Sunday, January 29, 2012

nearer my God to Thee for 9 cellos




This is my Father's world, 
and to my listening ears all nature sings, and round me rings the music of the spheres. This is my Father's world: I rest me in the thought of rocks and trees, of skies and seas; his hand the wonders wrought....This is my Father's world: he shines in all that's fair; in the rustling grass I hear him pass; he speaks to me everywhere....

excerpts from the Hymn This is my Father's World


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Saturday, January 28, 2012

Friday, January 27, 2012

TSWDB with a "twist"


Please join in with us over at: 

Outside my window ... It's raining. I LoVe rainy days! :) 


I'm thankful ...  that Strike got into her first choice trade at school - that being Cosmetology. She just found out today! :)


In the kitchen ... Baking a Carrot Cake today.  


I am looking forward to ... the day ahead. Playmaker's piano lesson. Baking, Quilting, watching The Music Never Stopped with Playmaker while I fold laundry. Fish fry this evening.


A few plans for the weekend ... Possibly/hopefully a double date!  ... My husband & I with our daughter and her boyfriend, to see Red Tails:





I'm still reading ...


"In every fairy tale there is a kernel of truth."

"Sometimes, Maria, a story that one hears starts one off doing things
 that one would not have had to do if one had not heard it." 




I'm wondering...who the first person was to figure this out:



1 x 8 + 1 = 9

12 x 8 + 2 = 98

123 x 8 + 3 = 987

1234 x 8 + 4 = 9876

12345 x 8 + 5 = 98765

123456 x 8 + 6 = 987654

1234567 x 8 + 7 = 9876543

12345678 x 8 + 8 = 98765432

123456789 x 8 + 9 = 987654321


1 x 9 + 2 = 11

12 x 9 + 3 = 111

123 x 9 + 4 = 1111

1234 x 9 + 5 = 11111

12345 x 9 + 6 = 111111

123456 x 9 + 7 = 1111111

1234567 x 9 + 8 = 11111111

12345678 x 9 + 9 = 111111111

123456789 x 9 +10= 1111111111


9 x 9 + 7 = 88

98 x 9 + 6 = 888

987 x 9 + 5 = 8888

9876 x 9 + 4 = 88888

98765 x 9 + 3 = 888888

987654 x 9 + 2 = 8888888

9876543 x 9 + 1 = 88888888

98765432 x 9 + 0 = 888888888

Brilliant, isn't it? 
And look at this symmetry:

1 x 1 = 1
11 x 11 = 121
111 x 111 = 12321
1111 x 1111 = 1234321
11111 x 11111 = 123454321
111111 x 111111 = 12345654321
1111111 x 1111111 = 1234567654321
11111111 x 11111111 = 123456787654321
111111111 x 111111111 = 12345678987654321
Now, take a look at this... 

101%
From a strictly mathematical viewpoint:
What Equals 100%?
What does it mean to give MORE than 100%?

Ever wonder about those people who say they are giving more than 100%?

We have all been in situations where someone wants you to
GIVE OVER 100%.

How about ACHIEVING 101%?
What equals 100% in life?
Here's a little mathematical formula that might help
answer these questions:
If:
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z 
Is represented as:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26.

If:
H-A-R-D-W-O- R- K
8+1+18+4+23+ 15+18+11 = 98%
And: 
K-N-O-W-L-E- D-G-E
11+14+15+23+ 12+5+4+7+ 5 = 96% 

But:
A-T-T-I-T-U- D-E
1+20+20+9+20+ 21+4+5 = 100%

THEN, look how far the love of God will take you:

L-O-V-E- O-F- G-O-D
12+15+22+5+15+ 6+7+15+4 = 101% 

Therefore, one can conclude with mathematical certainty that:

While Hard Work and Knowledge will get you close, and Attitude will
get you there, It's the Love of God that will put you over the top!



One of my favorite things...  Fibonacci numbers (if you've read my blog for long, you already know this about me :) -   The spiral pattern throughout nature that they're inherent in make me wish I paid more attention in math when I was in school. Along that line, I think this video is fascinating.








Did you know that rabbits proliferate at a rate consistent with the fibonacci pattern?  -  just an interesting bit 'o fibonacci fact for those trivia fans out there :)


I'm looking forward ... to this new TV show, Touch. I haven't seen the season opener yet so I don't really know what to think of it - but based on the trailer and things I've already mentioned in this post, it looks to me like an interesting if not fascinating and intriguing storyline.





I am thinking ... that I can think of no living thing that didn't begin life as an unfolding/outward spiral of sorts (think developing embryos and germinating seeds). Can you?




Some reading this post might think I am into something weird like numerology, or worse. That is not the case. I'm no mathematician. In fact, I'm terrible at math. But, I know enough to know that I wish I was better at it. I like math because in math a statement is either true or it's not. Whether we choose to believe it or not doesn't change that. - And I wonder if that is, in part, what God wanted us to understand about Him when He gave us math - which seems to me like a not so secret code that when "cracked" leads/points directly to Him. 


A favorite quote for today... 


"When the answer is simple, God is speaking. 
~Albert Einstein


I am pondering...
19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. Romans 1:19, 20 


A picture for a thought I'm sharing ...


How cool is this?! 


click the pic to link to an awesome and amazing red and white quilt display.

If only I were better at math, and quilting ;)




Have a nice weekend!


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Saturday, January 21, 2012

malakai's backyard adventure - written & illustrated (photographed) by playmaker



One day, Malakai was quite bored of 
his toys and staying inside ...


so he decided to go outside looking for adventure.


He scanned the fresh snow in search of something interesting,
  but only found the footsteps of his own, and his girl's.


Suddenly, he spotted something unfamiliar!


"Who on earth has such small paw prints?"


Malakai investigated further, and found that they led
 straight to the shed in the back yard.


"Hello?" Said Malakai. "Is anyone here?"
"Hi, My name is Oliver!" said the small animal.

 

Malakai was puzzled. "You are a very tiny dog." 
At this Oliver chuckled,
 "I'm not a dog, silly. I am a bunny!"
"Oh, a bunny!" Malakai paused, 
"Would you like to come outside and play?"


"Play?" said Oliver, "It is awfully cold out." 
"It's not so bad once you get used to it!," said Malakai
 "Come on, lets play Following the Leader. I'll be the leader!"


"It's easy, you just have to follow me

 and do everything I do!"

Ready...          Set...

GO!


  

And they were off.




Friday, January 20, 2012

Simple Woman's Daybook - 1-20-12



Please join in with us over at: 
http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/


Outside my window ... Fresh snow.

I am thankful...that Playmaker's last semester schedule worked out in such a way that she has no school on Fridays.  Woo hoo :) 

I'm creating...this day. Tho' I hadn't really tho't of it that way until I read this quote this morning...  


Create each day anew.
Morihei Ueshiba



I guess I hadn't really considered perceiving each new day as an art project of sorts.

* a brand new day ... a blank canvas
* circumstances (all those things I have little, if any, control over) ... the colors I have to choose from
* choices (how I choose to respond to all the circumstances I find myself in at any given time) ... my paintbrush. 




In the kitchen ... I'll soon be making Molten Chocolate Lava Crockpot Cake {Mud Cake} and homemade whipped cream to take to our friends' house for dessert this evening (tho' ours will be modified a bit to make it gluten free). Click on the crockpot to link to what looks to be a "to die for" dessert. And if you don't see me here again...well, death by chocolate seems like a pretty good way to go ... :)  





I am looking forward to reading... 

I ordered it just this week. 



I am pondering...

20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. Romans 1:20

A favorite quote for today...  


Art is man's expression of his joy in labor.

Henry A Kissinger


One of my favorite things...

and it's Gluten free! 


A couple of pictures  - just for fun :) ... 



Malakai:  Hey Oliver! Wanna hang out? 

Oliver:  Oh - Hi Mak...

... Yah. Sure. Just let me finish eating. I'll be out in a minute. 


Tuesday, January 17, 2012

sharing ... sunflowers


Early this cold, dark, January morning, God gave me ... sunflowers! He does that every now and then. It's how He made himself real to me once - and how He faithfully continues to do it. When I least expect it - and in such personal and creative ways - God "gives me" sunflowers.  Go ahead...call me crazy.  I actually hesitate to share about it here for fear of that. This time He led me to them ... to sunflowers aaallll the way over in Uganda - and in a most remarkable way - and via a very short short-cut:  The Journey  where Katie Davis shared her sunflowers, - and for whatever reason, I feel compelled to share them here. Today. In an attempt to...


comfort - a dear grieving blogger friend I've never actually met (Bunny


and to 


bless - another friend that I've emailed already this morning 


and to 


encourage a young friend. Actually, she's the daughter of my dear friend and is also my daughter's friend....hope that makes sense. She's considering going to teach in the Dominican Republic after high school and I think Katie's story in general would serve as such an inspiration to her.


and 



God only knows how else He will use them
 if I do what I feel compelled to do
  and share these beautiful sunflowers
here, on my blog, with you ;) 


just click this pic...



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"Weeks of wonder as small buds open into something glorious and beautiful.

And then so soon, they bend their heads and begin to die...

I see beauty in the outcome and sadness in the death,  
but they know beauty in the process." ...

- Katie Davis -
Monday, January 16 
via