Hand Model, Huh?

Sunday mornings are really laid back for us. We like to sleep for as long as we possibly can before getting ready for church. We also like to turn on the tv and watch CBS Sunday Morning while we're lounging around and then getting dressed. It's just about the only program on at that time without any fighting politicians and has a lot of human features stores, which we really enjoy.

My favorite story this past week was about hand models. The funniest (weirdest) hand model that they featured was Ellen Sirot. This lady is a nut! She's so obsessive about her hands that she never goes out without gloves, makes her husband do all of the chores (her young daughter even buckles her shoes for her), and walks around with her hands up all the time. She never touches anything, opening the elevator with her elbow or taking someone with her to touch things for her at all times. (Her husband wasn't allowed to hold her hand until their wedding night... sheesh!) She even said she has over 500 pairs of gloves. But, I guess it works for her... she makes anywhere from $100 to thousands of dollars an hour!!

I couldn't find the video for the story we watched, but here is Ellen Sirot (aka the crazy hand lady) on The Big Idea. If you skip ahead to around 4:45, you can hear her talk about how obsessive she is about her hands. I don't think she and I could ever be friends!

Sorry Sazio

One of our favorite restaurants, Sazio in 5-Points, closed last week. I had no idea it was closing. In fact, Matt's mom took us there for his birthday just last Monday. At least we got to eat there one last time. The Washington Square Group, which owned Sazio, hasn't even completely taken it off of their website yet.

Matt and I feel like we're cursed. Several months ago, our absolute favorite restaurant, The Welcome Table, closed down. We like places that aren't chains that we can go to for special occasions or date nights, and this was one of them. The food was soooo good, but it was never very crowded whenever we were in there (neither was Sazio), which should have been a red flag. I don't know if these places don't advertise enough, are in bad locations, or what. I hate it when you have a craving for a specific place and then you realize it's gone!

So long, Sazio. It was nice while it lasted.

Sophie Scholl:The Final Days

(Scene from the movie) Sophie on trial in the "People's Court"

A few weeks ago, we were at one heck of a firepit party when Charlie asked us what movies we'd seen recently. We're Netflix converts, and told him the last good movie we saw was "Downfall," about Hitler's final days in Berlin. (It was a good movie).

Anyway, Charlie suggested we see "Sophie Scholl: The Final Days" about a young Christian who was executed for her membership in an anti-Nazi resistance group when she was caught passing out fliers at her university. (Here is his review).

The movie really struck me (I didn't really know the story beforehand). Sophie, her brother, and a friend were caught distributing leaflets at the University of Munich. Four days later they were tried and then executed by guillotine the same afternoon. Can you imagine a death sentence being carried out the same day as the trial in the U.S.?!

Sophie had heard of the horrors of the Nazi gassing of mentally disabled German children, the rumors of Jewish death camps, and watched as police spat in the face of her Jewish school teacher. Through the interrogations and trial, Sophie never gave up her cause. She knew it could lead to her death, but was unwilling to admit wrong and pledge allegiance to the Third Reich. Her resistance group, the White Rose, urged passive resistance and not violence, but they were still condemned to death.

Her last words were, "How can we expect righteousness to prevail when there is hardly anyone willing to give himself up individually to a righteous cause. Such a fine, sunny day, and I have to go. But what does my death matter, if through us thousands of people are awakened and stirred to action?" Sophie was only 21.

After the deaths of Sophie, her brother Hans, and their friend Christoph Probst (a young father of three), a juror smuggled the letters written by the White Rose out of Germany. They made their way to Britain and were dropped by the millions over Germany by the Allied forces' planes.

(Real Life) From Left: Hans Scholl, Sophie Scholl, and Christoph Propst.

I'm so thankful that, no matter how much I may disagree with American politics, there is probably no issue worth dying over. I could argue for lower taxes and smaller government until my voice gives out, but it's definitely not a life and death issue.

Auburn Art

Matt and I have been looking through some prints of Auburn landmarks at auburnart.com recently, trying to find a good graduation present for the engaged couple. (As upcoming Auburn grads and future newly weds, Amy and Ryan will need something Auburn-ish to decorate with!)

My favorite is a watercolor by Auburn grad James Dean (not that James Dean) of Toomer's Drugs. We have one of his watercolors in our living room and I told Matt that this one goes to the top of my birthday wish list. :)

One of my sorority sister's family bought Toomer's Drugs several years ago. It was in jeopardy of being replaced with something else, but they have kept it in business as an Auburn landmark. It's not really a pharmacy anymore, but you can still buy sandwiches and their famous fresh-squeezed lemonade at their old-fashioned soda bar when you stop in to buy a roll of t.p. to roll the giant tree across the street. I don't know if they still own the store or not, but am very glad that it's been preserved.

Auburn is a really neat little town. It's small-town-charm-meets-big-city-suburb. It has a really good mix of old stores and buildings along with a lot of the new and trendy places as well. It's really pretty too - not just the town, but the school as well. The campus is changing and even prettier than when I went to school there just a few years ago. (I wish they'd finished that enormous and gorgeous new engineering building while I was there!)

I miss Auburn!

First Cut Flowers of the Season!

Over the past week, the buds on my climbing roses have been threatening to open. The white one had several flowers open this morning, and is on the verge of exploding into bloom!

I went ahead and cut several stems for the first (of MANY) vase of fresh flowers this year.

Over the weekend, I sweet-talked Matt into helping me till up a grassy spot for sunflower and zinnia seeds, and got those planted along with my new Hydrangea ('Kardinal').


I'd been eying this plant for over a year and ordered one about a week ago from Hydrangeas Plus with some of my plant money from Christmas. It came in as a huge plant (by far the largest I've ever received through the mail) and I can't wait to see it bloom! Above is a photo of what it should look like in acidic soil.

Power of The Cross

This song gets me every time.

I wish we sang it more, and was glad to see it in the bulletin this Sunday. It is a wonderful reminder of the love Christ has for me, a sinner completely unable to save myself. It makes me tear up every time I sing it!

"The Power of the Cross"
Words and Music by Keith Getty & Stuart Townend
Copyright © 2005 Thankyou Music

Oh, to see the dawn
Of the darkest day:
Christ on the road to Calvary.
Tried by sinful men,
Torn and beaten, then
Nailed to a cross of wood.

CHORUS:
This, the pow'r of the cross:
Christ became sin for us;
Took the blame, bore the wrath—
We stand forgiven at the cross.

Oh, to see the pain
Written on Your face,
Bearing the awesome weight of sin.
Ev'ry bitter thought,
Ev'ry evil deed
Crowning Your bloodstained brow.

Now the daylight flees;
Now the ground beneath
Quakes as its Maker bows His head.
Curtain torn in two,
Dead are raised to life;
"Finished!" the vict'ry cry.

Oh, to see my name
Written in the wounds,
For through Your suffering I am free.
Death is crushed to death;
Life is mine to live,
Won through Your selfless love.

FINAL CHORUS:
This, the pow'r of the cross:
Son of God—slain for us.
What a love! What a cost!
We stand forgiven at the cross.

Ultimate Scrimmage

I went to the ultimate frisbee game last night, which turned out to be a scrimmage. There are more teams than field space this year, so they had a couple of pre-season scrimmages all at the same field location by simply combining a few of the teams. This meant that I still have no idea who is on Matt, Amanda, and Wade's team.

When I walked up, one of the organizers (and their team captain from last year) asked me why I wasn't signed up to play. Honestly, I have absolutely no desire to play ultimate frisbee. That would mean making a commitment that I would actually show up each week, let alone play. No, I prefer sitting on the sidelines in my chair and pretending to know what the heck is going on. In fact, I like that I have three people to come watch each week... it's a good excuse to skip the gym (and drill sergeant Amanda's jazzercise class) for a day.

Watching the games introduced me to a whole different culture last year. They are required to have two girls on the field at all times (the minimum... they never have more than this), and they don't pass to them very often. Also, there is a segment of most of the teams that prefer cold Nattie Lights to Gatorade. (I will never understand this, especially when running around in 95 degree heat!!) After a game last year, instead of high fives, they passed out jello shots.

This all makes for pretty good entertainment. I like going and am completely content to cheer from the sidelines instead of getting in on the action.

Here are a few photos from last night.





This is Matt after a valiant attempt (nose dive) to catch the frisbee in the scoring zone.










As you can see, Wade was very happy that I came to watch him play!














Tyson kept me company while the others were off taking their jello shots. Ace had to stay home because he doesn't know how to "play nice" with other dogs.








Amanda is WIDE OPEN, guys!!

Drudge Report Ad

I am a Drudge addict. I check it every day, usually multiple times a day. I saw this add this morning and thought it was very odd...

Ultimate Starting

Manda, Wade, and Matt are all on the same summer ultimate frisbee team. They played last year with Adam Fleming, and I had a good time watching the games and cheering them on from the sidelines with Jenny.

This year, they're on the navy team and will be playing Thursday nights at 6 (let me know if you'd like to come!). If you'd like to play, it's not too late... they take walk-ons for the rest of the season (Ryan - I'm expecting you to join in a few weeks when you move up here!!)

I got my new camera in the mail yesterday, so I'm hoping to be able to figure out how to take some great action shots tonight so that I can post them later.

So Much for the Quiet BB Gun

So, last night Matt and I sat on the back patio after dinner while he played with his new toy, the Crossman Phantom G1 Xtreme (that does sound extreme!). He finally gets the barrel to break and does the load/single pump thing. Then we decide that he should just take a shot towards the back fence to see how it works.

POW! It was as loud as his 22-caliber rifle. Yikes! We were kind of shocked and sheepishly looked around to see if any of our neighbors were still out in their yards. Just 15 minutes earlier, the people behind us were in their back yard putting (right behind the fence!!). How embarrassing.

We walked to the far back corner of the yard to check out the fence and found the embedded pellet stuck halfway into the almost 3/4 inch thick panel. This is not like the BB gun I played with growing up... those things would bounce right off of you (as I learned from experience).

Now my jokes about Matt shooting the neighbor kids who hang over our fence and harass our dogs didn't seem as funny any more. We can't hide from the den, shooting out of the window without anyone hearing us. Too bad.

So, I told Matt that it wouldn't hurt my feelings if he wanted to trade it in for the multi-pump, but much quieter/less lethal version. Luckily I still had the receipt in my black-hole-of-a-purse in case he decides that's what he wants to do.

Calvin's Thoughts

It seems that occasionally, Matt and I find ourselves in a discussion with others about the balance between enjoying God's generous provision for us and being fiscally conservative with our spending. When it comes to budgets, everyone is different, but I hope we've found a good balance. We'd like to be able to enjoy His gracious gifts to us, but also want to still be able to go above and beyond in our giving (especially to missions!).

My aunt sent me this quote from John Calvin which kind of reminds me that I shouldn't feel that a nice luxury every now and then is sinful:

"If someone begins to doubt whether it is lawful for him to use linen for his sheets or shirts or handkerchiefs… he will go on to become uncertain…about using even canvas. For he will think to himself, “…Do I really need to carry a handkerchief?” If it should occur to a man that some rather pleasant food was unlawful, he will get to the point of not being able to eat black bread or common dishes without an uneasy conscience before God, for it will occur to him that he could nourish his body on food yet more humble. If he is doubtful about a fairly good wine, he will then not be able to drink some rot-gut with a good conscience, and in the end he will dare touch no water that is sweeter and purer than usual. And at last such a man will think it a sin to step over a straw on the path, as they say…” (referenced from T.H.L. Parker’s John Calvin: A Biography)

Happy Birthday, MJ!!!

It's Matt's 29th Birthday today!

This morning, I gave him one of his presents before we left for work. While I didn't quite get him the Red Ryder BB gun that Ralphie wanted, I did get him a nice pellet gun. I don't know all of the specifics, but Wade helped me pick it out and Matt played with it all morning while we got ready for work. :)

Now he can target shoot from the back patio and maybe even scare off those blue jays that dive bomb the dogs in the back yard! Besides, every boy needs a BB gun, right?

Happy Birthday, Matthew John!

Happy Anniversary, Petti!

They made it through their first year of married bliss!

Congratulations you two!!

Momma's Girl

Growing up, I always considered myself a Daddy's Girl. Amanda and I fought over who got to sit next to him at the dinner table every night, and I always tried to be on one side of him during church so I could snuggle against his shoulder during the sermon.

I never loved my mother less; our relationship was just different. I went through a horrible pre-teen stage where I treated my mom very badly in middle school for a couple of years, which I deeply regret now. But, since graduating from college and getting married, our relationship has really grown.

My mom is a wealth of wisdom and always gives good advice and encouragement, especially marriage-related. I remember her telling Amanda and me once that we needed to be nicer to our husbands!

As my dad has gained two sons-in-law in the past several years, he's also gained river and camping buddies who are much more enthusiastic about it than my mom and me - which has left more time for us to spend together.

Although it seemed we both hated shopping while I was growing up, it's become a nice pass time for us recently. On Saturday morning, my mom volunteered to go with me to the Botanical Garden Spring Plant Sale. It was less about buying something than just spending the morning together in the nice weather. (Or maybe she just wanted me to come so I could carry her plants for her...) ;) We topped it off with a nice lunch at a very girly place... Main Street Cafe, and a girly movie, "Enchanted."

Although I regret what a brat I was to my mom growing up, I'm not sure I'd change how close we were then. Our relationship is so much better now, I don't think I'd be able to appreciate it as much if it had always been this way.

Thanks for putting up with me, mom!

Seasons of Life

Last night I finally made it to the WIC book study after missing the last two months. We've been going through Andi Ashworth's book, "Real Love for Real Life", which is about what it means to give care. Susan asked us all what season of life we're each in and who/what we care for.

As I listened to all of the women talk about caring for their children, teaching, anticipating the care for elder parents, I felt a little left out. I don't have any rugrats of my own to care for, just my "boys", and my parents sure seem to have gotten along just fine since they became empty nesters.

Who do I care for?

Really, I care for Matt on a daily basis (not nearly as well as I should/could), and hopefully I'm able to care for others in our family and church as well. I really think that my main caring responsibility right now is to care for and love my husband to the best of my ability. Realizing that was humbling and also the motivation I needed to do better each day.

Who do you care for??

Baseball Strikes Out

To anyone who has said that watching soccer is (gasp) boring, just be glad that you weren't at the Rockie's/Padres game.

It was the longest major league baseball game in 15 years! Twenty-two innings and over six hours later, with 37 strike-outs and only 3 runs scored, they finally called it quits. (Can you imagine watching the whole thing... that's one run for every TWO HOURS!!!)

Now that's a low-scoring game!!

Plant Sale

Anyone wanna go with me??

Huntsville Botanical Garden
April 17-20: Spring Plant Sale
Members Only Sale: April 17, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
Public Sale: April 18-19, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; April 20, 1-5 p.m.

A long-established Huntsville rite of spring and the largest in the state, the Spring Plant Sale offers annuals by the flat or pack; ferns, geraniums, a huge selection of herbs, cherished heirloom plants, houseplants, orchids, perennials, old-fashioned roses, vegetable plants, water plants, wildflowers, shrubs, vines, and trees. All varieties have been specially selected to thrive in North Alabama. Master Gardeners will perform soil pH testing. Vendors offer garden accessories.

New Favorite Recipe

If any of you have ever had the pleasure of eating at the Wingards', you know what an incredible cook Lynne is! She graciously shared some of her recipes from their Easter dinner with me a few weeks ago, and I finally got around to making one of them this week.

I'd been dreaming about her green beans since Easter, and they were just as good as I remembered. They're actually really easy to make and are now my favorite veggie dish. Matt loved them too (and he is NOT a vegetable-loving kinda guy), so they're male-friendly as well.

GREEN BEANS W/ANCHO CHILE VINAIGRETTE

1 pound green beans, blanched and refreshed w/cold water
1 pound assorted mushrooms (portobello, cremini, shiitake) coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup toasted pecans
8 ounces American blue cheese

Heat olive oil in a large saute pan over high heat. Add mushrooms and cook until golden brown. Add thyme and season with salt and pepper. Toss green beans with some vinaigrette and season with salt and pepper. Top with mushrooms, blue cheese and toasted pecans. Serve with vinaigrette on the side.

Red Chile Mustard Vinaigrette:
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon ancho chile powder
Salt
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil

Whisk together mustard, ancho powder, salt and vinegar, slowly whisk in oil until emulsified. Season with more salt, to taste.

YUM!!

Cheney at Correspondents Dinner

I like it when politicians can make fun of themselves. This is a little long. The best parts are in the first couple of minutes.

Amanda Attack

Many of you know Amanda has been doing some training to become a jazzercise instructor. (She does look hot in those neon spandex outfits!)

Well, today she's doing her full hour instruction recording for the first time. She has to be video taped instructing the entire class without a break as part of her final certification.

I'm skipping our usual Wed. night study to offer her some moral support... and to kick the lady's butt who always runs into me or stands right in my spot every day.

Good luck, Manda Panda!!

disclaimer: since Amanda will put this as a comment anyway, I'll go ahead and say... Amanda isn't really teaching Jazzercise, but Body Attack, "a sports-inspired cardio fitness program" Take that!