A Melodious Sonnet

The Rock Stands Forever

by · 2 Comments

When I got home from work today, I found out that a friend of the family who had been planning to come spend the day with us tomorrow came today instead, and brought a friend along with him. It was great to meet her, and nice to catch up with him a little.

Ocean02

The muddy color in the ocean to the top right is where a river (obviously very silty right now!) is joining the ocean.

After talking for a while this afternoon, most of the family went out to the local beach. We’ve had quite a bit of hot weather lately, so it was nice to relax and wade a little in the beautiful cool Pacific!

Ocean03

We were on the beach for 15 minutes or so, and then headed up the steep, winding hill to the lookout over the bay. This is a favorite spot for us; we’ve taken quite a few different visitors up there. It never seems to get old, though.

Ocean04

While we stood at the railing, enjoying the breeze, the sunshine, and the beauty around us, our new friend commented that these rocks have been there for a long, long time—even longer than she or I have been alive. Pondering that fact, looking at the intricately carved cliff face, reminded me of God.

“His Word lasts forever, too,” I commented as I studied the deep greens of the native bush in front of us.

Ocean01

We might come past and look at it, maybe even dig a little into it to figure out why it looks the way it does. Generations come and go, and yet His Word is always there. Unchanged, unmoved, solid as rock.

“Lots of little faces have come and stared at this rock, just like we are now,” my new friend mused. “Then they go away, but the rock stays there. And more little faces will come and look at it again.”

Through everything—storm, wind, hail, earthquake, beating sun—the rock stands.

Ocean05

Soon it was time to move on. My cousin, who was also with us, wanted to explore a track he had found there—that we had no idea was in the area, even though we’ve explored that particular beach many different times. It was a fun walk; we did a good portion of it in an hour and a half.

Ocean06

A container ship we spotted from the lookout on the track.

On the way down, the boys all went at their own speeds, most getting to the beach and changed before we got back.

Ocean08

I stopped to “smell the roses” for a bit. Except I think I forgot to actually smell them in my attempt to get a good picture.

Ocean07

All in all, it’s been a gorgeous day! God’s creation is so beautiful . . . hearing the twitters and tweets of birds singing in the native bush, the crash and roll of the waves hitting the beach, the sucking knocking sound of rocks rolling in the receding wave, the indescribable blue blue of the ocean, the beautiful piney scent as we drove under pine trees, and so many other sights and sounds and flavors that I can’t even describe. God is good. God is so, so good.

And the really amazing part? Despite all this beautiful creation, that He can enjoy every single day of every single year, He chooses to love us—who scorn His very Gift all too often.

Challenge: What is one thing you can see from where you are right now that shows His beautiful loving care? That shouts that He is in control?

Favorite Family Dessert: Fruit Ripple Recipe (Video) | Khemists in the Kitchen, Episode 4

by · Leave a Comment

When was the last time you had something really fruity that gave you a melt-in-the-mouth experience? Something that was actually healthy to boot? Fruit ripple is the epitome of that, and our family loves this dessert on the rare days when my brother decides to give it to us!

Fruit Ripple Recipe

Originally, this recipe came from an Usborne children’s cookbook. Mom got it out of the library for me back when I was 9 or 10, and I loved it so much that I ended up buying my own copy, even though $15 seemed like a huge amount of money at the time! Our version is changed enough, though, that we think it’s probably okay to share.

Fruit Ripple Recipe

Ingredients:

  • 4 cups of fruit (he used equal amounts of frozen bananas, plum halves, peaches, and black currants—we usually use whatever’s on hand at the time)
  • 1 cup greek yogurt
  • 1 cup whipping cream
  • ¼ cup sugar, honey or a combination (we use a squirt or two of liquid Stevia)

Directions:
Pour fruit into a blender (may be easier to do in a food processor). Add the greek yogurt (may make the process a little easier if this goes in first). Add sweetener, and blend well—should end up with something resembling a very thick smoothie.

Whip the cream, adding a bit of sweetener there as well. Whip it to a good amount of thickness. (Maybe a little thicker than in the video—our cream wasn’t obeying!) Pour into a serving bowl, and then carefully fold the fruit mixture in with the cream.

Store in the fridge to set a little more, until you’re ready to eat it. We put it in the freezer most of the time, and usually it isn’t a problem—except when we forget about it, and then it turns into something like ice cream.

Ever had a dessert similar to fruit ripple before? What is your favorite kind of an easy-to-make dessert?

How to Make Eggnog (Recipe Video) | Khemists in the Kitchen, Episode 3

by · Leave a Comment

There’s a bit of a story behind this one…my brother came up with the idea for sharing how to make eggnog one day, but for several days we couldn’t make it because I was working. Finally, we were able to do it—but due to poor planning, and acting-as-you-go, the first take turned out pretty terrible. (I laughed while videoing at one stage! Bad, bad videographer!)

For a while, he was okay with the result, but then decided it should be better if we were going to share it with anyone. Below is the second version, much better than the first.

Be warned: The first 4 min, 40 sec is slightly gross, so if you have a weak stomach I suggest you skip it. It’s not bad, but it does contain rotten eggs and other like disgusting stuff. Bear in mind that the first half is and was supposed to be a spoof, and you should be okay.

Eggnog Recipe (the good kind):

Ingredients:

  • 1 egg (as fresh as possible—we use our own eggs, preferably laid that day)
  • pour in milk up to the 1 cup mark on your blender
  • 1 tsp. sugar
  • a few drops of vanilla extract
  • a couple (slight) shakes of nutmeg

Directions:
Add together in blender, and blend well. Pour into glasses and enjoy!

We make this occasionally now that the boys have discovered how simple it is to make and how yummy it tastes! Usually, we replace the sugar with stevia, because that’s better for us. However, sugar works well too.

Have you had eggnog before? What was your impression of the drink?

Midweek Mix-Up #16—A Bible Story Book and Blogging Tips

by · Leave a Comment

We’ve arrived at the middle of the week again, which means time for another midweek mix-up!

Last week, I spent a lot of time figuring out what needs to be done over the next few months in order to attain some goals I have set. That includes upping the amount of new reviews posted each week, possibly even doubling the past amount! Currently, that seems huge, but one thing I want to focus on is write more reviews, which means taking more time for reading.

Midweek Mix-Up Picture 01: Mom and Little Sis

I was trying to get pictures today of little sis for the website (I had an idea for a new banner!), but she decided she wanted Mom to read her her favorite book instead of posing!

I have about fifty print books in my room at the moment that I haven’t read (they’ve been collecting out here for the last year or more!), so it’s my goal to get through all of them. That’s not counting the 300+ on my kindle that I want to read as well! So I’ve got plenty to read, I just have to make sure to take the time.

Right now, I’ve just finished . . .

212—Resist by Emily Ann Putzke

Resist by Emily Anne Putzke

I’m going back and forth about reviewing this for the website. I loved the story—it’s a true story, fairly well written, and has great historical value. However, there was quite a bit of language at one stage, something I do not appreciate. I will be reviewing this on Goodreads and Amazon, so you can hear my thoughts there, anyway. I’ll include a link in one of these midweek mix-ups when I finish it (hopefully next week).

New reviews this week:

My Big Book of Bible Heroes for Kids by Glen HascallMy Big Book of Bible Heroes for Kids by Glen Hascall — This looks like it would be a great birthday present for someone!
Forty-eight short stories focus on various character qualities that people in the Bible demonstrated.

Underground by David Macaulay
In a combination of descriptive text and detailed ink drawings, Macaulay shows all the systems in place under streets to keep cities moving smoothly.

Home on the Blue Ridge by Pablo YoderHome on the Blue Ridge by Pablo Yoder — I loved this story, and the rest of the family did too, when Mom read it aloud to us recently.
The Sanford Yoder family, now living at Faith Mission Home, continues to have adventures as the boys explore the mountains and learn more about life.

No Children, No Pets by Marion Holland
When Mother inherits an apartment house in Florida, the children pitch in to help with the work so they can stay there.

Palio, the Wildest Horse Race in the World by Marguerite HenryPalio, the Wildest Horse Race in the World by Marguerite Henry — Fascinating story about an interesting horse race!
The big dream of Giorgio’s life is to ride in the Palio, the great historical race held every year in the city of Siena, Italy.

A Proud Taste for Scarlet and Miniver by E. L. Konigsburg
While they wait for Henry II to be released from Purgatory, Eleanor of Aquitaine, her mother-in-law, a knight and an abbot pass the time by telling stories from Eleanor’s life.

Interesting and encouraging blog posts:

Do Your Kids Really Know What You Believe? (Not Consumed) — While it is for Moms, this post was really thought provoking. What do I want to teach my children? How will they think about these important issues? Very, very good thoughts here.

But I Homeschool to Keep My Kids From Being Exposed to Worldliness (Not Consumed) — Another one for Moms, this post was also really thought provoking. Very interesting perspective.

James Scott Bell Shares His Process For Brainstorming A New Story (Go Teen Writers) — A fascinating blog post. While I might not follow these exact steps, it does provide a great pattern to study and tweak to make it work for you.

From Blunderer to Blogger: A Cautionary Tale (Money Saving Mom) — Ouch! This hits home more than I’d like to admit.

When God Asked Me To Give Up My Dream (The Rebelution) — Wow. This is well worth the read. I’ve had this experience at least once, possibly more, and while it isn’t fun it’s also wonderful to know that He has a plan—even if I don’t.

Tool of the week:

Aspect Ratio Calculator tool

screenshot of Aspect Ratio Calculator website

Aspect Ratio Calculator is something I use multiple times a week to make sure my pictures are all the right sizes when resized. Plug in the numbers you have, and what you want to end up with, and it will instantly give you the other number you need. It’s slick, easy, and fast. I use it for every blog post I write (so the image in the email won’t end up too big), and I also use it for each review I post as well, along with other miscellaneous things. This is a very handy tool!

Well, that’s it for this week! Next week, I’m thinking of a free resources post, such as planners, programs, apps, and such like. Anything you would add to a list like that?

–Esther

Our Favorite Snacks (Recipe Video) | Khemists in the Kitchen, Episode 2

by · Leave a Comment

Hello, again! Today, I’d like to share our family’s two most favorite snacks. These are eaten a lot around here—as in, almost everyone has one kind or the other each day.

Our Favorite Snacks Recipe (Video)

The nice thing about these is that they’re simple enough that with a little supervision, my six-year-old brother can make them himself! He thought he’d like to show you how to do it, too.

First, he shows how to make Cheese Bread.

Ingredients:

  • A piece of toast (can be untoasted—works either way)
  • Mayonnaise
  • Slice of cheese
  • Optional: Prepared mustard

Directions:
Take a piece of toast, spread on a thin layer of mayonnaise, lay a slice of cheese on top, and grill for a minute or two until the cheese has melted. Optionally serve it with prepared mustard—some of us like it that way, and others don’t.

Then, he shows how to make Cinnamon Toast.

Ingredients:

  • A piece of toast (can be untoasted—works either way)
  • Butter
  • Cinnamon sugar (we usually mix ¼ part cinnamon with ¾ parts sugar)

Directions:
Take a piece of toast, spread on a layer of butter (thickness depends on preference), sprinkle cinnamon sugar on top, and grill for a minute or two until the butter has melted.

These two are super-easy, but very yummy! Sometimes, instead of putting cheese on the cheese bread, we’ll slice fresh tomatoes onto the mayonnaise and sprinkle some salt and pepper on top. That, too, is a delicious, easy snack!

Over to you: Do you usually have a mid-afternoon snack? What are some of your favorite snacks?