Baptism or side show?

Today at church there was a baptism. The baby boy was adorable, in his little white satin suit and matching hat. Of course his parents and family were dressed like they were going to a wedding. Over here baptisms are viewed as a big family affair. In a way that's good. It is the most important day of a Christian's life. It should be a huge celebration. However, in pure Lebanese style, it turns into a side show.

Our pastor back home who married us and baptized the Boss (not at the same time...LOL) did NOT allow cameras during services except under restrictions. For weddings, video cameras had to be stationary. No walking around and distracting anyone or taking the focus off where it rightly belonged. Same for still pictures. No flashes too. Those were for the formal pics before or after the service.

For baptisms he was even more strict. No pictures during the baptism. It's during a church service and that is no place for cameras to be going off.

Here in Lebanon it's a free-for-all. Photographers have no respect at all for proper church behavior. Our first visit here Baba and I attended a wedding. The photographers were up in the priest's face and practically shoving him aside to get pics of the couple. The priest even made comments during the homily about the photographers' behavior but they went unheeded. The view is that the couple is paying for pics and they're going to make sure they do what they're hired to do. Talk about a screwed up sense of priorities!

At the church we attend here, the pastor isn't as strict on pictures and that doesn't bother me too much...until today. Normally there's someone in the family taking pictures from the bottom of the stairs. Usually they're not too much of a distraction and it's easy to understand why parents would want pictures of this.

When we were here for the Peanuts' baptisms, at a different church, there were 2 or 3 friends taking pictures and walking around to do it, but it was a little different. In the Maronite church baptisms don't take place during the mass. They are scheduled for other times (the Peanuts' were after mass) so our friends weren't bothering the congregation. Everyone there was there for the baptisms and didn't mind the cameras. Besides, they were also all Lebanese and apparently immune to cameras flashing anyway.

Today's baptism was horrible. Not the baptism itself, of course, but the photographers. They kept taking pictures during the service, long before the baptism itself. The family was sitting in the front row (the baptized children and families always sit there) and the photographers kept getting up and standing in front of them to get pictures. Even during the sermon! I keep saying photographers...one was for still pictures and the other was taking videos.

During the baptism they were right up there with the pastor, the representative of the congregation (I don't know if he's an elder or what exactly-we're not Presbyterian so I'm not familiar with the workings yet), and the family. When one of the family members who happens to be a toddler was allowed to go and dig through one of the huge camera bags, I wasn't sure whether to be upset by the lack of proper supervision by his parents or somewhat satisfied that the rude photographer was going to be taught a lesson. OK, that's sounding a bit unChristian, but you really should have been there to see this. It was unbelievable! A complete lack of decorum. If I'd been the mom of this child and the photographers were acting like this, I'd have told them to remember where they were. But I'm not entirely certain she remembered where she was herself, quite frankly.

I know this sounds pretty waspish. I'm sure the couple is perfectly nice. But nice doesn't make up for lack of good sense. This was a baptism, not a wedding reception. This was a church service, on the Lord's day, not a party. We were not all in church for them...we were there to worship God. (I'm sure few people knew there was a baptism today until they saw them take their seats.) It's very difficult to worship when there are people running around with a complete lack of respect for God and His church.

OK, off my soapbox now.

Vicar of Dibley - 2007 Final Episode - End Joke

Enjoy!

Just a typical morning

This morning was your typical morning here. Got up and got dressed, got the kids up, got breakfast, fixed lunches, got everyone out the door. Little did I know I'd have an encounter with the Army.

We dropped off the Boss first at the main gate and then followed the street around to make the turn down the hill to the Peanuts' building. (The campus is on the side of the mountain so there are buildings spread out all over the place. I drop the Boss off in the morning but he walks down in the afternoon because gravity's on his side by that time.) There was a long line of cars waiting to either make the turn or go on to the intersection past. There was an Army truck parked to the side and a man in uniform in the middle of the street, looking like he was directing traffic. What on earth?

Turns out it was a road march. We've passed them many times before, but this time they were actually holding up traffic. We don't mind though...the kids love to wave at the soldiers (one waved back at the Diva this morning-she was thrilled) and I gotta admit that the impressive scenery this country has to offer ends up at a whole new level.

After they went by (took a while-there were a lot of them) we made our way down. After I took them in and went back out I decided to stop at the one place in the area that sells Dr. Pepper. You can't get it in restaurants, just a few supermarkets that carry it. I know it's there if I ever want it so I just say, "No, not today", and go on my merry little way. But yesterday we had lunch after school with our vicar from q8 and his wife who are here for a long weekend. She asked me about that drink I like (I used to bring a can of it with me to sip on during Bible study). Ever since she brought it up I've wanted some. So, since I had plenty of time before my student was due, I stopped for a couple of cans, along with cereal and jam.

Well, encounter number 2 with the Army (or maybe encounter number 1B?)...I had to pass them again (LONG line of men and narrow streets with other cars coming). I got about half way up their line (more of a mass) and had to make a turn to park in front of the store. There was a slight break and the guy coming up next stopped his buddies for me to turn. {Thank you!}

I got my fix, I mean, my groceries, and got back in the car. Guess what? I had to pass them again. This time I was behind one of the trucks and when he saw that it was clear he motioned me to pass them. They're also pretty good about moving to the right when someone trying to pass meets someone coming from the other way. They know they're in traffic and are very courteous to those trying to get around.

After tutoring I did some dishes, did devotions, and headed out for my walk. One end of the path I walk above the commandos' school. I parked my car at the other end and realized my phone was at home. No problem, just need to make sure I check for calls from the school when I get home. I just told God, "You've been taking care of us for centuries without cell phones. I would assume you can take care of me today without one too."

I had gone a couple of blocks when I heard/felt what seemed to be an explosion of some kind. Now you have to realize I'm not walking in Beirut. I'm in a very nice part of our mountain where I'd never in a million years be able to afford to live. And if I ever could, I'd probably prefer to do something else with the money. But it's great to walk in and people from area come to do just that. So, in other words, you don't expect to hear a bomb go off. (Actually you don't really expect to hear one in Beirut, but anyway... True to my rather laid-back nature, I just kept on walking, looking around as I did for signs of something amiss, and thought, "Must be training."

Later I realized it was probably a bit of God's sense of humor too.

Vicar of dibley (I cant believe its not butter)

I love this show. I watched a few episodes on BBC America years ago. I would love to find this on TV again sometime.

Sunny day, sweeping the clouds away

Well, not quite sweeping them away, but the sun was shining today. It was COLD when I started my walk this morning. It wasn't raining so I took advantage of the chance to walk for the first time in over a week. My walk takes me past the commandos' school. A group of them was waiting for directions from their instructor. Let's just say it's reassuring to know that grown men are so much more mature than my 7th graders were...NOT. As we all know, boys will be boys!

I came home and did a detailed cleaning of my living room. Moved furniture, rugs, and everything. My leg, tired from being put back to work on the walk, was not pleased, but since I didn't ask, I didn't really care.

Our pastor from q8 and his wife are coming on Thursday for their anniversary. I can't wait! I'm trying to decide between taking them out or ordering a yummy mixed grill and having it delivered so I can just make a nice desert (still have pie filling in the freezer) so we can relax here. Hmmm.

Tomorrow's high is in the 40s but the low is around 24. Brrr! But it's supposed to be sunny which makes it much better. In fact, it's supposed to be sunny, or partly cloudy, the rest of the week. After my student leaves in the morning, I'm heading out to walk before tackling the toilets.

A New Wardrobe

Zechariah 3

A Vision of Joshua the High Priest

¹Then he showed me^A)">(A) Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and^B)">(B) Satan^a]">[a] standing at his right hand to accuse him. ²And the LORD said to Satan,^C)">(C) "The LORD rebuke you, O Satan! The LORD who has^D)">(D) chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is not this^E)">(E) a brand^b]">[b] plucked from the fire?" ³Now^F)">(F) Joshua was standing before the angel,^G)">(G) clothed with filthy garments. ⁴And the angel said to^H)">(H) those who were standing before him,^I)">(I) "Remove the filthy garments from him." And to him he said, "Behold,^J)">(J) I have taken your iniquity away from you, and^K)">(K) I will clothe you with pure vestments." ⁵And I said,^L)">(L) "Let them put a clean turban on his head." So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him with garments. And the angel of the LORD was standing by.

⁶And the angel of the LORD solemnly assured^M)">(M) Joshua, ⁷"Thus says the LORD of hosts: If you will walk in my ways and^N)">(N) keep my charge, then you shall^O)">(O) rule my house and have charge of my courts, and I will give you the right of access among^P)">(P) those who are standing here. ⁸Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, you and your friends who sit before you, for^Q)">(Q) they are men who are a sign: behold, I will bring^R)">(R) my servant^S)">(S) the Branch. ⁹For behold, on^T)">(T) the stone that I have set before Joshua, on a single stone with^U)">(U) seven eyes,^c]">[c] I will^V)">(V) engrave its inscription, declares the LORD of hosts, and^W)">(W) I will remove the iniquity of this land in a single day. ¹⁰In that day, declares the LORD of hosts, every one of you will invite his neighbor to come^X)">(X) under his vine and under his fig tree."

Today's devotion in the Treasury of Daily Prayer was wonderful! We're remembering St. Titus, pastor and confessor, of the early church. The portion of the NT reading I quoted above was, I thought, very apropos for describing Titus and all who are called to be pastors in the church.

The Joshua described was the high priest in Jerusalem. He was a sinner like the rest of us. He was unclean from having lived in Babylon, a land that was unclean. His filthy garments, symbolizing his uncleanness, were removed, in a foreshadowing of God washing away our sin by the Word and water of Baptism. These garments were designed by the Lord Himself.

Zechariah says that the servant will remove the iniquity of this land in a single day. That single day is Good Friday. In other words, He's already done it. It's a done deal. We are all like brands plucked from the fire of sin and we all wear filthy garments. We are unclean people. But because of Christ (the greater Joshua) we have been robed in righteousness. We are baptized and we are sealed with cross of Christ forever. We are His! We have been made clean.

The writing for today's devotion is from Martin Luther:

This is a wonderfully choice vision, for it very vividly reveals to us the heart and innermost emotions of the priest. He had heard the clear command of God to rebuild the temple. Then, after hearing that Word, he thought that he should listen to God, but he still kept wrestling with himself over the problem thus: "Who knows whether god intends to approve? Perhaps God will reject us sinners." This is exactly the way the human heart battles against sin in the presence of God. For Satan so inflates and exaggerates sins that the heart becomes convinced of no other God but one who now threatens it with a beating or a flogging. So here the high priest Joshua, crushed and terrified by his sins, does not dare go on with his task. Therefore he is strengthened and encouraged to believe that the Lord is not angry, that He has turned away the accusation of Joshua's conscience and is accusing Satan himself, who so discourages the heart with the heinousness of its sin that it cannot go on to serve its calling.

The Lord rebuke you, [O Satan]. This is a very wonderful and sweet comfort. Everything is contained in the fullness of this comfort, so neatly has he arranged all his words, as if to say: "From now on, Satan, stop opposing the priest. The Lord orders all things cursed which you inspire the timid priest to think about and which frighten him from his task. You are causing him to be downcast before God and to dare nothing before men. You are acting as if the Lord had completely rejected Jerusalem. But the Lord has not d one this. On the contrary, He has chosen it and loves it as His own possession." ...

Everything in this vision is revealed in such a way that the vision declares and reveals God's will to the priest. It strengthens the priest so that he no longer doubts that God will approve of his ministry, that his filthy garments have been changed, and that his sin has been taken away. Now he wears new clothes, that is, a happy and joyful conscience which no longer flees from God, which thinks nothing evil about God but hopes for every good thing. Thus the fresh clothes do not mean works but grace and faith.

Something to look forward to

I picked up the kids today at 12:30. The PM called for a national day of mourning and all government offices and schools closed. Before I left I was getting cold so when we got home I did what I never do during the day...I turned on the chauffage! In order to save gas I wait until the sun is almost down to turn it on. By the time we're ready for our showers we have plenty of hot water as well. Today I had that thing on before 2 p.m. I didn't turn it off until after 9. Usually it's on until I go to bed, but it was getting warm in here.

Temps tonight should get below freezing. With all the rain we've had (and getting more as I type this) it should make the morning drive to school rather interesting. I was hoping things would be closed tomorrow too. If the Boss says it's slick at all when he takes Elektra out to update her FB status, then we'll skip a breakfast at home, get dressed quick, and pick up breakfast on the way so we have plenty of time to arrive safely with history project in hand.

I've reworked my weekly routine. The other was OK but I was cleaning something everyday with almost no chance for a real break between cleaning something and getting the kids' food ready for after school. So I've decided that I'll touch up the living room on Mondays (skipped since this week's zone is the living room), Tuesday will be zone work, Wednesday will still be the bathrooms, Thursdays will be for grocery shopping, and Friday will be the Weekly Home Blessing Hour. Mondays should be fairly light and easy to do after tutoring and a walk (assuming the weather is cooperative). Tuesday will be hard to do, depending upon the zone and what shape it's in before I start. Wednesday isn't bad since the bathrooms don't take too long. Thursdays depend upon where I shop that week and traffic to and from. Friday can be a long one. It's actually quite a bit longer than an hour. I don't have carpeting...I have a rug or two in every room to vacuum and then I have to move them to mop the floors. I use regular cleaner in the bedrooms, baths, and kitchen, but since I have marble in the living room and hallway I have to be careful. I should use only water, but I hate that with little ones. When we lived here before I had 2 toddlers playing on the floor and now I have a dog and cat walking on it and 3 kids who rarely remember to take off their shoes the first 10 times they're told. I don't want to trust plain water to clean my floor properly. So I use Pledge for marble and other similar floors. I feel better knowing that my floor is actually clean!

If I get this routine down well, then I should have time to start adding friends to the mix. Bathrooms are not negotiable, and the zone really needs to be done, Friday is important since we're home all weekend and there's a good chance for someone to come by. Monday is kind of optional and Thursday is flexible since I start my shopping as soon as I drop off the kids or finish walking. Easy to get out of the way pretty early in the day.

After I get home from school I sit down at the table and have devotions with my Treasury of Daily Prayer. It's wonderful! It gets my day off to the right start. Now for some afternoon time for my new Lutheran Study Bible. I keep it handy when listening to a sermon online or Issues, Etc. (well, most of the time) and take it to church, but I need to start digging into it. Hopefully this revised schedule will help with that.

In spite of the change in schedule today we still had a good supper. Homemade pizza, fried cauliflower (to replace the french fries that Lebanese like to have with their pizza), and banana cake for desert. (Hey! We got our veggie!) Out of respect for the Peanuts' teachers, I skipped the caramel frosting. I miss it but it's good even without it so I'm hardly disappointed.

Now that I've figured out how to get the Boss to eat the chicken in his chicken and rice (hand him the ketchup bottle) I think we'll have that tomorrow. I still have chicken left from Friday as well as the bones to make more broth.Unless I think of something else instead...involving ketchup or some other yummy sauce, of course.

Good to know what's important

Usually on the morning drive to school (OK, almost ALL my drives anywhere) the iPod is playing in the car. There are a couple of stations that I enjoy here, but it varies. The English station with the best reception up here plays questionable music (questionable as in lyrics) and I don't feel comfortable having it on for the kids to hear. Although I will for short trips and just be ready to switch stations. I probably need to listen more in the mornings though for the news.

I was in the bookstore at the kids' school and she had this station on. I heard the DJ say something about "severe storms" and "shortly after take-off". NOT a good combination to hear in the same story. When I returned to the car I skipped the iPod and turned on this station. After a song or two he was on again with the story of the Ethiopian airliner that crashed off the coast shortly after take-off from Beirut. Such a tragedy.

The weather we've had here the last week or so has been horrible. Almost constant rain except for a nice break most of the day on Thursday and all day Friday. Last night we had lots of lightning and thunder and hail and cars I encountered going to and from the kids' school looked like thy had snow on them (of course, if they live far enough up, that might have been). As I sit here now, it's hailing again. The generator keeps going off and on. I think it's actually the power trying to come back on and not making it. I know the people who work the towers at airports are professionals and planes take off and land all the time in inclement weather, but I have to wonder what on earth they were thinking last night.

According to one news agency a national day of mourning has been declared with cabinet meetings canceled for the day. I got the following sms from the kids' school: Following decision by Education Minister, classes/Nursery suspended from 12:30pm.

But you know what strikes me as odd? It happened at 2 something a.m. The Daily Star updated their site today. I don't know what time, but even if it was midnight, you'd think they'd go on and update again. It's almost noon and they still haven't updated it.

Top story on CNN

Top story on FOX

Top story on Aljazeera English

Top story on Daily Star

Top story on local news on Daily Star

(At least Gore should be pleased that important environmental news didn't get bumped for this.)

Now I am comparing apples and oranges, I suppose, since the Daily Star is a newspaper. But look at the Arab Times out of Kuwait. Their main page was not connecting properly so I don't know what their lead story was, but this link was in their sidebar.

Not everything that happens here makes the major news networks. But when it makes the headlines on CNN and BBC World (the two I get on my TV- wish I could get Aljazeera English- I like that one), and is at the top of the page on Fox's website as well as Aljazeera's, you'd think it would be worthy of a mention on ALL news websites. Especially in the country where it happened.

Snow?

I took the dog upstairs tonight during a heck of a thunderstorm. It's been knocking off the power all night. It looked like we'd had snow! It was pretty. It was hail! LOL I've never seen so much hail in my life! You don't get weather like this in Kuwait. No, no, no, no, no! I love it!

Got allergies?

When the Boss was having trouble with his asthma a while back (still is, but it's not as bad now) Baba told me to get some flowers from Aunt. These flowers are used to make tea. His friend from work had been here recently and brought back a couple of big bags of these flowers. There are two ways you can buy them...with bugs or without.

To make this tea, fill a tea ball full of these flowers and put in teapot while it boils. To drink, add honey and sugar. Typically you use the hard, white cubes of sugar because they're good for allergies. (?) Not sure how since it just dissolves like any other sugar. But they're good for sucking on when your throat is sour so we're keeping them. But for tea I prefer brown sugar cubes.

As you can see from the pic, we prefer our flowers without bugs.

Good things happening

I can't believe I forgot to blog about this!

DH has invited his cousins' kids (a girl a year younger than the Boss and a boy a year younger than her) to come with us to the States. They got their passports last week and this week they had their interview at the embassy. They got their visas! Whoohoo! We're all so excited. They're great kids and will be fun to have along. I'm not sure I'd do it without DH though. We'll have to travel there and back without him, but it could be good to have them along to help herd the Peanuts. They follow them like baby ducks. I'll definitely use that to my advantage.

It's been raining since Monday. Today was a beautiful day! It was sunny and I could leave my jacket in the car while I did my grocery shopping. It turned cold again in time to pick up the kids at school and started raining. The Boss's umbrella got broken at school so we had to get him a new one. This one has a plastic cover that slides down so he can take it in with him instead of leaving it outside.

I should have gone to Charcutier Aoun. My grocery list was long enough to warrant it, but I went to one in Beit Mery instead. I ended up going to 3 supermarkets to get everything I wanted. The last one was for the cat food, cereal, and toilet paper. I could have gotten the last two items at any of the 3 but forgot to write them on the list. The cat food is an Italian brand that our vet sells in his office so I figure it's good enough. Plus it's much cheaper than the Purina we were feeding her. I downloaded a bunch of cat food recipes the other day. I need to read through them and do as much as I can to save even more money.

SIL is back. She just completed her first cruise as a paid deck hand on a Greenpeace boat. I haven't told the kids. She's coming up after school tomorrow and I can't wait to see their reaction when they open the door and find her there. She's going to have presents with her (hopefully no marbles this time) and she said she brought me more of that chocolate from Amsterdam I like. Yippee!

No walking this week. To make up for it you'd think I'd dig out the pilates DVDs or something, right? Nope. Made an apple pie Monday and carrot cake yesterday. At least I think the carrot cake isn't as fattening. Right?

The next 2 nights the Boss has taekwondo. We missed Tuesday due to too much homework to get done with a couple of hours away from home. But for the next two evenings I'll have plenty of time to read with my Kindle. The twins usually take something to color or play with and I'll have my toy this time. Right now I'm reading The 5,000 Year Leap. It's very good and I'm learning so much about the Founding Fathers. The Boss needs to read this book.

I forgot to keep an eye on the gas tank for the chauffage. I had the Boss turn it on and quite a while later, when I should have been feeling nice and warm, I was cold. I felt the radiator and it was cold. I went to the basement and our chauffage wasn't running and when I checked the gas it was almost empty. I called the Big Prince (I know, I know) and he's going to call the guy to make a delivery tomorrow. He's also sending someone to fix the blinds in the Peanuts' room so I can close them. That should keep the room warmer at night and help with sleeping in on the weekends.

I need to tweak my weekly routine to make more time for me during the day. I'm doing a lot of good around the house but need some time between housekeeping and starting lunch/supper for the kids so I can relax. Otherwise I'm less patient (though MUCH better than when I was teaching) and end up surfing online instead of studying the Bible, confessions, or listening to good Lutheran programming online (while I cross stitch). Right now I just look forward to folding laundry so I can listen. LOL

Our stereo needs to be fixed. The CD player doesn't work and neither does the cassette. No matter what it's set on, it only plays the radio. I want to plug my adapter into the cassette player to hear my computer better when I'm listening to a podcast. I'll be able to listen from the kitchen while I cook! Maybe even have the washing machine on. Yeah!

Well, it's after midnight and I have a couple of Peanuts sleeping in my bed. If I want to enjoy snuggling I'd better get to it.

The Wet Word

Now, as I have often said, God's Word teaches us that the sacrament of baptism has three part. The first is just natural water...[Baptism] is water, but there is something more which is added to it, which makes this water glorious and holy, makes it in fact the real baptism, namely:

The second part, God's Word beside and with the water, which is not something we have invented or dreamed up, but is rather the Word of Christ, who said, "Go into all the world and baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" [Matt. 28: 19]. When these words are added to the water, then it is no longer simple water like other water, but a holy, divine, blessed water. For where the Word of God, by which he created heaven and earth and all things, is present, there God himself is present with his power and might...we must not look upon the water as simply water without the Word, but rather know that the Word with and beside the water constitutes the substance of baptism, as St. Paul says clearly in Eph. 5 [:26] that Christ washed and cleansed his bride, the church, by the washing of water with the Word, which is quite a different bath and washing than that which occurs through natural water or human washing and bathing in a tub. For here, says St. Paul, is the word of the living God which says, I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit; in other words, here not a man, but God himself is baptizing. For when it is done in his name it is done indeed by the holy Trinity.

Then there is a third part which is necessary to make it a sacrament, namely, institution or the Word which institutes and ordains baptism; for two kinds of Word must be present in order that it be a baptism. One which is spoken with the water or baptizing, the second that which orders and commands us to baptize in this way, that is, to immerse in water and to speak these words. When these two come together, namely, the command and institution to do this and the Word with the water, which is used in accord with the institution and practices and administers the same, then this is called a baptism and is a baptism.

-Martin Luther

Today the church remembers Sarah, the wife (and half sister) of the Hebrew patriarch Abraham. She followed her husband and his family on a long trek from Ur to Haran to Canaan. She was barren but grace of God she became the mother of the second patriarch and grandmother of the third. Good things come to those who wait.

Lord and Father of all, You looked with favor upon Sarai in her advanced years, putting on her a new name, Sarah, and with it the promise of multitudinous blessings from her aged womb. Give us a youthful hope in the joy of our own new name, being baptized into the promised Messiah, that we, too, might be fruitful in Your kingdom, abounding in the works of Your Spirit; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Prayer of the Day for 20 January (Treasury of Daily Prayer)

The cost of scratch

When we first moved here 4 years ago I learned very quickly that I couldn't cook the same way here that I did back in the States. I wasn't big on convenience foods but would keep a few cheaper versions on hand for back-up or as bases to add other delicious (and healthier) ingredients to. I also took advantage of store brand canned items since most recipes call for cans of this or that.

You can't shop the same way here that you do in the States and pay the same at the register. While there are quite a few convenience foods here that would be recognizable to most in the west, the prices are MUCH higher. Also, while it's easy to find most of the canned items you'd need the prices are much higher as well. So many cans for $1? Forget it! I buy canned chick peas for hummus (and I still beat out in-laws who use canned hummus and add more garlic, lemon, and salt). I buy canned foul (for Baba and the Boss). And I'll buy canned corn which we enjoy in the cornbread. (Only one store carries cornmeal that I've seen. Beat's NO stores.) For the most part I'm stuck with a bunch of recipes that tell me to use cans of items but no way to convert to the real thing.

Today we're having spaghetti. I have a really yummy recipe from Not Just Beans by Tawra Kelly. This cookbook is great, but better if you're in the States. Most of her recipes, for main dishes, anyway, call for canned goods. So I have to eyeball it and guess that I'm using the right number of fresh tomatoes. The recipe calls for chopped, stewed tomatoes. Mine are fresh tomatoes that are put in the food processor. I've learned how to be a much better cook from living over here, I have to say. I was a decent one before, but too dependent upon what others had prepared for me ahead of time. Most of what I use now is what I prepare from scratch. It's so cool.

As for milk...today I was short on cash (forget to check the wallet before leaving the house) so instead of buying the big can of powdered skim milk I bought a liter of fresh. I did the math a few minutes ago. It's better, no matter if the powdered makes me choke at the register in some stores, to stick with it. It tastes good and with the free water (we go to a fountain to refill bottles instead of buying) it's much cheaper. I pay between $12-$14 for a can that makes 12.5 liters. For the price of the fresh, if I multiply by 12.5, I end up paying over $20 for the same amount. For the taste and the price, not to mention the other baking uses for it, I'm sticking with the powder. Of course, I'm talking about a certain brand. There are others that cost more and are closer to the price for fresh. Definitely not worth it if you're buying your water.

Well, I'm off to get the kids from school and bring them home for spaghetti and buttery bread sticks (from www.hillbillyhousewife.com).

The forecast is for rain through Friday. Actually it stops at Friday, which has rain and a lightning bolt in the graphic, so who knows how long the rain is supposed to hang around. Even Elektra is tired of it and this is only the first day of it.

It's cold tonight and the wind is blowing like crazy. It started around 5 or so. All of a sudden it sounded horrible. The Boss and I rearranged a few things on the terrace so they would be under more cover than on the edge. The Peanuts were mostly unaware of it...playing and arguing happily.

Today I made an apple pie. I made the filling yesterday and today I made the crust. It's yummy! It was a hit with the kids too. So the kids got lucky tonight...homemade pizza (whole wheat crust) and apple pie. Mom is spoiling them.

Tomorrow we get more water so I have a couple of loads to do. Just need to make sure I can wash the cloths Wednesday that I use for cleaning the bathrooms. I like to pop them right in the washer as I use them. While the water situation has improved with the new pipe installed, I still have to watch how much I use. It's a good habit to be in.

Tonight the cousins came over. We're taking the kids with us to the States this summer, hopefully. They have their appointments at the embassy in the morning and we had to fill out the applications online so I could print them. Except for a couple of questions that had me wondering, "Huh?" {these are forms for the U.S. government, you know} it was pretty easy. All the kids are excited. We're hoping that everything goes smoothly.

I loaded some more CDs onto my iPod last night, including a kids' CD in Arabic. The songs are adorable and the kids love them. I have a few discs missing. The cases are empty because I'd put them in this one holder and now I don't know where they've gone. Hmmm. Gonna have to do something about that.

Today I sat down with my new study Bible before posting on one forum. That thing is just incredible! The information in there is tremendous. Once I get my routine running smoothly where I can get things done pretty quickly and have more time for me, I'm going to really dive into that baby.

Well, it's past my bedtime. Before I say "good night", the picture above is of Jbeil, otherwise known as Byblos, the oldest inhabited city in the world. It's right up the coast. We enjoyed a day at the beach there this summer. Too bad it's too far away from the farm for us to make a trip there next summer. LOL

Finally got it!

Baba gave me a Kindle for Christmas. When I got online to register it, it was already registered to the man who'd ordered it for him. We had to wait until he was back from his vacation (a few days after Baba got back) so Baba could ask him to unregister it. I finally got to register my Kindle and I've been downloading like crazy!

I've found a few websites where I can get download free books. On one site I downloaded everything they had by Martin Luther, except for the Large and Small Catechisms, which I already have.

This is great! Now not only do I have trouble leaving the computer and going to bed, I'm going to have trouble going to sleep once I'm there if the Kindle is anywhere near me. But it's going to be so worth it.

Relaxing weekend?

Thanks to Thursday's routine I can see my bedroom floor and my dressing table again. Yeah! (I managed to stick to my routine all week and walk every morning. Whoohoo!)

Today it was time to tackle the Boss's. It took us all day (I had to run some errands so it took a bit longer) but it's looking much better. He still has some stuff to put away but it's almost done. Should get done after church tomorrow. We've moved some furniture and tidied up things and reorganized the closet and dresser. Now the Boss and I are watching a movie that he can write a report on for social studies. Good actors, cute script. Wish I'd had assignments like that when I was in school.

The Peanuts had their first dictations in Arabic yesterday. The Diva got 5/5 but the Little Prince didn't write anything but his name. I asked him why since he knew them the night before but he said he only knew one. I told him from now on write the ones he knows, even if it's not all of them. My little Perfectionist.

Last night we had the best schwarma. Until then I thought in order to get meat that melts in your mouth I'd have to go to the Bakaa Valley. Not a bad view from the restaurant's window, but it's Hezbollah territory so not my preferred destination. The schwarma I had last night was wonderful and on the way home from taekwondo. It's going to be hard to keep from pulling in there on a regular basis. Luckily he only has taekwondo 3x a week. LOL

http://issuesetc.org/?p=2410

For a good segment on infant baptism:

http://issuesetc.org/?p=2410

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Finally!

Yesterday was a cold, rainy day. Perfect for baked beans from the crock pot and cornbread. I actually found cornmeal at The Sultan Center a while back and was just waiting for a good time to get the beans done. Westerners are pretty much the only ones who buy the stuff. We had plans to go to the cousins' house after school for help for the Peanuts and their first dictation for Arabic. Since it was raining we rescheduled for today. It was a good thing too...there was a really strong bolt in Broumana that took out a transformer (I think a transformer...something on a tall poll anyway) near the school and another that set off a car alarm while I was buying produce (the kids were in the car right outside...I'm surprised they didn't come running in...probably enjoyed it). We also had hail, which just thrilled the Peanuts, who kept picking it up when we got home. They even liked having the cold hands. Brrr!

Today I was determined that we would have beans and cornbread. I was headed to bed late when I remembered to soak the beans. Whew! After I got home from my walk this morning I put everything together in the crock pot. This is the cheapie that I bought in Q8. It tends to run too hot and can even burn chicken on LOW, but I'm hoping that our inferior electrical system over here will work in my favor for once. It seems to...we spent some time on generator this morning after I started it.

My house smells so good. I just took the cornbread out of the oven and the beans should be ready to eat when we get home. I can't wait! A taste of home.

Boy, I miss Q8...NOT!

Enjoy this e-mail I received from a friend whose still trapped, I mean, living, in Q8.

There is so much wrong with the following, but sometimes you can't help but chuckle.

More Other Worldly Comparisons, this Jan. 2010

(All taken verbatim from various Arab Times editions)

Police end New Year bash; Police affiliated to the Ahmadi governate¹ rushed to a restaurant in Fahaheel² after receiving information about Asians and Europeans who were holding a party and had a dispute with residents in nearby buildings…

A police source revealed that the residents who were annoyed with the music, called up security officials, who arrived at the scene and put an end to the festivities.

The organizers of the party and the restaurant owners were referred to the police station for interrogation.³

Unruly policewoman; A female teacher lodged a complaint against a Kuwaiti police woman, accusing her of crashing into her car…

The teacher told officials that the police woman, after crashing into (her) vehicle, attacked her before fleeing from the scene instead of apologizing. According to a police source, the female official was summoned for questioning twice but failed to show up.⁴

(And my favorite)

US diplomat faces Kuwaiti complaint

A Kuwaiti has filed a complaint with the Hawalli⁵ Police Station, accusing a US diplomat working for the American Embassy in Kuwait of humiliating him…

The complainant said this happened when the diplomat was allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol and crashed into his vehicle at an unidentified location.

FYI Newspapers in Kuwait , on a daily basis, contain numerous equivalent snippets such as these. Regarding the one on humiliation, frequently, these complaints are filed by policemen who try to issue traffic tickets to Kuwaitis.

¹ roughly equivalent to a county

² a far southern suburb

³ you are essentially required to get a government permit to have a party with music and/or entertainment outside of your own apartment

⁴ apparently the new cadres of female police have been quick to understand and adopt the concept that they are the masters of the law as opposed to its servants. The offended teacher clearly must be new to Kuwait if she is expecting any acknowledgement of wrong doing on the part of a police official

⁵ a near southern suburb

Beautiful!

Between our house and the kids' school there's a beautiful area where people love to walk. People drive there to walk...me included. It's right on the way home from their school so on days when I don't tutor I head straight there to get in my 30 minutes. (After my legs adjust to the inclines I'll increase to an hour at some point.) It's also close enough to drive there from my house to walk and be worth it. So it's good for after-tutoring walks as well.

The area is absolutely gorgeous! You look over to one side and you see terraced land which doesn't have much growing this time of year but I expect in a few months there will be. I realized that since it's so chilly today that I could have had my camera along in my jacket pocket. I'll try to do better next time.

However there was some scenery that I couldn't have taken a picture of. OK, I could have. I doubt anyone would have seen me. But I don't think the army would have been too happy. You see, right on my route, down the hill, is the commandos' school. Yep, today's scenery included buff young men doing their morning pt.

Gotta love the view!

Radio on the internet

OK, apparently if I want to listen to the radio online I shouldn't be on generator. I listened to two programs with lots of buffering in the middle of them. Very annoying but I'm stubborn. I was going to finish them if it killed me. We were on generator.

Then the power came back on. I know this because there was a loud bang and the lights got brighter. It scares Baba's cousin every time it does that while he's here. The man used to be the bodyguard for a former president of this country and now works for his MP son, but the power coming back on at our place makes him about jump out of his skin.

Anyway, even though I'd closed that window to get ready for bed I decided to experiment. Sure enough, the broadcast seems to be working fine. I didn't listen to more than a minute or two, but that's more time than I seemed to have between bufferings when I was listening earlier.

Problem is, I'm usually on generator this time of night. {sigh}

Figuring out the routine

During the Christmas break I sat down and reworked my weekly routine (thanks, Flylady) for after the kids were back in school and Baba's computer and books and jackets, etc. weren't all over the place. I think for the most part it will work fine but it needs to be tweeked a bit.

For example, I'm tutoring a girl from my old school. She's in her early 20s but she's Arabic educated in Saudi. Her English is excellent but she's preparing for the SAT so she can go to university here. I was working with her before and when I resigned they asked if I'd be willing to continue working with her. I jumped at the chance (she's such a sweetheart) as long as she would come to my home.

Today was the first day and it was so good to see her again. We did actually get some work done amid all the catching up. The dog and cat were less than thrilled...one on the terrace and the other shut up in the 1/2 bath...but she's scared of both so they just have to suck it up a few times a week.

She's only here for an hour and a half so it doesn't mess up my day much, unless, like today, I don't realize how I can't fit everything in that I want to do. I hadn't gone to the market over the weekend so after she left I went for my walk (that will NOT get tweeked out of the routine except for inclement weather) I stopped to do some shopping. That needs to be done after walking on a tutor-free day.

Mondays are for the living room only. Most Mondays that's fine but the week where the living room is my *zone* and I need to do a detailed cleaning, I'm thinking I'll swap the living room with the kitchen, which would mean kitchen on Monday that week and living room on Tuesday. The kitchen isn't a big deal (except for zone weeks) so I could still vacuum the living room and dust if I knew someone was heading over.

Today I was going to bake something but my mixing bowls are filled with fruit. Last Tuesday Baba headed south and bought tons of fruit in Saida.(Sidon, in the Bible). The apples are HUGE and the best tasting things you've ever had. He bought kilos of Clementine oranges, mainly for the Diva, who can eat her weight in them daily. He also bought even more kilos of sweet lemons. They're not sour at all and I think that's the problem. I do NOT like them. He said it helps if you take off all the white stuff but I'm not convinced. I'm thinking break out the juicer and if that doesn't help, then mix them with other fruits. Anyway I've got to do something with those things because I need my bowls back.

Since I got so far behind (not helped by watching a bio of Will Smith while folding laundry) supper will be simple. I've got the makings for pizza and the kids love my pizza. It's quick and easy which is good since the Boss has a test tomorrow and needs to be quizzed tonight. I might break a crockpot for tomorrow. Or save that for Wednesday when I'm tutoring again. Or maybe both!

No devotions today. Forgot before walking and got to watching TV instead of listening to sermons while folding laundry. That's fine though because tomorrow I'll be folding underwear and that's time consuming once you get the socks. I might get in 2 sermons, or a sermon and Issues, Etc. Can't wait!

Oh, and tonight I'm thinking some Pirate Christian Radio while I cross stitch, if the Boss does well on his review. Yeah!

Food for the Soul

Today got to hear a sermon in English at church. Lately I've been hearing the sermons translated into English, but today it was the actual sermon preached in English. My friends' parents are visiting from the States and he's a retired pastor. He graciously preached today's sermon. It was nice to hear the sermon in one language rather than try to block out the Arabic so I can concentrate on the English. Plus there are pauses while the translator listens and then translates.

Normally I listen the best I can and then on Monday morning, while folding laundry or whatever, I listen to sermons HERE. I love good Lutheran sermons. There's nothing like them. Just the right mix of Law and Gospel. It's easy to get spoiled. Once you've eaten steak it's hard to go back to McD's. So I've gotten to be rather picky. Then there are the sermon reviews from Issues, Etc. Once you know the criteria for a good sermon, it's hard to really enjoy one that doesn't meet it.

Today's sermon was good, in that what he said was correct. But Christ wasn't even mentioned. Perhaps quoted, since the sermon was on the gospel reading, but He wasn't preached on. I had my new Bible along, and read from it while the lessons were read in Arabic. Since my translating friend reads from his English Bible I turn off the headphones so I can read without the distraction. As the pastor was preaching I read the study notes for the reading. I'm sorry to say that I found nourishment in the study notes than I did in the sermon.

The gospel reading was Mark 5: 21-34. Jairus approaches Jesus and asks Him to come home with Him and heal his daughter who is dying. While they're walking a woman whose had a hemorrhage for 12 years comes up behind Him and touches the hem of His garment. He feels the power go out of Him and asks who touched Him. She approaches and tells Him why she did it.

From the sermon I learned to be like the woman who touched the hem of His garment. I honestly don't remember much about it. It was nice in a general, vague way, but I was told to remember that everything is in His control. OK.

From the study Bible I learned that Jesus had healed with a touch before and would again so Jairus was asking for Him to touch her. However, He was able to cure by simply saying the word. The woman who had touched Him had tried all kinds of remedies over the last 12 years. The Talmud lists 11 cures for conditions like hers and we'd consider them superstitious nowadays, but she had probably tried them all to no avail. When she touched Him and He felt the power leave Him, it doesn't mean that He performed this miracle involuntarily. When He asked who touched Him, He wasn't accusing but inviting her to confess her faith. Because her illness involved impurity she was open to the charge of defiling Him by touching Him. The woman's faith was NOT the main cause of her healing. Her faith was the means by which healing was received from the outpouring of Jesus' power and grace.

There was a little sermon in the notes as well: "Jesus heals Jairus's daughter and a woman with a chronic ailment. Like Jairus, we often worry that the Lord's delay in answering our prayers may end up in catastrophe. But the Eternal One, who overcame death by rising from the dead, never runs out of time. In fact, His gracious promise is that we shall share eternal life with Him."

"Lord, grant us to believe without doubting that You can heal every illness. Give us patience, as well, that we might be unmoved while waiting for You to act in Your own good time and in accord with Your gracious will. Amen."

Fast food delivery and home security system

Tonight the kids got taken to the doctor's for a cough. His Saturday hours are late so their appointment wasn't until 5:20. We got in to see him a little after 5:30...not bad for a winter weekend. By the time we got home it was late to start cooking so we ordered from Malak al Taouk, where they have HUGE shish taouk sandwiches. Just one is a meal and since I've started losing weight I rarely finish one anymore. I end up handing it off to the Boss to finish for me.

When you call your info shows up on their computer so they know who to deliver to. Usually they ask me something like, "You're in ..., right?" Tonight the question was, "You're the one with the dog, right?" Which led to a conversation about her Pit Bull and Bichon Frise at home. (And I thought a German Shepherd and a Persian cat was a eye raising combo around here.)

For some reason, whenever someone rings the doorbell at our house, half the time I find them halfway back up the stairs when I open the door. The delivery guys are usually still in front of the door but with rather wide eyes and looking a tad pale. Gee, I wonder why?

Where's the water?

Water and power are the two most undependable things I've encountered here so far. Well, those and the driving ability of most of the motorists here. Water is delivered every other day from the government. It's piped to each building and everyone signs up for water. In some buildings there one communal tank and in others each apartment has an individual tank. Whether you share or not, you have a second tank on the roof that you pump water to in order for it to come down into your house.

Our building is a mix. Originally it was designed to have a common tank where the water from the government comes and then we pump it up to the big tank on the roof, where it is distributed to the tanks for each home. Quite a few people in the building now have their own tanks because by sharing we have issues in the summer. Less water is sent out and not always as reliably. We often have to buy water, which means someone comes with his tanker truck and pumps it down to the common tank so we can pump it up to the roof.

Sometime in the next few days we should be getting our own tank. We've had some water issues lately after several weeks of easy laundry and showers. That's about to come to an end. BUT...I still plan on being frugal with my water usage. Just because we have our own tank will not mean that we can just squander it. I have trouble with the idea of wasting water anyway, but when you literally can run out and not be able to even flush a toilet, you realize how important conserving your water usage is.

See, this is one of those benefits to being home full-time. I have time to be frugal. I have time to conserve money, energy, water, etc. I can get things done when they need to be done, in a way that's the most beneficial to my pocket book as well as my sense of good stewardship, rather than taking the quickest, easiest, and often most wasteful of resources.

When we get our new tank, I think I'm going to post pics.