Count it All Joy

That must be one of the hardest directives in scripture -- to count it all joy when you fall into various trials( or when ye fall into various temptations, for ye preferrers of ye King James version).

Two Sundays ago, James 1 was the focus both of my Sunday School class (taught by my favorite SS teacher) and our Sunday evening worship service. This whetted my appetite to read James, which I have not in quite awhile.

I first turned to James in my Chronological Bible (I have to look it up in the index - I don't quite know whether James falls in October or November :) Then yesterday, I pulled out my KJV Bible, the little white one "presented" to me by "Mama and Daddy" my 7th Christmas. It felt good to read the old language.

That counting it all joy thing is hard to live out, isn't it? (As they say, 'Easy preachin' - hard livin'). It takes some faith to stand and say, 'That which is happening to me is a good thing, or, at least, it is for my good.' (Romans 8:28)

This post by John Piper regarding his diagnosis of cancer expresses so well what protections we enjoy - not protection from bad things, but salvation, and the assurance that all those things that follow in James 1 - patience, proven character, those sorts of things - are the intended results of these trials.

Graph Paper and Chuck Close-style Art.

Here is Earthgirl's Chuck Close style portrait of her cousin. This snapshot (see post just previous to this) is perfect for the project.



I used a Graph Paper Generator to make 1/2-inch squares paper.

I've used this website before, but today I also grabbed some axonomic, circular, and hexagonal versions for future graphic projects. I LOVE graph paper! We always needed 2 or 3 different types available for some of our engineering classes. Even now, I have my very own graph paper pad tucked away in my stationery desk.

I used to get stationery and stationary spellings mixed up. I guess as long as your stationery desk stays still, it can be a stationary stationery desk.

picnikking again

I was playing with a picture of our niece that I snapped on vacation, and thought I'd share a few results. It was such fun working with this very imperfect photo - the original is blurry, but I liked the simple graphic quality - oooo - just realized this would make a great art project for Earthgirl - maybe I'll update this later. (How's that for a run-on sentence?) I used picnik.com.

Jamin's Crutches

Just on case you missed it...

Jamin's post on Crutches today was so good that I just have to link to it.

More on Being an Ag Engineer

I am responding to Science Geek's previous comment with a whole 'nother mini-post. She asked if I was seriously an agricultural engineer - probably with better grammar than that :)

I'm not very serious. And not a very good engineer. But, seriously, yes, I am an agricultural engineer. As a Georgia Ag Engineer, I am dated by that designation - now they are "Agricutural and Environmental Engineers," which makes sense. All the engineering-type work I have done has been more environmental than agricultural. GO DAWGS! (info for the Sports fans in my readership, which may be only Pluto Boy, -- we were at University of Georgia at the same time as Hershel Walker and Dominique Wilkins)

Now a little girl who wants to peruse the art projects websites is breathing down my neck.

Agricultural Engineer

That's what I am. Really. So is Pluto Boy. So though my days right now mostly flow toward home and homeschooling, crafts, - that sort of thing, now and again PB and I have a conversation that is right geeky. He came home one day with this little booklet for some material being used on an engineering project that involved him in his role in city government. He was excited about it. I was, at the time, distracted with, oh, maybe refereeing a couple of little girls, making the spaghetti - that sort of thing - and didn't pay it much attention.



But this morning at 6, I kissed him bye-bye and took up this booklet and idly flipped through it, and ... the geek in me kicked in. No, I didn't read it cover to cover, but my heart kind of thrilled to the idea of a "design hydrologic event" and diagrams with arrows.



I mean, only an engineer, albeit one only practicing occasionally, can label a post like this "Just for Fun."

Lately, my posts have been rather quick and light. I have a couple of deeper posts in the works, and I look forward to sharing them. Later. Maybe much later. I should join that Procrastinator Posse.

Wash Day

Warning: photographs of a laundry appliance below.

These days, I just walk right past the laundry detergent aisle.

I don't even check the laundry detergent coupons.

Yes, I've become one of those Homeschoolin' Mamas who stays at home (most of the time), makes my own bread (some of the time), makes my own clothes (at least some of them), AND the laundry detergent I use to launder them. Pretty domesticated, huh?

It's been a long while coming. When I ordered Fels Naptha laundry soap from Soaps Gone Buy, I read the recipes. I saw write-ups in magazines, on blogs...I knew that one of these days I'd make my own detergent. I read up on making the liquid detergent, and figured I will probably never make that kind. A few weeks ago, I took the plunge with the easiest recipe I've seen, the one from Southern Plate, and we are happy with the results thus far. I mix it up a little at a time (we are a pretty small family, and store it in a soup container from our favorite Chinese food take-out place. {I'm not so domesticated that I can't appreciate good take-out Chinese food. I grew up in the country, and I enjoy a few in-town conveniences}

I was delighted to find all 3 ingredients, including two kinds of laundry soap, stocked on my local Publix supermarket laundry aisle. I guess this trend is catching on. When you use this detergent, it does not make suds, but the clothes are clean.



Here's the method I use:

Homemade Laundry Detergent

1 cup grated laundry soap
1/2 cup washing soda
1/2 cup Borax

Mix together. Use 1/8 cup per load.

The initial batch I made up using the partial bar of Fels Naptha I had. It had been laying open for a long while, and grated up very fine.



The second batch contains some gratings of Fels Naptha and some gratings of Zote soap. Those new bars did not grate into powder, but into sticky shavings, and I have to mix it a little each time I dip it out. Currently, I have the rest of those two bars open in hopes they will season up and grate more finely next time.



A couple of notes:

1) You are supposed to use washing soda, not regular baking soda (I have no idea what the difference is), but when I checked at Walmart, I saw they had stocked large boxes of regular baking soda next to the Borax.

2) I like the smell of the Fels Naptha better than the Zote, though I like both. I understand you can use Ivory soap, too.

3) I don't know how well this works for those with sensitive skin, but I gave a few loads-worth to my SIL, who is married to Mr. Sensitive, and hope to report back on that soon.