Dirk's song

Edited per Chris' request.
If I have done this right you will see a video that a friend of Dirk's put together. The friend, Chris, wrote the lyrics on 911 and Dirk wrote the music at a later date. It is Dirk singing the song. Chris took a copy of the song a few days ago and put pictures to it. I think it has some touching moments, but some parts seem kind of random to me.

Let me know what you think.

My week....

Here is yet another Sunday morning that finds me at home instead of at church. I keep asking myself, "why?" But I really can't answer very well. The thought of facing people this morning seems too draining. It has been a rough week.

Last Sunday was Father's Day and I woke up sick, but was better by 1pm when I went to my father's house for a while. Then, I just came home and slept.

Monday, Mom had her first chemo treatment in the morning. She will have them three Mondays in a row then be off a Monday, then three more then off and so on until late August. I know I did something, but I can't even remember the rest of the day!

Tuesday, I had 4 students. We worked on math, script writing, GED preparation (Nathan), literature. history, geography and music(with Dirk). I also helped a former student compile a transcript and resume. Mom was doing ok, but needed some care. After another low energy day I figured out I was forgetting to take my vitamins because I wasn't eating at the same time or in the same place each day.

Wednesday, 5 students showed up, they worked mostly on their own or with Dirk because I was with Mom, she was having a really, really bad day. I was supposed to go to a meeting about mission trips, but didn't have the energy. I did, however, listen to a teleconference on this weight loss program called Take Shape For Life. It is the 'pre-surgery' program a lot of bariatic dr. use. Many people lose 25-35 lbs a week on it without surgery or to get ready for surgery. I am seriously considering it. But even after talking with a dr. he thinks because of my PCOS I will only lose 5-8 lbs a month for the first 6 months, but he thinks the weight loss with speed up after that because my body's chemistry would be closer to normal. Could I go on a liquid diet for 18 months to 2 years? I don't know.....

Thursday, 4 students again. They had to take math tests which they assured me they were ready to take. This particular group has a history of carelessness so before the test I made a list of consequences with them. No mistakes 30 min. of extra freetime! One mistake 15 min. extra freetime. Two mistakes no consequence, three do the dishes, four vacuum the house, ect....until 10 mistakes out of 20 problems and they would have to clean the goat pen. They were happy with the list full of confidence that they would do well. Two did, each of them missed two or less. The other two, however, didn't. One missed 8 and had to do 45 min. of yard work, the other missed the 10 and had to clean the goat pen. I was very proud of her because she didn't finish before being picked up so she made arrangements to come back on Saturday to finish. The other young lady did her job, but grumbled and fussed the WHOLE time! When we went over the test, both girls missed simple adding, division, and signed number problems that they have been doing for years. Both had some confusion on one or two of the problems, but neither should have missed more than two and both said they learned a valuable lesson about carelessness.

Then, just as I finish with them a landscaper comes to give me a bid on the property. I really have little to no money, but I figure if I am going to come up with the money for Kayleigh's wedding maybe it would be nice to see some of that go into home improvements. Well, he is here talking to me for over 3 hours about the property and while he is here an other landscaper who was supposed to meet me that morning shows up (5 hours late). He gets mad at me when I ask him to wait a few minutes while I finish up with this guy and can talk to him. Well, this second guy writes some numbers on a piece of paper and puts it in the mailbox. Guy one thinks he can make a real difference in the yard and save some of the wildlife habitats for 5000 a year over 2-3 years. Guy two's numbers START at 70,000 and go up!

Thursday is also Mom's worst day. Luckily, my sister and Dirk were also here so that we could keep talking to doctors and running to the pharmacy. It was a rough day on all of us.

Finally it was Friday, Mom had a much better day! And I had no students. I did have a meeting with the financial lady. It was a good meeting, but the bottom line is I don't charge enough tution and I also need to branch out into other avenues for generating income from The Center. Dirk finally heard that we have GOT to have a good soild webpage for The Center were we can sell my lesson plans, have long distant literature classes, attract other students or even workshops for parents. So, the webpage I have been begging for, for seven years now may actually happen in the next week or two!

I also snuck another 'cheap date in.' Financial lady's office is next door to a Graeter's Ice Cream shop and we had gift certificates. So, I had a scoop of butter pecan while Dirk had a hot fudge sundae in a waffle bowl. We sat and just talked while we ate our ice cream. It was a nice break after the meeting.

When we got back I had to work on the bills( yuck) and sat with Mom for awhile.

Yesterday, got up late. Then MaryRose (my 'other daughter') came over, she lives in Lexington now and so it is hard to see her too. We were doing research online for Kayleigh's wedding and then we went out and did some 'scouting' of locations. In someways I think we are closer to a location, but in other ways I think we are farther. I will be happy when this decision is made once and for all!!!!

Mom had a good day, she was weak, but didn't need any fever, pain, or nausea meds.

I took Nathan and his 'girlfriend' to a Catholic Picnic that was happening even though it was storming off and on all night. When we got home and I walked into my room to go to bed (around midnight) there was the strangest smell. It smelled like glue and it was so strong my eyes were watering and Dirk was asleep in the room. When I told him to get up he didn't smell it. When I made him leave the room and come back he could then smell it. The smell was no where else in the house. The room had smelled fine when he went to bed at 11. We never did figure it out, but we turned off the window air conditioner and opened the house and turned on the house fan and this morning the smell was gone.

So here I am, after getting to sleep around 3 am on the couch, I got up this morning around 8:30 made breakfast, checked on Mom, read the blogs on my RSS and started processing the week. I had/have no energy to go to church this morning. I am still haven't had a shower yet today and it is almost noon!

It is going to be a hard week coming up too. Nathan, Athena and two of my other students leave for camp and will be gone 10 days. Nathan has been the hugest help lately. He has taken care of the animals, taken over the professional housekeeping job, and done quite a bit of the yard work. Athena, has been so busy with Ladybirds and college preparations, I just see her in few minute spurts. One of the other students who is going with them is also a huge help to me in the daily chores and up of the house. Maybe I should just go to camp too :)

Today, I will layout on paper what I want the webpage to look like and features I would like included. I will set up a template for my cooking lesson plans. I will finish paying June's bills. I will begin compiling the student work for the July Newletter. I will bake a batch of millet scone with raisons and walnuts (the only combination good for all blood types). And I will take at least one picture for my 365 blog! It has been off track log enough!!!

How nerdy are you!

I took this before, but now I have a place to put it :)

I was REALLY shocked the first time I scored about a 90%! I seriously thought I would be no higher than a 50-60%.

If you too take the quiz, let me know your score.

Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen things I learned about food this week!

1) Eating for your blood type makes a lot of sense!

2) Cooking for three different blood types is almost impossible!

3) Dirk, type O, should eat a very high protein diet with lots of red meat, no potatoes, and few grains.

4) Mom, type A, should eat a very high fish, fowl and veggie diet with no red meat or dairy at all.

5) Me, type AB, should eat a somewhat balanced diet with lots of fruit, some grains and a little meat, but no chicken only turkey.

6) Fondant flowers are harder to make than they look on tv. However, rolling fondant very thin and putting it on the cake is easier than it looks.

7) Fondant belongs to NO food group on earth, and no one can convience me it is edible!

8) Turkeys that you can defrost in the sink during the winter, go bad when defrosted overnight in the sink in the summer. A bad turkey smells awful!

9) Old fashioned recipes don't give cooking times or temperatures and so experimentation is an important tool! By the way a 'moderately hot' oven is about 375 degrees.

10) If you cut four melons in the morning, and put them in the fridge for the 'next couple of days' they will be gone by lunch time. Same thing goes for medium sized watermelons.

11) We go through 3-4 pounds of butter a week! And it is a no-no for type O and A!

12) Red snapper and Cod are beneficial for all blood types, they happen to be the only two proteins that are.

13) This little slide show on What the World Eats has really made me think long and hard about what my family eats in a week!

"Dance mom/aunt" mode

Sunday was a fundraiser day for the dance teams. We were part of a community park fair.

Nathan, the only one of mine left on the studio dance team, danced in the sun on the playground.

I painted 25-30 little faces, during my 3 1/2 shift. Most were cat faces, butterflies, rainbows and smiley faces, however a few of the stranger requests were: a ferret, a lighten bolt with flames, a green spider with yellow spots, the word cool, and big lips like a kiss on the cheek.

While I was in the sun, the other parents were in the shade selling food. I didn't realize that I was getting pretty crisp. One of the moms kept asking me if I wanted to come into the shade, but I thought I was okay. Well, I am not. I need to remember I get sun poisining quickly. While the burn hurts a little it is my body detoxing from the excess sun that is really unpleasant today.

Then the kids danced a second show. This is Nathan's solo dance. I think I might have to get a newspaper, because the CJ photographer was asking me for his full name, age and dance studio. He was very impressed with Nathan. Personally, I think it is just the novelity of a boy dancer, the girls were better and took it more seriously yesterday. Usually, he is one of the better dancers, but NOT yesterday.

Now, today I am off with Dirk to take picture of two possible wedding locations in New Albany.

What I think Kayleigh wants.

From what she has described over the phone, this is close to what I think she wants.

This took my breath away

Goal number 5 of "get a life"

So we get to the outdoor theatre a little early because Dirk wanted to see the pre-show which turned out to be a bunch of middle school girls singing and dancing. They were okay, but we have seen much better. A couple of the girls had really strong voices.
This is the set for Little Shop of Horrors. It was the best part of the production. The set designer did a great job with the over all look and function of the stage. Many parts of the set spun around for easy change of scene without stopping the action on stage. That part was just about seamless.
There were storms earlier in the day, the sky was strange, but beautiful colors (this picture doesn't do it justice) . We were hoping any more rain would hold off, and it did. The night was a bit muggy, but nice.
Dirk got an ice cream for us to share, problem was I don't like cookies 'n cream. So, he threw himself upon it, sparing me from eating something I didn't like :)
During intermission the Belle of Louisville passed by all lit up. It was really pretty. I still get excited when I see that old paddle wheel on the river. It reminds me of all the steamboat races my family attended when I was younger, then my best friend in high school played the calliope for the Belle for 8 or 9 years and he took me on her with him quite often, and I used to take Kayleigh and Athena for afternoon cruises when they were very young (pre-Nathan days).

The play itself is nothing to write about. It was community theatre. It had very spotty performances, one or two more consistant performers, and one real stand out (the voice of Audry II). Most people were about 35-30 years too old for their part, but then they had many teens and young adults playing the 'older' extras.

It was a nice night out of the house and into the community. We saw many people Dirk and Kayleigh have been shows with. And I got to people watch, which is one of my favorite pastimes.

So Who Was He.....

I like this bio.

And I like this from that bio....

Religion, he argued, was not a philosophy, nor abstract metaphysical thought, nor natural science, nor adherence to dogmatic formulae, but the "sense and taste for the infinite" consisting primarily in feeling; belief and action are secondary.

I agree in someways because I do act and believe often out of 'feelings of the infinite'. However, just as often I act when I don't feel, and then the feelings rush in later.


Knowledge of the soul and knowledge of God are inseparable�a concept that had been presented more than 1000 years earlier by St. Augustine.

Yes, I have always agreed with this statement. It was one of the ideas that made me fall in love with Augustine.

Schleiermacher's careful analysis of religious feelings always has in view, at least by implication, the infinite and eternal reality to which these feelings are responses.

God is real, and it is that reality I am responding to and feelings are the best way to describe it. I think that is what that means, if so, I agree..

...he held that it is always in and through one's experience of the whole interconnecting realm of the finite that there comes a sense of dependence upon the infinite ground of all things.

I like this statement a lot. The interconnecting realm of the finite is grounded upon the infinite. EVERYTHING to me is interwoven and connected, nothing can be teased or separated out for long.

Before taking this quiz, all I knew about Friedrich Schleiermacher was that he was part of the German Reformation. I never knew we had so much in common :) If I had just seen the list of names I would have picked Anselm or Augustine as close to my Theology on the important points.

Thanks Susanne for the quiz!

Hmm......

Which theologian are you?

You scored as a Friedrich Schleiermacher

You seek to make inner feeling and awareness of God the centre of your theology, which is the foundation of liberalism. Unfortunately, atheists are quick to accuse you of simply projecting humanity onto 'God' and liberalism never really recovers.

Friedrich Schleiermacher 73% Jürgen Moltmann 67% Anselm 60% Martin Luther 53% Paul Tillich 47% Charles Finney 40% Karl Barth 40% John Calvin 33% Jonathan Edwards 27% Augustine 20%

I really didn't expect that answer, but I see that the top three are not too far apart.

okay, this has gone far enough!

I find myself going back to the meez page to 'tweak' that little inner me. I have been working on the computer all morning, and instead of taking my break to get up and move around, I click on my meez. Now I am begining to see why people are so addicted to the Sims games. I aways thought they were boring and kind of silly before. Now, I think I can see the attraction of living the virtual life that you think you want instead of the real one that needs work and attention.

Playing with a meez is not part of my get a life goals, so she is what she is and no more 'tweaking', for me.

Now I have got to get back to work. The students return tomorrow for the start of summer classes. I really need about 6-8 more to sign up this week so I can pay my bills!

I got one too!

Okay, this is the last version. This is the *dream* me, peaceful, cute and in a field of sunflowers.