloves of garlic
3 cans (14.5 oz each) of Meijer Diced Tomatoes
1/4 cup fresh oregano
Chili powder, crushed red pepper flakes, ground black pepper, and salt to taste
1 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 tbsp soy sauce

Brown ground chuck in evoo with diced onion and garlic. When meat is almost cooked add diced green pepper and simmer for a few more minutes. Add to slow cooker set to Hi.

Cook pork in soy sauce (or marinate beforehand) and evoo just until white all through. Slice against the grain thin and then halve these pieces. Add to slow cooker.

Add Chili mix, ketchup, mustard, beer, tomatoes, oregano, and seasonings to slow cooker.

Meanwhile, dice potatoes into 1/2 inch chunks and boil for 10 minutes with salt and garlic in the water. Drain potatoes and add to slow cooker.

Cook on Hi, stirring occasionally, for at least 3 hours. If you cook longer, reduce heat to Low or even Warm. Add mushrooms about 1 hour before serving.
We like to add shredded cheddar and oyster crackers in the bowl.
Like I said, this is for nieces and nephews so it's pretty mild. For us at home I would add a can of green chilis.
My wife likes hers poured over a couple of hot dogs; I, in a big bowl with tons of cheese and warm bread.

God bless you all!