Cleaning Out

This Monday we celebrated Martin Luther King Jr. Day by cleaning out the garage. I know the two are completely unrelated; however, I am very thankful for his life and work. Anyway, Andrew realized/remembered he has two air compressors. He got one for Christmas last year and used it on a home project with some friends and realized it had an oil leak. It's pretty minor, like a quarter size drop every 1/2 hour or so. Andrew knows where the leak is coming from he's just not sure where to get the part. Basically he got a new one and we'd like to get rid of it. He was thinking $100, originally purchased for $200, but make an offer. I'll put up pictures ASAP.

Small project

I have been wanting a chalkboard for my kitchen, to write reminders and grocery items on. I then wanted a really nice chalkboard, like we had back in school. I did a little research and found out that traditionally they were made of slate and then started changing out all the slate boards for porcelain boards. Do you know, to get a relatively small porcelain board it would cost around $100? I decided I didn't need a nice one and got the cheapest one in the size I wanted on amazon. I painted the wood trim green, Andrew built me a small tray for the chalk and eraser, and I covered it with the fabric that's on my curtains! It turned out pretty cute.

The Hunger Games

I devoured this book. It felt so good to get into a story and it be effortless to breeze through it. I always have this panicky feeling when I finish a book of a series. I want the next one immediately! I had that for about 14 minutes, yes exactly fourteen minutes. Now I'm just enjoying the fact that I really enjoyed a book! Also, as an update, I'm staying on track with A Praying Life. I've really enjoyed the content.

The Hunger Games definitely brings up some issues about humanity. I think the same things that "Batman the Dark Knight" brings up when the Joker has the two ferries deciding who to blow up the other boat first. At first, it was all I could focus on, and then at some point you slip into the "this is fiction" mindset. This is really hard for me to do. For example, this weekend we watched "The Adjustment Bureau" and the entire time my mind was analyzing the story. I really think I need to watch it again to enjoy it. If there is a moral issue in a story I usually can't stop analyzing it to enjoy the story. Am I the only one like this?

Anyway, I'm super excited about reading Catching Fire, the second book, but it may be a few days still.

Confession (Warning I say the s word)

I had a library book for about two months. I couldn't seem to really get into it, or really out of it. It seemed to hold my attention just enough that I thought I would finish it. I was going to renew it (FOR LIKE THE 8th time), but someone had a request. I've decided to just let it go all the way. That was Cutting for Stone. It bothers me how often books put too many details about sex and sexual things. Well this book had a medical element to it, and the MD was talking about his infections and describing symptoms. I mean no thanks, really that's not pertinent to the story. I guess honestly I felt like the 130 pages I read were details that seemed not pertinent.I'm sorry if you read that and loved the story. We all love different things; I'm sure I dork out on things you care nothing about.

Anyway, I recently borrowed The Hunger Games; based on the fact that it's been recommended from so many people, I'm excited about starting it. I'm excited to read something interesting and not something I have to force myself to finish.

Here's the rest of the CONFESSION...I made a vow to not buy anymore books (unless it's for a group study) until I've finished reading the books that I've bought. Well, I cheat by going to the library and borrowing from others. This is not really so bad, except here's a list of all the books on my shelves at home that I need to read.

Ugh, here goes:
 A Praying Life by Paul E. Miller (started to read a year ago and picked it back up yesterday)
Muslims and Christians at the Table by Bruce McDowell and Anees Zaka (read several chapters and put it down)
Searching For God Knows What by Donald Miller
The Five Love Languages of Teenagers by Gary Chapman
The Case for a Creator by Lee Strobel (read more than half can't seem to finish)
Out of the Salt Shaker by Rebecca Pippert
War of Words by Paul Tripp
Each for the Other by Bryan Chappell
The Power of a Praying Wife by Stormie Omartian
The Four Loves by C.S. Lewis
The Complete C.S. Lewis Signature Classics (many books in there I haven't read yet)
East of Eden by John Steinbeck (super evil story that was really discouraging have 1/3 left can't seem to force myself to finish)
The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan (started this book like 3 times)
The Dangerous Duty of Delight by John Piper
1984 by George Orwell (never read it before)
Hard Times by Charles Dickens
Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ by John Piper
The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne (also never read it in school)
American Indian Myths and Legends by Richard Erdoes and Alfonso Ortiz (Andrew had this book at his parent's house and I thought it might be interesting)

Ok so there are a few more on my shelf that I haven't read, but some of them are Andrew's. I don't intend to read them anytime soon, maybe ever, because they are books from Bible studies that are geared towards boys. I might would read them if we have sons.

Currently reading A Praying Life and hoping to read a chapter a day. I will try to restrict myself from reading the Hunger Games until I've read my chapter. I feel like I have to treat myself like a child. How weird!

Cinnamon Rolls

On Christmas Adam (Eve Eve, 23rd), my mom and I had our first real day of baking. We had a great time, we would cook/bake a little and take a break, repeat. The weather was so nice, we would sit on the deck and just relax in the mild air. We made broccoli salad, Italian Cream Cake (Grandma Millye's favorite), these cinnamon rolls by the Pioneer Woman (everyone loved them said they were perfect, just saying you should try them). I'm thinking we made some other stuff too, but I just can't remember right now. We had tasted so much that day that we weren't really hungry for dinner. We ate a cinnamon roll and a glass of milk and watched Night at the Museum, the Smithsonian. They were light and moist and not too sweet. Note we did not measure out sugar; we just sprinkled, ours were not super sweet (AT ALL). Instead of using her traditional Maple Frosting in her recipe we used the "glaze" from this twist on her rolls. I had too much of it so I spooned it into the bottom of the pans and on the top about 5 minutes before they were done. She uses this recipe for the topping: 1 stick butter, 1/2 cup corn syrup, 1 cup Finley Chopped Pecans, 2 tsp vanilla extract. I didn't have corn syrup so I used 1/2 c maple syrup....everyone loved it. I loved it. The mapley buttery flavor was soooooooooo sooooooooo goooooooood! My mouth is salivating...I want them now!

Sorry if you're a non-nut eater!