A Rare Sunrise View

ACTS 28:31

Boldly and without hindrance he preached the kingdom of God

and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ.

Roads... I have no idea how they got this way!

On a recent road trip....

We have new friends... ew...

There has been this eerie munching noise in our cupboard for months! It gradually grew louder and more frequent as time wore on. We all imagined some large creature with pincers. Finally, it sounded like it was on the very edge. One of my housemates pressed on the plastic laminate and found that it felt hollow underneath. Uh, oh! Desiring to know the extent of the damage she peeled off the pale green plastic. We found this whole system of holes with a very fine sawdust. In addition we found one small red-brown beetle, about 2 mm in length. There is still munching. My housemate tried drowning them, but that didn't work. Next she tried putting boiling water down the holes. We haven't heard from them since, but that was only a few hours ago. We would rather not be a zoo...

And the cat came back...

I forgot to mention it, but according to all your predictions, the cats did come back. They "fell" (we still don't know how) down the hole into our house. Once the momma wandered around for a bit and then took them away. The second time we went on the offensive and lured one out (with bread) and caught it in a bucket. The one we got was the grouchy one! This picture of him may look sweet, but don't be fooled! I think the poor thing was terrorized because they haven't been back for a week now.

Moscow, Idaho Shooting

Pray for my home town if you think of it. There was a shooting, 3 are dead. In a town of 20,000 that is pretty shocking to everyone. Somehow, it doesn't surprise me too much. Maybe living in a country where at least 100 people are shot or bombed every day has made me less shocked at the evil of people's hearts. I am sad for their families and friends, but suffering has so many benefits; it is in God's hands. You can find more online. There is still no known motive (at least that I have found yet) and still some in the hospital. Pray that God's glory would shine out in this.

I have fallen in love!

One of my classes is having their final test tommorraow. I will have to say goodbye and release them to a summer of bad influences (like rap and MTV). I pray for them.

One of these things is not like the other...

A list... now you have to do it too!

I'm sorry, I couldn't resist. I saw this one another blog and it made me laugh. Laughter is good medicine, right?

1. Your Detective Name (favorite color and favorite animal)
Yellow Dog

2. Your Soap Opera Name (Your middle name and the street you live on)
Christine Ashty

3. Your Star Wars Name (The first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first)
Mcgco

4. Your Superhero Name (Your 2nd favorite color and favorite drink)
Purple Lemonade (ewww…)

5. Your Iraqi Name (2nd letter of your first name, 3rd letter of your last name, any letter of your middle name, 2nd letter of your mom’s maiden name, 3rd letter of your dad’s middle name, 1st letter of a sibling’s first name, and last letter of your mom’s middle name)
Oghelle (I haven’t ever met anyone with this weird of name!)

6. Your Witness Protection Name (Parents’ middle names)
Marie Allen

7. Your Goth Name (”Black” and the name of one of your pets)
Black Freckles (ick)

Meow...

This is where Kitten 1 and Kitten 2 were in residence. And yes, the drop was long; and yes, it echoed loudly! We have no idea how Kitten 2 managed to make the same mistake as Kitten 1 and fall through today... Momma Cat should know better... but more clues on Kitten 2's personality came later...

Since my last post, but a few hours ago, there have been several new developements. First of all, thanks for all of you that prayed... God was good to us. The momma cat returned (despite the fright she received two nights ago from my shrieking roommates) and climbed down the stairs proceeding to retrieve kitten number 1.

I wasn't using a flash on my camera for fear that the momma kitten would be scared and run off leaving kitten 1 on the stairs. Now what? Kitten 2 was out of the hole behind our shower and was now wandering around and crying IN the shower.

This one was considerable nicer than the first one and I caught it easily with a potholder (just in case it was diseased and scratching). Then I proceeded to carry it upstairs to the balcony. We brought the tuna up and it ate a little in between howling. Finally, I saw a shadow move out of the corner of my eye. It was the momma cat, back for Kitten 2. It was here that we discoved why Kitten 2 fell down the hole. Kitten 2 is a rebellious kitten... Despite the whining, Kitten 2 (whom one of my fellow teamates suggested we name Draino) wanted nothing to do with Momma Cat. Kitten 2 ran into the house! What? NO! Not there! So I ran in and did the only thing I could... I grabbed Kitten 2 and put it back outside. Momma Cat was eating the tuna. Then, does Kitten 2 run to missing mom with glee? No, where did it go... back into the house... there was a hole in the screen. Catching Kitten 2 (again!) we returned him to the balcony. Firmly standing in front of the hole in the screen, my housemate chased Kitten 2 back towards Momma Cat, who by this time had finished the tuna. After she picked up the kitten in her mouth, it was a simple leap and a bound over the wall and off to wherever they live. Ahh... no more kittens... at least until one of them falls down the hole again.

Kitten update..

So I peeked into our hole today... "Hey, one kitten is eating!" I thought. Wait, One kitten? As in one of two? Yep. I don't know how it happened. We had one kitten yesterday, and now we have two kittens. Praise God, they are eating the tuna... So they won't starve to death. But the momma cat is having a very hard time on the roof and it is all very sad. Please continue to pray for a solution... God is going to have to provide one...

Thanks!

Prayer needed...

We have a kitten... not that we wanted it... not that we can do anything with it... we didn't ask for it... it fell through our house... and now is in a hole. It cries. We cannot get it to come out. The mother cries from the roof. Pray that it will be okay.

I would show you pics... but I can't upload them right now... plus it might make you cry.

I was tagged!!!

I was so lovingly tagged by Nic,

Here's the "rules" of this meme: Each player starts with 7 random facts/habits about themselves. People who are tagged need to write on their own blog about their seven things, as well as these rules. You need to choose 7 people to get tagged and list their names. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them that they have been tagged and to read your blog!

My seven random facts...

1. I live in the Middle East. That feels fairly random for a start, despite the fact that most of you know that already.

2. I have, on more than one occasion been the only blonde person in an airplane. This of course is a side affect of random fact number 1.

3. I like to cook... In fact, the more I cook, and the more things I learn how to make (over here especially), the more I like to cook. In our house we have cooked food from America, Italy, Greece, Brazil, Arabic food, Kurdish food, Korea, China, and other concoctions of no place in particular.

4. I once arrived in Istanbul with a total of $13.04. The visa cost $20.00. Yes I realize that was stupid. But at the same time there is a perfectly reasonable explanation for it which I will not bore you with at the moment.

5. I do not like rap and have spent considerable time trying to convince my 6th graders that gangsters should not be their roll models.

6. Dogs regularly pee when they greet me. I have been told that it has to do something with submissive behavior. I have no idea why I am such a scary person.

7. I like toe rings.

I now tag...

Laurel at Why Think in Secret
Thainamu
Nathan at a Jolly Company
Katie (Ibid)
Lydia
Jessa
Pauli

Chuckle... it is good for you.

This made me laugh.

High Voltage Has a Whole New Meaning

Last night our TV went on strike when the city power came on. I haven’t ever heard of someone going on strike for getting over-paid, but the TV was getting a little too much power, I guess, despite the multiple surge protectors. And the dissatisfaction among our household electronics seems to be catching.

Tonight during our International Fellowship meeting, our DVD player decided that it no longer desired to fulfill its assigned role. No, indeed, it wanted to be a fog machine! It would have been a fairly prolific fog machine, producing a curling white smoke that drooped off the entertainment center like the dry ice vapor. Having no use for such an appliance in our household, we had it taken outdoors where it continued to puff in solitude. After everyone had left, I went outside to see what it was up to. It wasn’t doing anything. So I told it that all would be forgiven if it would only return to its previous function. After much pleading, however, the only response given was the emitting of a strange brown goo. Do to its stubbornness it has been permanently moved to the outdoors where it will be shipped off to the dump, where all rebellious electronics belong.

Question...

So I decided that after 1 1/2 years of blogging on the same web page template I needed to make a change. At this point I am undecided--my sister doesn't like the fact that the picture has square corners while the frame is round. But I would like the opinion of any of my various readers on whether I should keep this, change it to something radically different, or just go back to the old and familiar. Blessings on you all around!

Ahh! It's the life!

Hershey’s “Perfectly Chocolate” Chocolate Cake (from Hershey’s Classic Recipes © 2000)

2 c. sugar
1 ¾ c. all-purpose flour
¾ c. Hershey’s Cocoa or Hershey’s Dutch Processed Cocoa
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
1 ½ tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1 c. milk
½ c. vegetable oil
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 c. boiling water
“Perfectly Chocolate” Chocolate Frosting (recipe follows)

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans or one round 9x13 inch baking pan (then bake 35-40 minutes).

2. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large mixer bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of electric mixer 2 minutes. Stir in water. (Batter will be thin.) Pour batter evenly into prepared pans.

3. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely.

4. Frost with “Perfectly Chocolate” Chocolate Frosting
½ c. butter or margarine
2/3 c. Hershey’s Cocoa
3 c. powdered milk
1/3 c. milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Melt butter. Stir in cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency. Add small amount additional milk, if needed. Stir in vanilla.

The English Language

I have had a hard time convincing my students that:

Fastly does not equal Quickly
Hardly does not means some that is firm or difficult.
Tasteful does not mean Tasty.

Picnic-mania!

This picture, although not of the best focal or artistic quality, I thought it accurately portrayed the ultimate chaos of the bus ride to a picnic site. Yes, this was taken on a bus! Here are some guys playing chess, obviously. I played 3 games of chess on one of our picnics.

Water is also a wonderful draw to the kids... It was so hard to get them out! But can you imagine swimming next to such a beautiful view!!

There are some things worth paying for...

Pitted Olives! You have no idea how excited I was to find pitted olives in the grocery store.

Here's a picture!!!

Ha! The key is posting pictures in the morning! This is a pic of our fruit and veggie stand!