Psalms Art

We arrived at the church's art gallery early, which was good. It was quiet and uncrowded with the opportunity to read the placards accompanying each art work. The combination of the words and the art had me tearing up several times-- truly touched, moved.

David's tear-watered couch grabbed attention with it's real working showerhead, but it was the bottles of tears that truly brought the message home-- the realization that those jars represent only a portion of the tears God's people have cried, and that there will be a time when all tears are wiped away.

Image source (edited): 
http://words-fail.com/prayer-and-wisdom-opens/

The calendar with each day stamped "this is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it" was very simple, but a powerful reminder of the place of gratitude, joy, and praise that belong in a Chistian's life-- EVERYday.

My brother's shield also moved me-- that God is the lifter of our heads. I almost didn't notice the arrows, and really, I think that's the way God means it to be for us-- He himself is the focus and not the things that come at us.

The wings and the starry sky were skillfully made and beautiful without even needing a message-- they were encouraging and uplifting.

The Bible says that Chistians are to speak to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. I'd say that this exhibit truly accomplished that.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Recipe & Tonight's Plans

My mom sent my dad over to my place with some leftovers-- beef roast in gravy with mashed potatoes on the side. I love gravy, but seldom make it.

She sent 3 meal-sized portions at least! So I ate one helping for dinner as is, but the next day I morphed a portion into Shepherd's Pie for lunch (Leann Ely's recipe from Saving Dinner for the Holidays). Yum! I definitely want to remember that strategy-- sauté some chopped onion and carrot, add the beef and gravy, seasoning with crushed rosemary, garlic powder, and pepper. Pour the mixture into a baking dish and top with the mashed potatoes. Bake until warm. Delicious!

As for today, I'm going to apply for more jobs, sending out my resume repeatedly. (And also eat that last portion of beef and gravy for dinner.)

Then tonight, my parents and I are going to see my brother's art displayed in his church's gallery. We won't stay long-- my parents have B&B guests-- but of course we have to be there; my brother has talked of nothing else for weeks! ;-)

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Mostly Chores But...

I did some baking today-- which I can't afford to do often if I want to reach my weight loss goals; I have to restrict myself to cooking instead. But today the kitchen was clean, and I had "no-sugar-added" apple butter on hand; it was the perfect time to try Mini Whole Wheat Apple Muffins with Cinnamon Glaze from The Perfect Recipe for Losing Weight & Eating Great by Pam Anderson. The author brags that you'd never know the muffins were made with whole wheat flour, and that little sugar is needed for the muffin batter because of the glaze.

Well, the muffins aren't bad, but I think the texture is a dead giveaway that they're whole grain-- they're a little too soft somehow-- not al dente to appropriate pasta terminology. And, the sugar may be minimal but the fat is not-- about 5g per mini muffin! It's always a trade off between sugar and fat when it comes to baking. The recipe does call for oil rather than butter, so at least the fat is not the saturated variety. And whole wheat flour means a little more fiber and some trace nutrients that white flour lacks.

I only made enough glaze for 3 muffins, because I planned to freeze the rest. Good thing, too, because I don't care for the glaze; it's just powdered sugar plus milk-- with a bit of cinnamon and a drop of lemon juice for flavor (but it still tastes strictly like powdered sugar-- kind of chemical). I think the glaze was a futile attempt to convert something wholesome into something decadent; better to just enjoy the muffins for what they are-- warm and cinnamon-y and 100 calories each (with or without glaze).

I am proud of myself for only eating the three I had planned to consume. As soon as they were cool, I packaged 2 per baggie and whisked them into the freezer. With a piece of fruit, they will be a nice afternoon snack/small meal to tide me over until dinner time. Or, one muffin plus a cup of yogurt will be a satisfactory light breakfast until my mid-morning fruit snack. It's always helpful to have goodies in the freezer-- "Frozen Assets" according to one cookbook title.

Baking is also a pleasant way to spend a day of snow flurries-- domestic and cozy to counter the cold.

iPod apps are great!

I tried out a new one today-- Martha's Everyday Food. For the past several years, I've subscribed to the Everyday Food magazine, and this app indexes and includes most of the recipes. With the push of a button, I can now save copies of the recipes I've tried and approved or ones that I'd like to try but didn't get to yet. The app will also make grocery shopping lists for me based on recipes I select-- for 99 cents, I can carry a whole set of magazines in my purse. That means the next time I'm at Whole Foods, it will be easier to remember to buy fennel or a bunch of watercress and to know what I want to do with the ingredients once I get them home! ;-)

The recipe pictured below is one I've tried and liked-- in addition to the scrumptious visible components, the dish also contains roasted garlic, toasted walnuts, and a squeeze of lemon juice. It tastes like summer, but fortunately the ingredients are readily available even through winter. Plus, folks who do not have an iPod can access the recipe at Martha Stewart's website by clicking on the recipe title.

Pasta Salad with Roasted Broccoli

 

Sent from my iPod

Converted Music

I had an mp3 player which I earned as an incentive prize from the library by completing a technology course designed for library staff. It worked just dandy for a good while but finally "died."

For that mp3 player, I had purchased music from Wal-Mart's online store. The music was "protected" because Wal-Mart was involved with DRM (digital rights management). Those restrictions ended, but I didn't make the adjustments to my music in time. (Wal-Mart sent an email reminder, but I misunderstood and disregarded it.)

The upshot is that I ended up with at least 60 songs I had paid for, but that I could only listen to on Windows Media Player when using my laptop-- which I rarely do these days; it's not convenient.

iTunes could neither play nor convert the songs from the wma format to mp3 files so no transfer to my iPod. Bummer. 60 songs = $60!

But it's been months, and I really got to missing those songs. They were by some of my favorite artists-- Third Day and Newsboys for example. I'd get one of the songs stuck in my head but then couldn't remember all of the lyrics without the prompting of actually listening. And the radio just doesn't play these songs often enough to suit me-- they concentrate on the current top 20.

There is free software that can convert wma files to mp3 files, but if the songs are protected, that software doesn't work.

After a little Googling, I discovered Tunebite. They let you download and try it free, but I did have to purchase the basic version. However, it was less than half the price of replacing the music. Additionally, the software will serve me well in converting voice memos, blogging, and maybe even podcasting in the future.

The idea behind Tunebite is that while you play the music using Windows Media, it's being recorded from your computer's sound card, so the recording is free of DRM restrictions and can be played by iTunes. And the sound quality is decent.

Yipee! Now I get to hear those songs and integrate them with my newer music. I've got a few more to convert today, then I'll be all set!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Insomnia Again

I should be asleep right now, but my brain is acting up. I keep thinking of some disturbing news that I heard today. Normally I would be able to pray for the people concerned and let it rest. But there are times when my brain just can't seem to stop obsessing-- it doesn't really matter what the situation is-- it can even be something positive; my brain just won't drop it. I picture myself giving the command to my brain as one would speak to an overly possessive dog, "Drop it!" Sadly, it's not effective.

Image source: 

http://www.alldogbreeds.net/thumbnail.php?file=236524501_7504f8c358_414598382.jpg&size=article_medium

To complicate matters, the wind is picking up which makes some part of my a/c unit clang-- like lifting and dropping a piece of metal repeatedly. I've examined the unit in the daylight but found nothing glaringly wrong. I don't know if that's how they all are or if something is wrong with this unit. Maybe I need a repair person. Maybe I just need some sort of windbreak in place. Currently, the wind has an uninterrupted path straight toward the unit. I do know that my white noise maker can't drown out that sound-- especially when my brain is bent on obsessing anyway.

The bottom line is I'm awake when I'd rather be asleep. I did take another half of a prescription sleeping pill as my doctor recommended. Maybe it will kick in soon. Meanwhile, I've escaped to the living room to distract myself from the noise and to keep from becoming irritable and frustrated-- emotions hardly conducive to peaceful slumber.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

"What's Happening?" "Good Times"

This afternoon I headed over to my parents' for "Thai chicken" which is our shorthand for rice noodles with spicy ginger peanut sauce and veggies (but we actually use ordinary pasta for the noodles). It's a Martha Stewart recipe my brother got from a friend and my mother adapted (and continues to adapt-- different tweaks all the time).

Image source:

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-7ZhzF6zgTfJRcwtYHOB50lcz5VwEM9zAof3Li4AGd81vFmIOCTXVtMWSn-OMFrx8xbDrDS0b_2wQfTcEnU1H51TybkyjwF4rIvSpRi_4u-YQKWOZKWdMGcfTCgzuFIWOIzTBWklJvb8/s1600/ShreddedSaladPeanutSauce_500front.jpg

My sister-in-law initiated this gathering which was made possible by a change in my brother's work schedule. They finally get one day off in common so perhaps we'll get to see more of them this year. Hooray!

Among many other things (like the Olympics-- including curling!), we discussed my brother's art which will be part of a presentation at their church's gallery this coming Friday. The theme is worship with images drawn from Psalms and Proverbs. I'm looking forward to it and am happy for my brother. This has been a positive experience for him because he's had the chance to team with other Christian artists in working toward a common goal.

My brother also involved us in the project. Our task was to write names on scrolls he had assembled to represent the tears God's people have shed-- which He notes and remembers. We're never alone in our pain and struggles. Amen! ;-)