The "Name That Boy" contest is officially over.Garnering 31 percent of the votes, we have a winner.The "not so fast" boy's name is...Henry!More than one person suggested Henry, so the names went into the box lid to be drawn by my flesh-and-blood boy.Who won the second complimentary copy of Not So Fast?Jane Anne, of Gravity of Motion!Congratulations, Jane Anne, and thanks … [Read more...]
On the Air with Ann
(photo credit: stock.xchng)I was interviewed by phone about Not So Fast on a station in Minneapolis, MN, for the "Live! with Jeff & Lee" show.(Wait, let's pause for a second to count how many prepositional phrases I packed into that first sentence. What's your count? I think it's six if you count the one that squeezes in with the name of the show. And the sentence … [Read more...]
"Name That Boy" Poll
A lot of really great names were proposed (with a few repeats). Some were sweet little boy names, some were symbolic, and a few sounded like names that the little boy inherited from a high-achieving great-grandpa.After a grueling evaluation, I narrowed them down to just a few.By the way, a friend dipped into his creative juices to come up with (among others) Loaded-Down … [Read more...]
Wordless Wednesday: Midwestern Americana
(Photo credit goes to my mom, Lynn Hopper,who snapped a picture of this impressive hay-bale artnot far from where I grew up.) … [Read more...]
Are You Enjoying the Benefits of a Slower Life?
This article in The Boston Globe claims that some families are discovering unexpected benefits of a slower approach to life in the midst of economic downturn."It's hard to slow down. It's hard to step back," said one of the people interviewed who lost a corporate law job, "but it's a blessing in disguise."The article doesn't go into great detail, but touches on a few areas … [Read more...]
Food on Fridays: Corn Muffin Bake-Off
(alternative button below)Here at the Food on Fridays carnival, any post remotely related to food is welcome. Recipes are enjoyed, but you can just share about your favorite VBS snack, describe hummus as if you've been assigned that as a sensory-focused creative writing prompt, or tell us a childhood dietary mishap (I, for example, ate too many Bugles one time, threw up, … [Read more...]
Let the Sea Resound
Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let the sea resound, and all that is in it.(Psalm 96:11)[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCvU6f6F2aU] … [Read more...]
Food on Fridays: Cheese, Tea and Soup
(alternative button below)Here at the Food on Fridays carnival, any post remotely related to food is welcome. Just write about a great waiter who served you recently, snap some pictures at the farmer's market, or describe the best cheese slicer you've ever owned.In other words, the Food on Fridays parameters are not at all narrow. I think of it as a virtual pitch-in where … [Read more...]
Food on Fridays: Turkey Tetrazzini
(alternative button below)Here at the Food on Fridays carnival, any post remotely related to food is welcome. Just write about a peanut allergy, snap a picture of your broken toaster, or describe your first attempt at once-a-month cooking.In other words, the Food on Fridays parameters are not at all narrow. I think of it as a virtual pitch-in where everyone brings … [Read more...]
Do-Re-Mi
Many thanks to alert reader Lynn Hopper for sending this link.One of my favorite songs from one of my favorite musicals in one of my favorite countries.Wish I could have been there. I guess this YouTube video is the next best thing.[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7EYAUazLI9k] … [Read more...]
Favorite Old Books
Hey, why's the musty old book back?Because my friend Linda at True Red had a great idea: how about we make some lists of favorite old texts? To kick off our lists, she wrote:A few of my favorites authors are anything by Jane Austen, Ernest Hemingway, George McDonald, George Orwell, Emily Dickensen, GK Chesteron. My husband loves loves Dickens. And of course everything CS … [Read more...]
What Must I Do?
We saw this on the wall of Jimmy John's Gourmet Sandwiches, where we took the Calvin College nephew for lunch yesterday here in Grand Rapids.I'm not quite sure what Jimmy John's is asking patrons to believe in, but I thought of Acts 16, when Paul and Silas were in jail:About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were … [Read more...]
Drawing Near
Years ago a friend gave me this Mary Engelbreit card. She remembered that I had cited in a discussion group the more poetic New American Standard translation of James 4:8, "Draw near to God," in lieu of the New International Version's "Come near to God." She found Mary's artistic representation positively charming and knew I would, too. Whichever version we … [Read more...]
An Impulse Purchase
We made a stop on the way to visit the Belgian Wonder's niece.It was just a couple of blocks from the freeway exit.This stop can almost be considered educational, as the space is set up for field trips, with step-by-step narrative printed on glass panes explaining the machinery.Conveyer belts. Sugar glaze waterfalls. Proofing boxes that look like miniature carnival … [Read more...]
More on a TV-Free Lifestyle
After a brief brownie diversion on Friday, I thought we could return to the discussion launched the other day with my post, "Could You Live TV-Free?"This is basically a resource page. I found others online who are committed to collecting research, articles and links on this topic of living TV-free and wanted to share them with you: How TV is (quite literally) Killing Us, … [Read more...]
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