Moving Day!!!

Today is the big day! The new blog is up and running. Want to come over and see the new digs? Check it out at the new Fuel by Barbara

I will not be deleting this blog, but I will also not be updating here with new posts. All the content of this blog has been moved over to the new site so you should be able to find all the old articles over there.

Please change your bookmarks and subscription details to the new address, and we'll see you over there for all your favourite features: Heard at My House and Foodie Fridays to name just a couple.

Thank you so much for coming by and reading my little blog. It is very humbling, and a real joy to be able to share this conversation with you.

Blessings!

Back from the World of Silence

Hello world, it is me: Barbara the Delinquent Blogger! Honestly, who knew that the last time I would have blogged would have been July 13th? Seriously, I did not see the blog hiatus coming. Didn't plan it. And yet, there it was. In all its quiet glory.

Truthfully, I was shocked by how long it had been since I last blogged. It didn't feel like it had been that long. And I didn't really think people would notice. But you did! And that is humbling and sweet. So, thank you for giving me the nudge needed to get back up on my writing horse, as it were.

Are there any good reasons for the blog silence? Well, not really. Life is busy, but that's nothing new. I've been working on other writing projects, but that also is nothing new.

I suppose I just fell out of the habit. And that is something I can fix.

In fact, I am very intentionally planning on re-forming the habit of blogging regularly, but at a new address! Woot! Who doesn't like moving? Okay. Actually, don't answer that. No one likes moving. But everyone likes the new digs when they are still new, right? A new coat of paint; pictures hung on different walls; more space to move around: that all adds up to a great deal of happysighingness. And so, the move will happen.

My incredible husband (who has his own stellar blog these days is working on reading my mind and interpreting my indecision in order to make my blog as pretty as I want it. The official launch of the new digs will be January 1st. Aren't you so excited?!

In the meantime, I want to give you a bit of a Merry Christmas countdown leading up to the big move (and all the new content) by reposting some of my most favourite blog posts that I've written since I started the blog in November 2006. Some are funny, some nostalgic, some inspirational (I hope?).

I hope you enjoy reading some of my favourites, and do feel free to suggest favourites of yours (if it isn't too pompous of me to think that you might have remembered a post or two!)

In the meantime, I'm going to post a new Christmas video (ooh. New content already!) that I think is pretty adorable. Enjoy! And see you back here tomorrow when the countdown begins!

Happy Birthday, Mr. Hardy

Who knew that my favourite poet would have been 171 today, had he not died in 1928. Still, now that I know I felt compelled to share with you my favourite poem from Thomas Hardy. He also wrote my favourite novel. Gold star for the first of my friends to comment on which novel that is.

Here is his poem The Voice (just try not to sigh while you read it. Love.it.)


Woman much missed, how you call to me, call to me,
Saying that now you are not as you were
When you had changed from the one who was all to me,
But as at first, when our day was fair.

Can it be you that I hear? Let me view you, then,
Standing as when I drew near to the town
Where you would wait for me: yes, as I knew you then,
Even to the original air-blue gown!

Or is it only the breeze in its listlessness
Travelling across the wet mead to me here,
You being ever dissolved to wan wistlessness,
Heard no more again far or near?

Thus I; faltering forward,
Leaves around me falling,
Wind oozing thin through the thorn from norward,
And the woman calling.

The Voice
Thomas Hardy

Foodie Fridays - One Day Late!

The contest is nearing to a close. This is the penultimate week for entering videos, and for this round of entree week I've made a Beef Stroganoff. I heart this stuff. Next week, the final week, is dessert week. I'm a lame dessert maker, so I may opt to not submit a video next week. That means that this may very well be your last chance to hear me say my cheesy closing lines of "I hope you try it. I hope you love it. Happy Cooking."

Oy. I needed a creative assistant to tell me to stop saying that! ;-)

Here we are: Enjoy! (it truly is DELICIOUS!! and dead simple)

An Open Letter to a Jogger

Dear Jogger Guy:

I need to start by apologizing. My sincerest apologies for looking like a terrified deer-in-headlights when you jogged towards me the other night. I don't believe that an apology that blames the other person is a true apology, but in this case, I'm going to totally blame you and hope that it still counts as an apology of sorts.

Here's the deal: I'm not a total scaredy-cat. Really I'm not. But I do have an overactive imagination fueled by horrible novel selections by high school English teachers (who really should have known better) and poorly chosen television viewing habits in my university days. I am not a conspiracy theorist, but I do sort of expect that there could very well be danger lurking under every bush.

And you weren't under a bush: you were running straight down the sidewalk towards me: menacingly, with an air of malevolence and guilt. Or potential guilt. Maybe you hadn't committed a crime yet, but you sure could have.

You see, if clothes make the man, your clothes made you a bank robber. No word of a lie. You ought to consider things like that when you get dressed for a run. In May. On a warm night.

Why were you wearing a black skull cap covering all your hair? Why were you wearing a black shirt and black shorts and black socks? Why were you wearing a black balaclava?

Well, okay: that was my first mistake. Or maybe not my first, but certainly my biggest. It wasn't a balaclava, but it sure looked like one from a distance. Turns out that what I thought was a black, menacing ski mask was actually,...

*ahem*

...an inordinate amount of facial hair.

Seriously. Dude. What's with the pitch black, thick rimmed glasses, and bushy black eyebrows, and FULL.BLACK.BEARD that covers, essentially, everything but your nose and eyelids? From a distance, all I could see was the whites of your eyes, the tip of your nose and a sliver of your mouth: which wasn't smiling, and that would have helped, just so you know.

So as I walked off the sidewalk and onto the bike path to get out of the way of impeding mugging, please forgive me. I should have expected better of you. And as I, likely audibly, sighed with relief as you passed me, please forgive my prejudice.

But really, give a girl a helping hand and at least wear a t-shirt with a big, yellow smiley face. Or leave the black hat at home. Or trim your beard. Or carry a sign that says, "I am not a crook". Any of those small changes would be considered an act of community-mindedness, and would likely decrease the chances of you experiencing a false arrest sometime in your life.

On a positive note, you have a great stride. And if you had committed a crime, I bet you could have outrun your pursuers. Nicely done.

I've been holding out on you...

So about this Philadelphia Cream Cheese Contest: I'm still playing along, although much more reluctantly of late. It is a good thing I have a type-A daughter to push me along on these things, because I am way too phlegmatic to keep up with something like this for a full.eight.weeks.

Actually, that sounds much more cranky than I mean it to sound. I love cooking. I love good food. I love hanging out with my daughter (and her siblings who do the lighting for her) in the kitchen. I do not love having my video taken, but I'm growing up about even that.

So here are the latest two videos we've done, with one more coming this week. We have done 6 out of 8 weeks of submitting videos. Each week they pick 2 videos to be the finalists who will go to Toronto in July. I've clearly not been picked yet ;-) I fully do not expect that I ever will be picked. This is the tricky part for the kids. They think I hung the moon and so it is astounding to them that any other woman could be selected over me! (oy. They need a bit more of a realistic opinion of me, I'm afraid! Ha!) I'm trying to explain to the girls that the kind of "Real Woman of Philadelphia" that I am demands that life be easy. Simple prep; simple ingredients; Simply delicious.
Some of these other women are geniuses and they are cooking with lobster and truffles and fiddleheads. Ya. I can not compete with that! Thoroughly inspiring, nevertheless. And clearly well-earning their spots as finalists.

Without my delaying the inevitable any further, here is a dessert and my second appetizer. Enjoy!

Wow-ful Women Wednesday

Ah, yes. Here it is: a link to the blog I wish I wrote. I know I usually post a song on a day like today, but this post is so absolutely where I'm at these days. And I believe it will ring true with all my church family and our MATEO dreams. For those of you who don't know what that means, please ask me. I'd love to tell you. In the meantime, read this post by Ann Voskamp, a mom, just like me, who has kids to teach, and words to speak and write,...and seeds to sow.

Read her gorgeous post here.

The Impossiblity of it All

It is no mistake that you are a mom. And it is no surprise to hear that Motherhood is a hard job. And yes, there will be days where the task seems more daunting than you bargained.

But here’s the thing: the perfect place from which to parent is that place where you are at your lowest, crying out to the Lord, saying, “I can’t do this today. Will you be my strength and do it for me? I don’t know how to do this. Will you be my wisdom?”

His answer will be yes. And his solution will be immeasurably better than your attempt.

Don’t be ashamed to admit weakness in your parenting. There is a huge upside to being weak.


Continue reading my latest post for Heart of the Matter Online here.

Happy Second of May!

Bwahaha.

Okay, so I had a thought of posting a new "May" song every day this month. We'll see how long that lasts ;-)

This is lovely, though. I know May won't really stay forever, but there will be at least 29 more days, I'm guessing.

Foodie Fridays - Two Days Late

Better late than never, I always say. To make up for the delay, I'll give you a little two-for-one recipe video extravaganza!

(oh dear.)

Just focus on the recipes, people. This is some good, good cooking!

Compassion Bloggers

Did you know that it has been a year since Haiti was devastated by its earthquake? January 12, 2010. The devastation was well reported and documented and mourned. But what about now, a year later? What is happening in Haiti? What is being done to help those people recover?

Compassion Canada President Barry Slauenwhite will be on 100 Huntley Street on January 12th to give a report on how Compassion International is making a difference in Haiti.

They are doing a good work. But the job is not over yet. For more information on how you can help with the current needs in Haiti please spend some time at the Compassion Canada Website. And of course, if you are not yet sponsoring a child, there are always children who you could help set free from the grip of poverty.

Uphill Both Ways

As Christians, we aren’t supposed to like what has come to be called “the Valley experience”. Am I right? We are supposed to be striving for the mountain-top moments where we shine like a light for Christ, joyful, productive, happy, and showing the world how great our lives are. Right?

Well I agree. There is certainly nothing wrong with loving those parts of life. Certainly nothing wrong with celebrating the Lord’s goodness and providence in those moments where, even if everything is NOT right with the world, we are at least resting, trusting, and glorifying God with our lives, actions and attitudes.

But here is the thing: I think the valley is easier.

“What? No, it isn’t,” you say. “The valley hurts, the valley is dark and sad, and lonely, and sometimes it is the valley of the shadow of death. I don’t want that. I want to say, like Psalm 40, ‘He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay; And He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm.’ That’s what I want: not the valley”.


Please read the rest of my latest article for Heart of the Matter Online.

Focus, Focus, Focus

I don’t know about you, but there are moments in my day (and days in my week!) where I just feel frazzled, out of control, and clearly scatter-brained! (Can I get an amen?) What’s a gal to do to regain her focus? What’s a mom to do in order to help her kids regain their focus?

I read a brilliant book called Prayer: Finding the Heart’s True Home by Richard Foster. Actually I’ve read it several times now and each time I am drawn by his conversation on the simple complexity of prayer.

One of my favorite suggestions he makes is to select a “breath prayer” for yourself that you offer up many times a day. Something that is on your heart that can be said in one breath, so to speak. How often do I intend to pray “if only I had more time”. This gives me the ability to pray without ceasing on one matter that will greatly impact my day, and allow me to focus my heart and attentions. (Oh, I wish you would go and read the book. I’m making this sound an awful lot like a chore…he is much more inviting about this…)


Please read the rest of my article for Heart Of The Matter here.

Wow-ful Women Wednesdays -- New Year Edition

Welcome to the first Wednesday in 2010! (Have we decided yet? Is it 2 Thousand 10 or Twenty-Ten? Just wondering.)

Hard to imagine that all the things that happened over the Christmas holidays are only a week and a half behind me, when they already feel like another lifetime. There are several blog-worthy events upon which to report. I will hopefully get to that this week. I have a funny thing, a touching thing, an 'inspirational' thing, a Holy Spirit thing...could be a good week! (assuming I actually find the time to blog. Perhaps you should leave a comment below telling me which story you want to hear first and I'll do them in that order!)

Now, onto WWW. This song came across my laptop many months ago and I was very stirred by it. Yet, somehow it never seemed the "right time" to post it. Today is the day! What better way to set our focus for 2010 than to focus on the holiness and majesty of our beautiful Lord.

My favourite verse in this song is the one that talks about the awestruck wonder that comes at the mere mention of the name that is above all names. Think about that: what reaction do you have at the name of Jesus? Be honest. What do you feel when you come here and read about Jesus, or when you hear the name mentioned. Think about that. What does your reaction to His name say about your heart and your thoughts and your priorities. Fuel for thought, indeed. I'll be checking my heart too.

I love this, and I hope you will as well.

Revelation Song led by Kari Jobe.

Absence Makes the Heart Grow....

There you are; sitting as a family in your only-just-enough-seatbelts vehicle. Driving somewhere just longer than anyone wants to go today. And it starts. Nothing major. No hitting. No shoving. No “Dad, she’s BREATHING on me.” Just small little verbal jabs. Just little changes in tone creating a more sarcastic, biting air. No one is fighting, per se. No one is looking to be vindicated by mom. Just tense. Just nit picky, irritated eye-rolling and sighing.

What’s a mom to do?

I’ll tell you what I did today. I thought about how much time the kids spend together. All seven of them. Crammed into the van. Sharing bedrooms. Three meals a day. All the same friends. All the same activities. School together, play together, work together, sleep together. Yikes! That’s a lot of time up close and personal with the same gang!

And I thought, maybe they’d be happier and enjoy one another more if.....


Please read the rest of my latest article here at Heart of the Matter Online.

Wow-ful Women Wednesdays

Alright. So I'm feeling increasingly inadequate as a blogger as everytime I log in I realize that the last time I blogged was last Wednesday. I'm beginning to wonder if I ought to change the whole name of this blog to "Barbara's Wednesday Blog". Less pressure.

But, as usual, I digress.

Let's assume that today is a new start. Let's assume that starting today, I will blog x times per week. See? I can set goals. I bet I can even keep that one.

Lame.

Truthfully though, I feel like I have an inadequate little bit of opinion on many topics that I would like to hash through in greater detail. Lucky you, you get to read my dissertations as I solidify my beliefs. *snort* Plus I'd like to get back into the habit of writing, a past-time I adore and find highly beneficial to the ol'mental burden. Now to do it for real! Now to get to know my own opinions by putting them to virtual paper, and to get to know you by reading your comments (hint.hint)where you should feel free to suggest topics or questions or scriptures or poetry to discuss in this very forum. Oooh. Almost like I'm an intellectual or something. I'll stir up my 12 remaining brain cells and see if I can remember the meter pattern of a haiku. Or a Petrarchan Sonnet. (did she just name drop an obscure poetry form? Yes, yes she did. Bonus points!)

Next! Okay, so a song for today that lines up with my new and improved Bounteous Blogging. Plus it has to be really good, because my friend Tim told me that sometimes he doesn't get what I find wow-ful about some of my picks. Shameful, that.

Surely today he can't complain. And neither can you. This is longish, which sounds like a disclaimer or an apology, but it is actually a gift to you as she is so.so.good that, long or not, you really ought to listen to it twice! It ties in thematically with my prologue today, and with the need for a really talented, wow-ful woman. There is nothing funny about Diana Krall. That lady is just golden. Stunning really.

Enjoy!

Wow-ful Women Wednesdays

I have just been offline for 4 days. It wasn't fun. We've been having our share of complications with the Internet since January, but I'm not bitter. :-)

The long and the short of it is, while I was bemoaning my inability to change my Facebook status and respond to email, my daughter came up with the helpful idea of "Why don't you just call everybody that you think *might* email you and tell them that the computer is all messed up and that they should call you instead."

clever.

So clearly I didn't do that. But it did trigger the perfect song for today, now that I am back on line.

Today we are watching Blondie singing "Call Me" (of course we are!). You need to know that I watched 3 versions of this song on YouTube, and yes there were more. I settled on this version though because it has great implications for all of us who stand in front of the church and sing on occassion.

First, I want you to notice how entirely inappropriate her outfit is for the song selection (now I sound like Simon Cowell). Blondie looks like she is going to sing "His Eye is on the Sparrow" but then she busts out with this.

Plus, notice how awkward she looks during the big instrumental. Been there, done that. Do I stand with my eyes closed enjoying the music? Do I try to twirl around? Do I bust a move or scamper to some other part of the stage for the next big down beat? Do I hope that Derek has some funky light function that makes it look like I'm in a Kaleidoscope? What to do? What to do, indeed.

While I mull over thesse life altering questions, enjoy this blast from the past. And remember, if I ever don't change my status for more than 36 hours, something is wrong and you should probably just Call Me! :-)

5 Things I Learned Today

Before 10 a.m. this morning, I have had quite a number of enlightenments flit into my brain. Who would have thought that in one morning I would learn that:

1. Exercising in front of a mirror is a painfully depressing and yet somehow motivating experience (motivating as in "Oh dear. I can't go on like *that* any more).

2. Muffins made with flour I ground myself are way yummier.

3. Grinding flour is a bit of a pain in the butt, and if I had to always grind grain, I'd bake muffins a whole lot less frequently.

4. Thinking your coffee is still hot and finding out that it is bone chilling cold really turns you off of the desire for another cup.

5. Bullets that go through the washer and drier thankfully do not explode.

So there are the first 5 things I learned this morning. How about you?

Welcome to My Brain

I have been noticing today just how many things are worth telling someone. Well, not really of great worth, but kind of "huh. I could bring *that* up in conversation".

For example, I have shovelled more this winter than quite possibly ever. I know, we all have a tonne of snow, and shovelling is not a new thing. But I've actually done the shovelling. And I've actually liked it! There is even a lesson in it for me. When you stay on top of a project, it is consistently easy to maintain. Now, you should know, Chris is a brilliant shoveller. I am doing it not because he is unable or unwilling. My doing the shovelling has become a part of his "engedi". (You need to search marshillchurch.org for the Peasant Princess sermon series to get all of what that means). He really appreciates it and I really like that so it is well worth the few minutes to get out there every so often.

Next, I think it is totally cracky that my 9 year old thinks that "Amy Grant is such a great singer. I just love that new song. You know, Angels Watching Over Me?" Cracks me up. She is a total singer freak like her mother and is constantly singing her guts out. Hearing these "Christian classics" coming out of her mouth like they are Saturday's Top 20 is a hoot. Retro pop songs. Love it. I'm tempted to pull out my circa 1991 Michael W. Smith VHS. You know, the one where he is wearing a geometrically decorated, highly colourful, dare I say, Painter's shirt? It's a classic.

Also, my brain is consumed with my 2 year old's vision. Ahhhhh. Too much to say. I need wisdom Lord. That's all I have to say about that.

And HURRAY!!! I have all my laundry washed and dried except for what we are wearing this very instant. Love that. Mind you I need to sort and fold the Everest-like pile tonight, but that is what movie rentals and laptops are for. I'll be spending a couple of hours watching some movie I've never heard of whilst folding myself in to a tizzy. good times.

And I almost forgot to tell you! I had a pound of bacon in the fridge and I had to cook it before it went bad (well, like I would let that happen) and I did the smartest thing EV.ER. I baked it in the oven.

WHAT!?!?! did she say she baked it in the oven?

Oh, yes. Yes, I did. Lined my cookie sheets with aluminum foil, turned the oven on to 425F and after a leisurely 20 minutes of blog reading, my bacon was crispy delicious! Then I proudly stuck it all in the freezer for "some day when I want a bad for me omelette" and threw out the foil. Didn't even have to wash the pans. I will never cook bacon in a frying pan again. (mind you, I can't remember the last time I did cook bacon really...)

Also, my wee baby boy just learned to clap. :-) Happy happy momma.

Plus, who decided that the metric system was a good idea? I clearly remember being in school and thinking that all those milli, centi, deci, whatevers were kind of complicated. I know, it is just counting by 10's for the most part, but in the words of Manuel on Fawlty Towers "For you, is easy. For me, is difficult." And then I have to go and try to make it not seem difficult for my Arithmetic 4 girls....although 5280 feet in a mile doesn't make a lot of sense either. (is that even right?)

Finally, I have a confession to make. This is serious. Hard to admit. Ready?

I *heart* Facebook.

I really tried not to like it. First I tried to be the girl who bucked the trends and didn't sign up. Then I just avoided it out of fear. Then, I really tried to be that cool kid who plays along with all those folks who just jump on every trendy bandwagon just to sort of patronize the poor addicts. And that was true of me for sometime, actually. But then something changed. And now. Here I am. Celebrating when I climb the WordTwist Ladder and when I emerge as the victor in Pathwords. Not to mention the constant, incessant, status planning that goes through my head. I haven't resorted to referring to myself in the 3rd person in real time conversation, but I imagine it is only a matter of time.

So for those of you who are equally "in like" with Facebook, here is a great funny little video. Remember the Buffet Song? Oh yes. They have LOTS of videos.

Thanks for bearing with my random happenings today. And enjoy the video.

For the Moms Especially

So here I am procrastinating from blogging about the weightier issues on my heart.

This is a great video. It reminds me of when 4 good looking men in suits and tuxes sang to me (and Chris) at our wedding. They sang "For the Longest Time" with some alternate lyrics.

This song has only 3 men in suits, and I don't know who they are, but they are entirely right and, like the guys at my wedding, this song makes me cry (seriously? Don't ask...).

Any time I get called "A looker" is a good thing: Here we go...