Half my Brain

Leaving your newborn child for the first time is a milestone that every mom eventually reaches. For some it's fairly quickly, for others it's not till they're much older. I've been proud of myself for taking time to do some things on my own, and CDK and I have even gone out twice while leaving NGK with the grandparents. We love our daughter and always want her to be with us, but we know it's extremely important to our marriage that we have time on our own. Each time we've left her it's only been for a few hours, and she's always done well, and so have we.

So I wasn't too concerned when we decided to leave NGK in the church nursery last week for the first time. There are only a few babies in the class and since the church is small I know all the nursery workers and have complete confidence in them. I left her with the childcare worker and gave a few instructions. Well, I tried to give a few and not overload the sweet volunteer with too much info, I don't want to be high maintenance.

After being in church with her since she was born I was looking forward to being able to completely focus on the worship and teaching. But that wasn't really the case. I found that my ears would perk-up to any slight noise that I thought might be her crying and my brain kept wondering: "How is she?" "Is she sleeping?" "Has she eaten yet?" "Do they know that she'll stop crying if you put her on your shoulder?". Needless to say, I was not completely focused on the church service as I thought I would be. Then I realized, that's probably how the rest of my life will be. No matter where I am or what I'm doing, half my brain will always be wondering how my child/children are. I realize that this is natural, now I just have to make sure it doesn't consume my whole brain!

Books on My Shelf

I really love to read. It's a nice escape, so I do it mostly for entertainment, not to necessarily learn anything. I never make a list of books to read during a year, I just read as I wish. But this year I'm going to try and read the books that are on my shelf. Granted there are a lot I haven't read that we own, especially since CDK has been in school. Though most of his school books won't make my list, some will.

I think the reason a lot of these books are still on my shelf unread is because they are what I call smart books. The purpose of these books is to teach you something or to enlighten you. That's great, but again not usually while I read. So, maybe this will be my year of getting smart if I'm reading all these smart books.

Here are books on my shelf that I'm going to try to read, and a little explanation about each as to why I haven't read it or why I would like to read it. But don't worry, I know I won't get to all of them this year.

1. The World is Flat - Thomas Friedman - I've read his Beirut to Jerusalem, which is excellent. The first time I visited Jerusalem I was reading it so it made my trip come alive. He's a great reporter and writes well about global issues. And I give him props for writing so objectively about the Middle East, especially since he's Jewish.
   
2. The Lexus and the Olive Tree - Thomas Friedman - same reasons as above
   
3. A Beggar in Jerusalem - Elle Weisel - Just seems like a good book to read, though I haven't read his more famous novel Night. This one seems like it's written in stream of consciousness so don't know that I'll even attempt it.
   
4. Bourne Supremacy - Robert Ludlum - I bought this one and the next at Half Price Books to have some mindless reading around. I'm currently reading this one.
   
5. Bourne Identity - Robert Ludlum
   
6. Angels & Demons - Dan Brown - Same as #4. Brown is a great suspense writer, you really don't want to put the book down.
   
7. Kitab al Muqaadis - (The Bible - in Arabic) - I read the Bible in Arabic as I was learning the language and tried to translate as I went (very slowly I might add). At first it was painful, but then I really began to enjoy it and learn more about the scriptures. I'd like to try this again to stay fresh with my Arabic reading.
   
8. Cost of Discipleship - Dietrich Bonhoeffer
9. Mere Christianity - C.S. Lewis - It's C.S. Lewis, what else do you have to say? I read this one in early college or late high school and liked it then, but I know I would get more out of it now.
   
10. Joyful Christian - C.S. Lewis
11. Miracles - C.S. Lewis
12. Screwtape Letters - C.S. Lewis
13. This Holy Seed - CDK read this book and refers to it often. It shapes a lot of what he believes about the church and its role in society. I'm interested to read it for myself.
    

American I-Dull

I think that this is the 7th season, or so, for American Idol. While it's been interesting, it's getting a little tiring in my opinion. And there are several things that are making it lose it's appeal.

1. Haven't we had enough of the endless humiliation of some of these nice, innocent people? I'll be the first to say that I think some people tryout for the show with the goal of being different or standing up to Simon, and they get made fun of. But, there are plenty that are just trying to "make-it" that are nice and genuinely think they can sing. As a moderately decent singer myself, and one who tends to think she knows a little something about music, I'm not sure why some of these people think they can sing or what the people that told them they can sing were thinking. But it's still just plain mean. Anyone who has seen the show must have some clue that they will be made fun of or humiliated, but haven't the producers taken it to far? I saw on the tryouts last night that they did a whole special segment on one guy that they made fun of. And by made fun, I mean they literally laughed in his face. I think that's probably the worst humiliation anyone could experience, but to top it off they went to his hometown and profiled him in his job of a maintenance man at a ballpark. All the while playing dopey music in the background. I mean, come on, it's just sad and completely devoid of any compassion.
2. Last season's Sunjya issue was ridiculous. The guy should have never made it to the top 10 in the first place, but the fact that a lot of good, talented musicians didn't make it on because he kept going is just sad.
3. It often seems like the most talented never win. I have nothing against Jordin Sparks, last years winner, but when compared to Blake Lewis or Melinda Doolittle, she doesn't hold a candle. Melinda didn't falter all season long, she was amazing. And Blake is a genius at the way he arranges songs and he's truly unique. Whether or not you like his style of music, you have to give him credit as a genuine artist.

So, will I still watch? Probably. But I don't think I can watch all the people be humiliated in the tryouts. I think I'll wait till they narrow it down a bit.

Current Favorite Recipies

I know, it's been awhile. Since I've been at home I've been excited about cooking and having more time to devote to it. And I was really excited when I went to Walmart at 9 am this morning and it was not crowded and very well stocked. Oh, the joys of shopping on a weekday morning! So, I'll share a few of my new favorite recipes with you. I'm also currently working on a new Mega Meal Plan, so I'll try to remember to share that too when it's done.

• Greek Chicken Cutlets - This one really only takes about 15 minutes, seriously, and I love it. Though I'm trying to figure out what a good side dish is, any suggestions.
• Three Cheese Ravioli with Zucchini - These aren't two ingredients I would think of putting together, but they're great. It's a new and surprising taste.
• Raisin and Bread Stuffed Pork with Parmesan Green Beans - Tip - make sure all the stuffing is completely inside the pork, or else the stuffing will cook too fast and burn, smoke, and smell bad (yes some lessons you learn the hard way).
• Turkey Spinach Toss - This is a great flavor with the oranges and it looks pretty. Quick and easy preparation.
• Sausage and Pepper Pizza - I love bell peppers, so this is a great pizza for me. I don't make my own tomato sauce and can't find the kind of crust they suggest, but it's still good to me.

My new favorite place for recipes is Everyday Food. It's by Martha Stewart, but incredibly easy and still really good. They have a magazine, website, and PBS show. Happy Cooking!