Recipes in Progress

I soon hope to post some new recipes within the next few days or coming weeks.  I have been wanting to try some new things in the kitchen\grill recently.  I have been working on a pizza crust and pizza sauce recipe that is nearing what I think would be a good recipe.  Just a bit more tweaking and it should be ready to post. 

Summertime means firing up the grill and grilling and smoking a variety of meats.  This is one of my favorite ways to cook.  Summertime also means BBQ Baked Beans.  And once again I find myself reading the list of ingredients with names of preservatives I can not begin to pronounce.  So, off to the drawing board.  Hopefully, tomorrow night or Friday I will post the recipe, so be sure to check back.

Is this really June?

Hard to believe that it has barely reached 60 degrees today.  After all we are half way through the month.  We should be having sunny skies and much warmer temps.  My wife noticed my youngest daughter this morning was covered in goose bumps and asked her if she was cold.  She nodded her head yes and went to go put on her bathrobe.  My wife and oldest daughter both stated they were cold as well.  Being the great husband and father that I am, let it be known that I turned the furnace back on after several weeks of being turned off.  Alright, I admit I was cold too.

The forecast had called for partly sunny skies and mid 70's, but now that my weekend has arrived it is cold and rainy.  But the forecast looks good in a few days -- just in time to return to work.  I guess I can't complain too much at least my lawn is nice and green.

I hope to post some more recipes here in the near future.  I will be posting my chili recipe and a pizza sauce that is nearing where I want it to be.  So check back soon.

Jeff

Recipes and Weirdness

My Mother-in-Law knows I like to cook and occasionally will ask me for a recipe or my thoughts on how to do something. She recently asked me for recipe for an egg casserole. And of course I was more than happy to answer her request. The recipe was my Mom's recipe that I grew up with but I took certain liberties with the way the recipe was written, deciding it just was not whimsical enough. Thought I would share it here as well.

Sausage Egg Casa... Kasero... Sausage Egg Breakfast Goodness Baked in a Glass Baking Dish

3 Eggs (the chicken kind)
1 Cup milk (the cow kind)
1 Slice of day old bread (doesn’t matter what kind)
1/2 Teaspoon salt (I use the Kosher kind)
1 Cup shredded cheddar cheese (the yellow kind)
1/2 Teaspoon dry mustard (the powdery kind)
1/2 Pound sausage (the pig kind)*

Lube up an 8 x 8 inch glass baking dish with your choice of food grade pan lubricant. Brown the pig, I mean sausage, drain the fat and set aside the cooked meat. Now go out to the hen house grab 3 eggs and bring them back inside. Crack the shells and dump the internal parts of the eggs (that would be the yellow part and the white liquidy part) into a bowl. Beat this up real good. Add the milk that you got from old Bessie earlier in the morning with the salt and dry mustard and then add this to the eggs that you just beat the tarnations out of a few minutes ago and mix it up real good. Now add the yellow cheese, stale bread and the browned pig to yonder egg mixture. Pour all of this into that glass baking dish that you most likely slathered with lard. Get out your plastic wrap and attempt to cover said baking dish. After fighting the plastic wrap for ten or so minutes, give up and just cover it with a piece of the real shiny metal stuff. Stick in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours, or best left in the cool confines overnight. When you get a hankerin’ to eat it the next morning, preheat your oven oven to 350 degrees and bake it (without the shiny covering on top) for about 45 minutes. Then eat it and enjoy

* I suppose you can use the meat of your choice -- sausage, bacon or ham. But it all comes down to the same animal. Guess if you really wanted you could use all three. Also if this ain’t enough to feed your clan, then just double all the ingredients and bake in a lubed up 13 x9 inch glass baking dish.

Give Thanks

¹ Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth!
² Worship the Lord with gladness.
Come before him, singing with joy.
³ Acknowledge that the Lord is God!
He made us, and we are his.
We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
⁴ Enter his gates with thanksgiving;
go into his courts with praise.
Give thanks to him and praise his name.
⁵ For the Lord is good.
His unfailing love continues forever,
and his faithfulness continues to each generation.

Psalm 100 (NLT)

On this day of Thanksgiving praise God with a shout of joy that you are able to worship him freely and are worthy to be called one of his people. Come before him thanking him for his goodness, grace and love. Be thankful always not just today, but every day.

Christmas Wish List

With Black Friday just around the corner, I can't help but think about the coming mayhem. Every year seems to bring more and more stories of fighting, shoving, and people getting injured. All in the name of saving a few bucks. I particularly remember last year's death of Jdimytai Damour, a Wal-Mart employee in Valley Stream, New York. So great was the greed that a man lost his life. Is this what we have become?

Growing up I could not wait until the Sears Wishbook came out. I would sit down and dream of all the toys I would want to get for Christmas. In hindsight I am so glad I was never as spoiled as I wish I could have been. Even today people in my family will ask me what do you want for Christmas? I usually answer something like, "I don't know." But this year I have a definite answer...

Water

That sounds like a simple enough request. But for millions in this world the simple request of asking for a cup of water can bring about sickness, disease and even death. Take a moment to check out the above link. Look around the site and watch the videos. Hopefully, it will change you as it has me. What if we put aside our greed. What if we thought of others outside of our families? What if we cared? Dare to ask yourself...

What if?

Photo credit: www.water.cc

Chopsticks

No, I am not talking about the simple little tune which may be familiar to you. I am talking about those seemingly impossible to use eating utensils found in Asian restaurants. That is what I used to think anyway until one day I was challenged to use them while eating at a Chinese buffet. My first attempts were quite humorous. I am sure food was flying all over the place. I am not too certain about this as I have repressed these memories and there they shall stay. But the more I used chopsticks the better and more adept I became.

I soon learned not to try too hard, it takes a light touch. If you try to squeeze too hard the chopsticks will not work and you will end up with a stained shirt. Nice and easy, with just enough pressure to hold the food is all it takes.

So often, this lesson can apply in so many other areas of life. One place is in the Christian life, so often I feel we as Christians want nothing more than to change people who are not Christians. We try too hard by protesting, picketing, yelling, and demanding people change. I do not think that is what we are called to do, at least not using such harsh tactics. Several years ago I came to the conclusion I can not change anyone except myself. I can not force someone to follow Christ. I can not force someone to give up sinful behavior. The only thing I can do is point people to the one who can change. That is God the Father, through Jesus Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit.

I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow. 1 Corinthians 3:6 (NLT)

I have no doubt Paul felt much the same way. He could only plant the seed, and others would water. Paul knew that only God could bring about real change in a person's life. In the broader context of his passage Paul is reminding the Corinthians that at one time they were immature and they allowed sin to rule their lives. Paul knew it would not be effective to go in shouting slogans and waving pickets demanding people change their ways right then and there. No, he preached the Word with love and gentleness, planting seeds of the Gospel in order that the Word of God would grow in the lives of the Corinthians. Paul knew the importance his role played in bringing people to saving grace in Christ. He could only tell others about a loving Father who gave His Son to wipe away the sins of those who believed in Him.

We are called to do the same, some of us to plant the seed, to evangelize, to share the Good News of Christ. Others are called along side to answer questions and provide gentle direction. Like using chopsticks it is the gentle touch that will be the most effective. We as Christians need to put down the signs, stop shouting, stop protesting and show love, kindness and gentleness.

My challenge to you is this: Learn to use chopsticks, it will change your life.

Special thanks to Aaron, who many years ago encouraged me to use chopsticks. God bless Brother.

What To Wear?

Being of the male persuasion, it has always been easy for me to get "ready" for the day. Wake up, shave, shower, find something to cover the bottom half of my body, and find something that covers the top half of my body. Pretty simple, it does not even have to match. Living with three females has taught me that the fairer of the sexes does not have it quite so easy. There seems to be so much more involved and I just do not have the capability to understand it all. Things have to match, it has to look right (whatever that means) and it has to feel right. There also is too many choices for them to have to make. "Do I wear a dress? Or maybe a skirt and blouse. May I should wear slacks and a sweater. Maybe jeans and a t-shirt." And it goes on and on it seems.

All of this brings me to share with you a little conversation that took place between my wife and our two daughters. This happened the other day while traveling over to my parents house.

My wonderful, beautiful, and loving wife asking our youngest daughter, "What do you prefer to wear, pants of dresses?"

"Dresses!" exclaimed the youngest.

"And what about you?" asked my wonderful, beautiful and loving wife to our oldest daughter. "Do you prefer pants or dresses?".

"Pajamas!" came the immediate reply from the backseat.

So maybe it is not as difficult as I thought. At least not for my eight year old.

Well it sounded like a good idea...

Ever have one of those ideas in your head that just seemed to perfect? It is so vivid in your mind you can practically touch, smell or taste it? Today I had one of those moments. We decided the kids needed to get out and have some fun today. Ok, ok, I will admit it was as much for the kids as it was for the parents. We decided to go to a local park and let the kids run around and my wife and I sit back and watch. They had one of the twirly slides and I had a vision. Here is a picture of the play structure:


I had the idea of taking a picture of the four of us on the slide. We don't have many pictures of our whole family since usually I am behind the lens. I envision the perfect picture of us lined up youngest to oldest at the bottome of the slide. I placed my camera on a park bench and set the self-timer to 20 seconds and to take 10 pictures. It didn't turn out as I expected. Imagine and 260 pound bald guy lumber up this thing and trying to come down the slide in time to be in the picture. Well, it almost worked, it took longer for me to get in place than expected. But nice picture of my girls, so all is not lost:



My wife was really panicked at this point. She would take the brunt of the collision had I came down too fast.

"Hey, where's Daddy?"

Trying to stop:

Almost, drat! I must have moved the camera slightly while hitting the shutter button:


Well, we regrouped and tried it again. This time I set the self-timer to 30 seconds and ran a little faster. This time it worked a little better. I had envisioned myself being closer to my wife, but my width and the slide's width did not necessarily get along. So I had nowhere to place my left leg. But I will accept it, it still turned out pretty good and we had a blast doing it:

A Good Day

Living in a small two bedroom apartment with three members of the opposite sex at times can be rather difficult. Now I am not complaining nor would I change a thing. I love each one. My oldest, who is eight years old, is beginning to need her own space. Unfortunately, having a five year old sister she must constantly fight to not have her somewhat limited space constantly invaded. And I mean fight. We have been looking at larger apartments but rent seems so high for this size apartment, way out of our budget. We recently started looking in a small town about 15 miles from where we currently live and found a great deal on a three bedroom apartment. It is a townhouse, so we will have bedrooms and full bath upstairs and kitchen, laundry, living room and a half bath on the lower floor. To say the least we were thrilled when we found today that our application had been accepted and we get to move in October! Now the girls we have their own rooms and their own space. Not to mention that half bath we really come in handy. So now the hard part comes.... packing. Ugh, I am not looking forward to that.

RECIPE: Q's Southern Fried Chicken Strips

It has been a while since I've posted here, so what better way to update than with a recipe. I love to cook and as evidenced by my mid-section, I love to eat too. Recently I have begun cooking more foods from scratch, therefore I am better able to control what goes into our food. Typically, I will make out a weekly menu and this particular meal had been on the menu for some time and had been pushed back several times. It turned out pretty good and will definitely be going into the meal rotation. I would have included a picture but it did not last long enough to dig the camera out.

Q's Southern Fried Chicken Strips

4 cups vegetable oil for deep frying
4 chicken breasts
Cajun Seasoning to taste (I use Cajun's Choice Blackend Seasoning), or seasoning salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika

Heat oil in large cast iron skillet (if you don't have a cast iron skillet use a large heavy pot) to 350 degrees F.

Cut chicken into strips about 1/2" wide by 3" long. Place chicken strips in baking dish and sprinkle with blackened seasoning or seasoning salt according to your taste. Be sure to give seasoned chicken a good rub to be sure seasoning sticks to chicken. Pour buttermilk over chicken and turn to coat.

While chicken is absorbing the buttermilk goodness combine flour, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, cayenne pepper and paprika and mix thoroughly. Place mixture in shallow dish (I use a pie tin).

Dredge chicken strips in flour mixture and carefully transfer to hot oil a few at a time (do not overcrowd chicken strips) and cook until outside is golden brown and inside is thoroughly cooked. To ensure doneness remove the largest piece and cut strip in thickest part. If done, eat the piece of chicken without being noticed and remove remaining strips and allow to drain on paper towels. As you will most likely be cooking in batches you may need to do this with each batch. Once all chicken is done serve with your choice of sides and enjoy.

A Lesson Learned

You know that saying, "You never stop learning." Well, I fully believe it. Especially since I learned something new today.

Today is a warm day in the Willamette Valley of Oregon. The temperature reached into the lower nineties and the old apartment was beginning to get a little warm. We are not allowed to have window air conditioners and the portable units are too expensive to even consider. However, our car does have air conditioning and a drive is still a whole lot cheaper than a movie. Off we went and on the way we dropped a couple of letters at the post office and then headed over to the car wash. I pull up to the attendant and pay for the wash. Then I do a ritual "checking of the windows," making sure they are all fully in their closed position. I then hit the "window lock" switch to make sure none of the backseat passengers can suddenly open their window. With that checked and locked I decide we are ready for the car wash. I soon feel a drop or two of water on my left arm and double check my window. Yep, it is up. Then came the soap, and I notice a few soap bubbles coming in at the top of the door. Once again I check my window and indeed it is still up. Then comes the high pressure rinse and my second shower of the day (for the left side of my body anyway). It is at this point I realize that my door is not fully closed. I am laughing, my wife is laughing, the kids are laughing, and I am wet. Once we pull out of the car wash I grabbed a towel from my trunk and dried both myself and the inside of the car.

So next time you get a car wash, heed my advice and be sure not only that your windows are up but that your doors are also fully closed.

We continued on our little drive enjoying the countryside and ending our trip at the local Dairy Queen. Nothing like a little frozen treat on a hot day, not to mention a cold shower.

Heavy Thoughts

Over the past week or so I have attempted to write several blog posts but have stopped short of completing any of them. I will not get into any of those thoughts or ideas tonight, at least not in detail. I have been thinking about the condition of our country. I believe the total collapse of our economy is near, not just our economy, but the world economy as well. I fear what will arise out of the ashes. Integrity and morality do not seem to have a place in our society. God and Christian Faith are under attack and I fear a time of great persecution is just around the corner. I see so much happening, I am in disbelief. I often ask what can I do? I do not have any influence. I am not an articulate speaker. I only have a handful of readers on this blog. What can I do? I can only come to one conclusion, and that is to pray. Pray that God will deliver us from this turmoil and strife and if it is not His will, then gives us the strength to persevere.

I often find myself hoping for a trumpet sound and the glorious return of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Now that really is hope and change I can get into. Come Lord Jesus, come.

"Q"

I have threatened at various times to shave my head. For many years now my hairline has been receding back and to the sides, leaving a few scraggling hairs remaining on the top. I blame this on Dean. He was my youth group leader back when I was in High School. Yes, he was bald, and yes we made sure to point that out. And now I am paying the price for making fun of him. Dean, would often respond by saying, "God created some heads perfect, the rest he covered with hair." Other times he would remind us of the story Elisha and the youths who made fun of him for being bald.

²³ Elisha left Jericho and went up to Bethel. As he was walking along the road, a group of boys from the town began mocking and making fun of him. “Go away, baldy!” they chanted. “Go away, baldy!” ²⁴ Elisha turned around and looked at them, and he cursed them in the name of the Lord. Then two bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of them. 2 Kings 2:23, 24 (NLT)

Ever since those days of my youth, I have been wary of bears. Dean was a great guy and a great mentor. All was in fun and he didn't seem to mind. But he also mentioned that someday I might be bald too. I never believed him... I should have.

About 10-15 years ago the hair on the top of my head started to thin. At this stage of my life I was not ready for 'male pattern baldness' to be a reality. I tried Rogaine to no avail. Finally, I succumbed to the fact that I was going bald. More recently, I decided to embrace baldness. It began one day after paying a barber $18 to cut my hair. I found this to be ridiculous. So, I asked my Uncle, who has done some barbering, where to find a pair of good clippers. He ended up giving me one of his older clippers (still in mighty fine condition too) and showing my wife how to trim up the sides and back of the neck. I started out with a size "2" guide. Over the last few months I have reduced it to a size "0". Until this morning that is. After breakfast I quietly slipped away into the bathroom with my clippers, razor and shave cream.

Ah, the freedom. When I emerged from the bathroom, my wife kept saying, "I don't believe you really did it!" My kids were shocked and think a little afraid of this completely bald guy who suddenly appeared before them. My oldest even stated, "you were more handsome with hair." Oh well, guess you can't please them all. I don't think my youngest knew what to think, and she still gives me a quizzical look every now and then.

My friends on Facebook are now trying to encourage me to get a tattoo or piercings. To which I say, "No way, I am too much of a wimp to have needles stuck into me voluntarily."

So here I sit at my computer keyboard with a shaved head. I sprung the news on my parents and in-laws by emailing a picture. Normally, I send one picture of each of my girls out every day under the subject, "Picture of the Day." I am sure they were excited as usual to find a picture of their sweet, pretty grand-daughters, but were shocked to find a picture of their bald Daddy. My Father-In-Law called almost immediately to see if I had my wife's permission (no, I didn't). My Dad sent me email in response reminding me it will only grow back in "darker and courser." Which if that is the case, maybe I should have done this a long time ago. I have yet to hear from my Mother-In-Law or my own Mother. I am guessing my Mom is still in a state of shock and has not been able to formulate a reply. But I am sure she will come up with a good one.

Oh, and my Dad has given me a new nickname -- "Q" -- I think I like it. Thanks Dad!

Q

edit: The picture of my girls is not the actual reaction to my bald head. It was however a funny prank my wife pulled on them. Hopefully, she will blog about it, if not I might.

edit 2: She blogged about The Roach, click hear to read about it and see a video.

Cherrios -- My New Drug of Choice

I read the following article on FoxNews.com this morning and personally I think this is just another shining example of how big our current administration is becoming. It seems to me the Obama administration is seeking to take more and more control of our everyday lives. The government already controls the financial and American automotive industries and now they are seeking to take control of the food industry. For another example read the following post over at fellow blogger Cedar Grove Farm: Food Freedom or Food Fascism? We are heading down a dangerous road, one which I fear has no return. We need to act now my fellow citizens before it too late and we no longer have the freedom to do so. Contact your representatives and urge them to vote against bills providing for bigger government.

FDA Takes Cheerios to Task for Boastful Labels

President Obama isn't just rewriting rules regulating the environment and the financial markets -- he is also going after the food industry.

Target and example No. 1: Cheerios.

"Based on claims made on your product's label," the FDA said in a letter to manufacturer General Mills, "we have determined (Cheerios) is promoted for conditions that cause it to be a drug because the product is intended for use in the prevention, mitigation and treatment of disease."

If the government's enforcement action against Cheerios were to hold up, the cereal would be pulled from grocery shelves and consumers would need a prescription to buy a box of those little oats.

That's unlikely, but experts say the message is clear: There is a new sheriff in town and when it comes to false, misleading and exaggerated labeling, you had better clean up your act.

"It is showing us that there is a new era," says dietician and a former advertising executive Ashley Koff. "They are saying, we are coming into town and we are going to show you what will and won't be allowed, and we're going to be going after every single claim, whether it's on a package or in TV."

Bruce Silverglade of the consumer advocacy group, Center for Science in the Public Interest, said it was a welcome and needed change.

"The Obama administration is reversing course, thank goodness, and enforcing the law," he said. "Cheerios was the first target. We hope though the FDA under the Obama administration clamps down on misleading health claims by other food manufacturers as well.

"During the Bush administration the Food and Drug Administration essentially took a policy of non-enforcement and failed to stop what became increasingly exaggerated claims, first by small food companies and by larger and larger food manufacturers," Silverglade told FOX News.

At issue are two claims made by Cheerios on their cereal box.

1. "Cheerios is clinically proven to reduce cholesterol 4 percent in 6 weeks."

2. "Cheerios can help reduce the risk of coronary heart disease, by lowering the 'bad' cholesterol."

Both General Mills and the FDA declined to comment -- but issued statements saying the two sides were in negotiations over the claims that have helped make Cheerios America's best-selling cereal, amounting to one of every 8 boxes of cereal sold in the U.S.

General Mills is a titan of the food business with an army of lawyers. If the FDA can make it back down, others will follow.

"If I were an industry member and I saw what happened with Cheerios, I would look at this example and say the FDA is going after General Mills," said Koff. "If I'm a maker of a small product I better start to look at any study that I am basing my claims on and what I put on my packaging."

Koff argued that the General Mills study was suspect, as the company paid for the research and two staff members helped author it. That is not the type of rigorous, double-blind, peer-reviewed science necessary to back up drug claims.

"What we are seeing today is a government that understands that the obesity problem in America and the disease that is everywhere in America is not solely a consumer responsibility nor is it solely a marketer responsibility," said Koff, who agrees with the FDA action, but said there are many other more egregious cases on store shelves.

Consumers outside a Los Angeles grocery store were less supportive of a move some called "silly" and heavy-handed.

"No, Cheerios should not be regulated by the FDA, because this is not a drug."

To view the original article click here.

Lucky Fortune?

I love Chinese food. Especially Chinese buffets where I can sample many different flavors. Yesterday my kids took me out to an early Father's Day dinner at a buffet here in town. As usual I ate too much and was hungry again two hours later. The bill came and along with with it four fortune cookies. I like fortune cookies, some are better than others, these were ok. We always have fun reading our fortunes and having a good laugh. Sometimes they are pretty wacky and for the most part always positive in some way or another. I don't remember who had which fortune but here they are:

You will have many important meetings, visits, and chance encounters.

We must not become complacent over any success.

You're transforming yourself into someone who is certain to succeed.

Love yourself first and everything falls into line.

After reading the last one my first thought was, "Isn't this what got us into this economic mess in the first place?" This is the problem with society today, it is all about self. I find this very sad. Used to be a time when people cared about one another. Too bad for us, that time is in the past.

Photo credit: www.buzzle.com

Trust

It is easy to become overwhelmed when we look at our own resources and think, "How will be ever be able to do this?" Let's face it, very few people have not been impacted by the current economic crisis. My wife recently lamented, "I wish money were not such a big issue." It seems every time we are just about to get ahead, something breaks, something needs repaired, the kids have grown again and their clothes are too small, or simply the costs of everyday necessities keep increasing. What are we to do? So often, I will look at the checking account balance and think, "How am I going to pay the bills?" or "Where am I going to get the money for this?" I begin to rely solely upon myself. I begin to worry. I become irritable. I lash out. This has often been the pattern that I followed and I have been wrong.

Recently my wife and I rented the movie Flywheel, which is put out by the same group that released Fireproof. It was Sherwood Pictures' first full length film. Sherwood Pictures gives the following synopsis of the film:

Jay Austin wants to sell used cars in the worst way ... and that's exactly how he does business at his dealership. Promising much more than he can ever deliver, he'll do whatever it takes to sell a car. His manipulative ways permeate all of his relationships—even his wife and son know they can't trust him.

But as Jay works on restoring a classic convertible, he begins to see that God is working on restoring him as well. Coming face-to-face with the reality of how he truly conducts himself, Jay Austin begins the ride of his life as he commits to honoring God with his business, his relationships, and his life!

At the turning point of Jay's life a verse comes alive for him. It is from Proverbs 3:5, 6. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take." (NLT)

I have thought about this verse quite a bit over the past several weeks. The more I think about it, the more I realize just how difficult this verse is to put into practice. After all I am a man, and men like to fix things, well I should say attempt to fix things. One thing I have learned over my almost ten years of marriage is that I can not fix my wife. The main reason being she ain't broke. But men are like this, if something is broken and needs to be fixed, we want to fix it. Sometimes when I have attempted this it ends up being broken even more and in a bigger mess than had I left it alone.

Finances are big thing with me. I worry about them. I used to get upset when something went wrong with the car or we needed to replace a worn out item. But now this verse comes to mind, and it is as if God is asking me, "Jeff, do you trust me?" The hard part is answering this honestly, because God doesn't just want to hear me say "Yes Lord, I trust You." He wants to see it in how I respond. He wants to know I trust Him with all of my heart, not just the part I want to give Him. He wants me to depend upon Him fully without any reservation. So many times it is so easy to try to depend upon my own finite understanding.

The hard part for me is putting away my own understanding, my own fears, my own worries and my own solutions. It is when I put all of this aside and ignore all the paths that I have made up on my own and decide to follow the path God has prepared for me, that I can receive His divine providence.

So when difficult times come, give it all over to God. Trust in Him completely and He will show the way out. Scripture does not guarantee an easy path or an instant solution. It may require hard work and diligence on our part, but God will see us through. He will provide the strength we need to persevere.

Almost There. . .

My wife and I decided to educate our children at home for a variety of reasons. It is a decision we have not regretted. I remember when we first started and feeling of being overwhelmed with such a great and important task. While there are times of struggle and difficulty this journey as been rewarding and enriching.

My wonderful wife takes on the brunt of the teaching and I cover the subject of Science. It is a subject I enjoy personally. This year has had some ups and downs. There have been desert periods where it seems we have been going nowhere fast but at last the school year is drawing to a close. There is a light at the end of this tunnel. And we are beginning to look forward to next year when our oldest will be entering Third Grade and our youngest will be starting Kindergarten. This past year has been fun and is finally drawing to a close.

The learning will not stop when the last book closes in about two weeks. We are planning on taking a few day trips which be mainly "Family Fun Days" but will include educational information as well. I look forward to the summer break and wait with anticipation for what the new Fall term brings. It has been a good year.

New Respect for a Small Instrument

The Ukulele is not an instrument I have paid much attention to in the past. In fact I most ofter associated it with a toy or a gimmick, most often in relation to Tiny Tim.

It was not until a few months ago when my parents started paying for Ukulele lessons for my oldest daughter. At first I was not so sure about this. But as I found out more about this particular instrument the more I came to appreciate it.

In searching online I found videos from such masters as Israel Kamakawiwo'ole, Jake Shimabukuro, John King and James Hill. There is also the very entertaining Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain. Do yourself a favor and search YouTube for some great talent.

I have even started to learn a little bit myself. Tonight I learned four chords (not bad for an old dog). I might consider learning even more.

It was listening to my daughter play that really moved me to appreciate this little instrument even more. She is a quick learner and music seems to come naturally to her. She has a fantastic ear, often time when I thought the Ukulele was in tune she knew it was not. She enjoys playing and has even written a couple of her own songs. I plan on putting some videos up in the near future.

I suppose it could be said that while I have developed an appreciation for the Ukulele that I have developed an even greater appreciation of my daughter. I am one proud Daddy and look forward to watching her cultivate this new found talent.

An Awesome Day

Today I had the great honor of baptizing my oldest daughter. She has been a follower of Christ for about 4 years now, but today she fulfilled the command to be baptized. She is becoming quite the young lady and I look forward to seeing how God uses her in the future.

There are certain days in the life of a father/daughter relationship that are truly special. The day of birth is one of these special days. As is the day a father gives away his little girl in marriage. I have told my daughter she will have to wait 64 years for this one, since she has to be 72 years old. But, in the life of a Christian father there is another special day - the day a child is baptized into Christ.

Following is a short video of this wonderful event. I could not help getting choked up.

Blog Title

Do you struggle with coming up with catchy user names, email addresses, blog titles? Well I do. I don't remember what the original title of this blog was so many months ago. It then went to "Who Writes This Stuff, Oh That Would Be Me." A true Browncoat would understand this reference. It is an homage to Hoban "Wash" Washburn from the television show Firefly.

Then came "Oh Yeah, I Forgot I Had a Blog." This came about after a long hiatus from the blog world. After another short hiatus the name changed to "Ramblings From a Bald Headed Fat Man." While this may have been aptly named, it just did not sit well with the Missus.


Then for a couple of days it was simply "?," maybe I was thinking back to the days of the Artist Formerly Known as Prince. I don't know. This was only a temporary solution thankfully. The "Blog Formerly Know As..." just didn't seem to fit me.

Tonight I decided I really need to come up with a good title. So I began to think what things were important to me. First is God and my relationship with Christ. And while this blog will occasionally have a more religious tone I wanted something a little broader. So on to the second most important thing in my life -- my girls. That cinched it and "Life With Girls" was born.

Meeting my wife is one of the best things that has happened to me. She is one special lady who loves me with all her heart and looks past my rough edges. I love her and I just want her and everyone else to know how special she is. Then came my two daughters, now ages 8 and 5. They are truly special as well. I will admit sometimes they can be somewhat aggravating, but what kids don't. If you don't believe me, just ask my parents.

So that will probably be the main topic of this blog. Exploring the task of being a Husband and Daddy, with its many joys, foibles and challenges. Occasionally, or possibly more often, I will branch off into other areas to be determined.

Until next time,
Jeff

(Symbol) Image Credit: http://www.wikipedia.com