Dietrich Bonhoeffer on Christmas

I recently finished the masterpiece that is Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy by Eric Metaxas. I thoroughly enjoyed this skillful and lively accounting of Bonhoeffer's life, work, and faith, in which he stood firm to the end of his life on this earth at the hands of the Nazis. Even in his beloved country's darkest hour, his faith stood firm in the One who is above all principalities and powers. 

Being thus inspired, I set out to get my hands on books and sermons written by Bonhoeffer. Happily, my quest coincided with Amazon's 30% off book sale, during which I picked up a few of his works.

Currently, I am savoring a little gem of a book called Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Christmas Stories,
a collection of the sermons he gave from the pulpit over the course of his life, whether that pulpit happened to be in Spain, London, America, or, his beloved country of Germany. 

All that jabber aside, I now present you with a powerful snippet from one such sermon that perfectly showcases the true meaning of Christmas, and, thus the gospel of Jesus Christ. Bonhoeffer rightly saw the incarnation as the very epicenter of the gospel, and his sermons are replete with this theme. I hope this blesses your soul and the soul of whoever you may share it with this season.

"The celebration of Advent is possible only to those who are troubled in soul, who know themselves to be poor and imperfect, who look forward to something greater to come. For these, it is enough to wait in humble fear until the Holy One himself comes down to us, God in the child in the manger. God comes. The Lord Jesus comes. Christians rejoice!"

 "....God is not ashamed to be with those of humble estate. He goes into the midst of it all, chooses one person to be his instrument, and does his miracle there, where one least expects it. He loves the lost, the forgotten, the insignificant, the outcasts, the weak, and the broken. Where men say "lost," he says "found;" where men say "condemned," he says "redeemed;" where men say "no," he says "yes." Where men look with indifference or superiority, he looks with burning love, such as nowhere else is to be found. Where men say, "contemptible," God cries, "blessed!" When we reach a point in our lives at which we are not only ashamed of ourselves but believe God is ashamed of us too, when we feel so far from God, more than we have ever felt in our lives, then and precisely then, God is nearer to us than he has ever been. It is then that he breaks into our lives. It is then that he lets us know that the feeling of despair is taken away from us, so that we may grasp the wonder of the wonder of his love, his nearness to us, and his grace."
  
-Dietrich Bonhoeffer, December 17, 1933

DIY Project: Bejewled Hairpins!

Inspired by the hairpins commonly seen at upscale stores like Anthropologie, I set out to recreate that same look and style on my own. It turned out to be fun, inexpensive, and, embarrassingly easy.

You will need:
Charms/Baubles/Jewels etc.
Hot Glue Gun
Hairpins of desired size
Wire Cutters
Jeweler's Pliers (optional, but nice to use to handle/manipulate the charms.)
A half hour (or more, depending on how many you want to churn out.)

(extra points if your glue gun is older than you are.)

First step: plug up your glue gun, and grab those wire cutters. Cut off any loops or protrusions on the back of the charm. The object is to get the back of your button/charm/jewel as flat as possible so that it will adhere to the pin with ease. It's worth noting that depending on the material of your charm, you may be able to use the jeweler's pliers to bend the loop flat.

The below picture shows an uncut charm, left, and a cut charm on the right. Don't get all neurotic and try to get them perfectly flat if your cutters won't get that close. Remember, hot glue covers a multitude of imperfections.

Next, get your hot glue gun and run a bit of glue on the backside of the charm/button/jewel you will be gluing on. Working quickly, glue the charm onto the hairpin, making sure that the hairpin does not glue shut in the process and can still open easily. 

















And, that's it. Embarrassingly easy, yet with an impressive looking result. Give it a try! Make some for yourself, make some for a friend, and share the fun.

Fall! Plus, Quote-ables from September and October

So, it's been a while. My last post was on October 3rd, in which I reminisced about some  favorite things from my Europe adventure back in September. Since that time, lots of things have been going on here. I think it is safe enough to say that I have fully transitioned back into "normal" life here on the farm. It's Busy-ness as usual. I have also thoroughly enjoyed that spectacular time of year that is Autumn.

The leaves, as usual, took most of the month to transform into beautiful shades of gold, orange, and crimson before promptly falling off after 2.567 days on the tree, leaving the stark, barren gray branches, good for a passing raven to utilize as a perch or for the moon to eerily shine through them on chilly evenings.  That's what they will look like until June. I cite the "Twiggy" effect. If you're a tree, grey is the "in" color this season, as it is every year since the beginning.

Once the leaves are on the ground, the enjoyment of them mostly ceases. If you are over a certain age, in fact, they may provide undue frustration if you happen to be a particularly meticulous lawn owner wanting their yard to look as little like October as humanly possible. (I mean, how dare there be leaves strewn about your lawn in the fall?!?) If you are under a certain age, however, the fun has just begun. Step One: create magnificently ginourmous leaf piles. Step Two: Run, jump, and throw thyself into the leaves. Step 3: Repeat step 1-2 until tired. Step 4: (only if you're a girl) Have your Mom or sister meticulously comb the leaves out of your hair, pulling out a couple hanks in the process.

But fortunately, before said foliage met its ultimate end as fodder and carpet for the forest, my new iPhone arrived miraculously on the scene and I was able to get some pictures capturing the beauty of the season. This is the first smartphone I have owned in my life and I'll admit it's quite nice after retiring my swanky, old-lady style flip phone that only CALLS people, nothing else. Imagine that, huh? :)

Now, on to the pictures. These are from the farm and surrounding forests.





                                    

Also, I have a healthy portion of Quotes to share. I have a habit of compiling them as they transpire in a little notebook. It's lots of fun to look back and see all the hilarious bits together in a book. :) Some are attributed, some are not, and for those, you can just take a guess. All these are direct from my records.

So without further ado, here, for your entertainment (and my records!) are quotes from late September through October.

Galen: “Great. I just realized that I had spelled “Europe” wrong on my “Saving for a trip to Europe” sign all these weeks at the market!"

 “Someone could have easily corrected it. They could have come by and marked “Saving for Spelling Lessons.”-Margaret

“I mean, you can have a great coach and all, but if you don’t distill values into your players….” 

–Sulli

“I need all your precipitation in this effort.” 

-Sulli

Announcer at ballgame: “These individuals participated in the largest blood drive in our school history….” “Well, that’s why they are so pale and anemic-looking!”

 Brock: “bla bla bla, bla, blab la.”

Coy: “Oh, shut up, Brock!”

Galen: “Coy! Watch your language! There are children at this party!”

“Yeah, I might not be allowed to come to your parties EVER again with all this language….”

Zion: “Cheater Cheater, PUMPKIN EATER!!!”

Lillian: “HA!! I. don’t. eat. PUMPKIN!!!!!!”

“And then at this point, being locked out, I was saying to myself, “okay, think like a criminal, Margaret....what would they have done to get in the house?”

Lillian: “Where did the duplo horse go?"

Mother:  “I don’t know. Vivi had it, though.”

Margaret “Just think like a baby, maybe you’ll find it then.”

Lillian “I’m COLD!!!”

Sulli: “Go stand in a corner, it’s 90 degrees.”

Michael Jackson’s song Black or White blares from the computer: “IT DON’T MATTER IF YOU’RE BLACK OR WHITE!”

Margaret:  “HA! Well, obviously we know HIS preferential skin color."

“Where did you say the car broke down?”

“Over here in the driveway of the.....um.....that gay community. I’m sure they will show tolerance as it sits here for a little while.”

Avicii Lyrics to Wake Me Up: “I tried carryin’ the weight of the world….”

Mother: “Well, that was dumb!”

Margaret: “So, before we go to the football game, everyone needs to remember to dress appropriately."

Lillian: "So, does that mean it's gonna be cold?

"Yes, but that's not the true concern. I meant, be careful that you don't wear the colors of the opposing team. For your information, they are blue.”

“The man in the Moon looks grumpy and mad about something.  He’s definitely not smiling!”

“Yeah, well that’s actually because the Sun is strangling him right now. It makes him jealous when the moon has the stage.”

Oliver: "You know that guy called Pockeye?"

Margaret: "???? Pockeye?"

Oliver: "Yeah, Pockeye. He has big muscles?"

Margaret: "Oh, you mean Popeye?"

Oliver: "Yeah!!! Him!"

“Don’t eat with your mouth full!” 

"Hey, how do you spell "Gray"- "Grey or Gray?"

"Well, it should be with an e, not with an a.

'tis more elegant and nice that way.

And since there's nothing more to say, 

I think I'll kindly back away....."
"Before I deck ya!!!"

“In the past couple of months, I have worn nail polish (which I never do,) used a curling iron for the first time, worn lipstick…..WHAT IS HAPPENING TO ME?!?”

Galen- "Um, let me take a wild guess.....you're a girl?

Margaret: “I’ve had it! You are like a bull in a China shop!”

Sulli: “They actually proved that wrong. The bulls successfully navigated the shop.”

“SOS!!! Save our Skins!!!” -from the App Game

“Uh oh, she’s writing in agony. Better call the Cavalry!” -Margaret

Lillian: “How do you spell “four?”

Zion: “T-H-O-R.”

“You know, I think it would be great to dress up as The Affordable Care Act for Halloween. I mean, it's scary enough. You could be a big stack of papers stuck all over with red tape and earmarks, dropping papers everywhere you went. Then, you could say “you can’t know what is in me until you pass me!” And when someone walks past, painted on the back reads “Lies.”

Zion- “Come on, keep playing football with us!”

Margaret: “I’m gettin' tired. I’ll throw you the ball from sitting here…..I’ll be the quadriplegic quarterback.”

Father: "So, can anyone tell me why would one of the animals not have been a suitable help meet for Adam?"

Lillian: "An animal couldn't have made his dinner! 

Mother: "Well, they couldn't have made his dinner, they could have been his dinner, though."

Lillian “What is an inzone?”

Zion “It’s where the touchdown is.”

Margaret "You should consider going to _____(restaurant in town) for lunch. I can get lunch for under five bucks if you know how to do it. It's great! 

Galen: "Yeah, but it's made by a buncha hippies."

 And, lastly, here's this gem from Pinterest:

"YOLO is for stupid people who don't know how to spell Carpe Diem."

NOTE: For quotes from the Europe trip, scroll towards the end of this post.

These Are A Few of My Favorite (British) Things

Yes, just a few.

("there's more?" you say. "good gracious, girl.")

Also, I've included some new habits I brought stateside.
Here they are, in no particular order.

1. The Yahoo! UK homepage
I have used yahoo! as the epicenter for my e-mailing needs for quite a while. Not the best service, for sure, but I am too lazy to transition to the holy grail of mail (you know what I'm talking about) just yet.

Anyway....whilst in the UK, when you connect to Yahoo on the internet, it is automatically rolls you to the UK version of the site.

And, since coming home, I have kept it that way. It sure is swell to have the UK & Ireland site as opposed to the United States one.
Why?

You see, if I'm going to have to be bombarded with mainstream media taglines and images when I sign in, you'd better believe I'd rather look at the story regarding the latest win for the Wigan football team or Russell Crowe's newfound affinity for Staffordshire Pottery Teacups. Or, better yet, the story on Will and Kate's recent purchase of a mattress (yes, even their mattress purchases make news) containing no less than 4,200 springs.

While not perfect (they still have their fair share of odd/grotesque news stories) it is infinitely more interesting than the same old Kardashian-esque ridiculousness hogwash drivel, ay?

2. Millitary Time
MT is used almost exclusively in the UK, and I've stuck with it since returning stateside. There's just something about it. I mean, let's be real, it's British and millitary, what could possibly be lacking if both those admirable entities rely on it?

It can, however, present some unforseen difficulties. For example, if you are out in public and someone asks you for the time and you respond "oh, it's 13:34," you can look cool whilst the other party either stares confusedly at you or, better yet, stares after the mysterious personage that is you as you stroll coolly away, your coat collar turned up Sherlock-style. Be advised that the latter only works properly if you are smart enough to make the escape before they ask "wha?" and you have to 'splain yourself.

The other problem posed is when your little sister, only just beginning to fathom the meanings of the wonderful two-faced beast of the world of Time, becomes greatly confused at your usage of all these strange numbers that are clearly not visible on the clock face.

3. Hand Food Creme
It all started when I was standing at the Chemist's shop, King's Cross St. Pancras, London. Waiting for our train, the 0845 to Edinburgh. Foggy, grey day. This particular shop was one of a British chain called Boots. We stepped inside and as I was waiting on my fellow travellers to complete their purchases I happened upon a display case of travel size toiletries. A bright pink bottle caught my eye, and I read the tagline, "The MOST astonishing Hand Cream EVER?!? YOU decide!"
Hmmm. Intrigued, I picked it up and read the following.
What it is:
A non-greasy hand cream with shea butter, macadamia oil, and marshmallow.
What it does:
This hand cream softens, smooths, and soothes dry, chapped, or otherwise hampered* hands.

Ever the careful purchaser, I turned away and considered adding it to my arsenal while I browsed the Deodorant aisle.
Behind me, I heard the voices of two young schoolgirls on their way to Academy stop by the display. Thus, the below conversation ensued:
Schoolgirl #1
"Oooh, look! They got hand food in a travel bottle!" *picks up bottle*
Schoolgirl #2
"Well, what's so great about hand food? I hear the girls on about it all the time."
Schoolgirl #1
"Wha? Oh, Only Ev-ry-thing! It's the best ever and all the gals use it!"
They meandered off.

And, I bought some. Remember my little quickbit on what British people smell like? (scroll to the bottom of that post.) Well, the ladies smell like this in addition to the Surf smell. The scent is delightful, and yet difficult to explain. According to my Mom's description, it smells akin to "watermelons, roses, cherries, cotton candy, and more floral."
That really narrows it down. 
*I love this word. I will, henceforward, not permit modern vocabulary to hamper my usage of it.

4. Irn-Bru
Now, while not technically British in origin, I feel compelled to include it here. Do I really need to say anything about this liquid Scottish-ness? If you haven't read my post that includes a short disquisition on this remarkable substance, you should do so, post haste. Then, read this actual review taken from Amazon.com, written by one (very) satisfied customer:

"So there A was, sure as sure, hangin by ma wee fingertips from the edge of a heilan peak. A thocht it was the end of me, so A did. Niver again wad A see ma wee dug, Jock. But then A minded A had an Irn-Bru in ma pack. An I minded the adverts on the telly... "Irn-Bru gets yi through." So A twisted roond an freed the boattle from ma pack, an in a single swally A had consumed the iconic fizzy drink, made of iron girder scrapin's. An then it was that new life filled ma muscles an A scrambled tae safety. Niver will A go hill-walkin in future withoot at least wan boattle o Irn-Bru in ma kit. It's approved by Jock as well, just so yi've got the dug's opinion. True to the telly, Irn-Bru got me through. Saor Alba!!!" ~Gwyn MCVay

                                                                           (my feet)

5. My London Underground "Tube" Socks.
Yes, I am obsessed. I grew quite fond of the ol' transport system whilst in London and did the only appropriate thing by purchasing myself a pair of socks with the map printed on them.
Yes, I am a goon.
(British term for dork.)
Did I mention that I also have in my possession a tea towel with the same map printed on it?
Double-goon.
Side note: the station nearest our flat was the Marylebone (pronounced mar-lee-bone.)

6. Earl Grey Tea with Lemon and Cream
Okay, so I drink tea here in the states, but I had never had the pleasure of taking a *proper* Cream Tea. The above picture is from our tea we enjoyed on our last day near the little southern English town of Hastings. First, they bring your tea pot with the teabags steeping away in the hot water. You remove them when the tea is at the strength you wish, then pour into your cup and add cream, sugar, and, the kicker, whole lemon slivers. I'd never done this with hot tea, and the effect was very refreshing and delicious. Just the thing after a trot through an ancient battlefield. I have taken my tea with lemon ever since. You can also get a glimpse of an English scone on Galen's plate in the picture. You'll also notice that my plate has been, well, devoured.
The scones were drier and less sweet than the variety I make, but the clotted cream and raspberry preserves made up for it. I think clotted cream should be England's national condiment (perhaps it is already.) Anyway, the stuff is divine, and I am of the opinion that the inventor of said substance should, with due celerity, be granted knighthood. Or at least the Nobel Peace Prize.

Paris Through the Lens