Field Stone Cottage Blog

Thursday, July 31, 2008

15 Words or Less Poem








Warp and weft,
Back and forth,
Moment by moment,
Memories create the fabric of time.


More 15 Words or Less Poems here.

Price of Gas: July 31, 2008

Woohoo! Gas is below $4.00 per gallon in Crystal Lake, IL! Yes, its down 12 cents from last week's price of $4.09 per gallon. Now, I am aware that I could have bought gas for below $4.00 per gallon the last couple of weeks at Sam's Club or Costco. And the truth of the matter is that I have done exactly that. But for the sake of comparing gas prices in various locations around the world is doesn't seem to me to be a valid comparison if I quote the price at places that require a (paid) membership card for the privilege of buying their gas when that option is not available in other locations or even to everyone in this locale. Besides, they don't post their prices on nice big photogenic signs out by the road! So this is the price you'd pay if you pulled up to the pump at the average gas station in Crystal Lake, IL.

What are you paying for gas where you live? Rebecca is compiling a comparison each week so stop over and let her know. And please don't let my preference for recording the price at the corner gas station stop you from sharing the price you pay at Sam's Club or Costco or some other limited access gas source where you live.

A New Book for Me!

I am excited to announce that I am the winner of the book giveaway over at Unbreakable Joy! Ben is the generous host of this one and I'm very grateful to him. He promptly let me know that I won and I've already sent him my mailing address so all I have to do is sit back and wait for my copy of God's Pursuit of Man by A.W. Tozer to show up in my mailbox. The hard one out by the road. Mailbox, that is.

I've never actually read anything by Tozer so I am especially excited to get this book. And Ben describes this particular book of Tozer's as one of his favorites. Now Ben's blog is a new find for me but the content over there tells me that that statement means something. If you haven't visited Ben this is my opportunity to tell you that you should definitely go see what he has to say. I think you'll find it worthwhile.

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Chew on This: Psalm 6

1O LORD, rebuke me not in your anger,
nor discipline me in your wrath.
2Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am languishing;
heal me, O LORD, for my bones are troubled.
3My soul also is greatly troubled.
But you, O LORD— how long?

4Turn, O LORD, deliver my life;
save me for the sake of your steadfast love.
5For in death there is no remembrance of you;
in Sheol who will give you praise?

6I am weary with my moaning;
every night I flood my bed with tears;
I drench my couch with my weeping.
7My eye wastes away because of grief;
it grows weak because of all my foes.

8 Depart from me, all you workers of evil,
for the LORD has heard the sound of my weeping.
9The LORD has heard my plea;
the LORD accepts my prayer.
10All my enemies shall be ashamed and greatly troubled;
they shall turn back and be put to shame in a moment.


I find this particular psalm so emotionally evocative that I had to step back and pray again that God would lessen that emotional response so that I might learn what He had for me on this day in these words of David. The tone of abject humility and need of God's mercy and grace is mine as well as David's. I too pray that our God not rebuke and discipline me in His righteous anger for I deserve it and would surely suffer it were it not for the work of Jesus Christ. I openly acknowledge my complete need of His graciousness because I am languishing. I looked up that word, languishing, in the dictionary. Not because I am unfamiliar with it as much as that I wanted to be sure I had the precise meaning in mind here. One of the definitions was "to become feeble, weak." Another was "to assume an expression of grief." I can see both meanings in verse 2. In my own strength, I am feeble and weak and can achieve no righteousness before God. In fact, I can be shockingly feeble and weak in the face of temptation. And I want always to grieve over that...grieve that I can offend my holy God with my ugly sinfulness in the way that I do. My only hope of healing and life is in Him and His steadfast love.

At first glance, verse 5 seems a bit, well, almost manipulative. "If you don't give me life, if you let me die, how can I praise You?" But its a reasonable argument and a beseeching one at that. David's pleading (and mine, by extension) continues in verses 6 and 7. He describes his increasing weakness in the face of his grief because of his foes. Surely, our primary enemies or foes are the things of earth that tempt us away from God.

But I thank God from the bottom of my heart for the words of the last three verses! He has heard my cry and my plea! He does accept my prayer! All workers of evil, all temptations will depart from me when I cry out to Him for rescue. My enemies shall be turned aside and put to shame in a moment! What peace and victory is in these words! They bring to mind the comfort of 1 Corinthians 10:13. "No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it." I'm thinking that most often the "way of escape" is turning to God in earnest prayer.

Leslie of Light Came invites us to "chew on a psalm" with her periodically. See what she and others came up with for Psalm 6 here.

Monday, July 28, 2008

Unknown Insect

We saw this interesting creature of the insect variety on a recent Charlie walk. It was clinging to the underside of that branch over our heads. An over-sized dragonfly would be my description of it but I am not convinced that that's what it is. Has anyone else ever seen this type of insect or know what it is?

Sunday, July 27, 2008

Sunday's Hymn: Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing

Come, thou Fount of ev'ry blessing,
Tune my heart to sing thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise,
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
Sung by flaming tongues above;
Praise the mount! I'm fixed upon it,
Mount of God's unchanging love.

Here I raise my Ebenezer;
Hither by thy help I'm come;
And I hope, by thy good pleasure,
Safely to arrive at home.
Jesus sought me when a stranger,
Wand'ring from the fold of God:
He, to rescue me from danger,
Interposed his precious blood.

O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I'm constrained to be;
Let that grace now, like a fetter,
Bind my wand'ring heart to thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here's my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for thy courts above.

Robert Robinson, 1758

Friday, July 25, 2008

Oven Roasted Salmon


We had a wonderful, fun-filled time with my sister, Mary, and her husband, Jim, during their recent visit with us! And one of the wonderful things we got to share was this salmon dish. I've been thinking that you might enjoy it too. So here's the recipe!

8 medium white potatoes, cut into 1/4 inch slices
3 tsp. olive oil plus 1/4 cup
4 salmon fillets, skin removed
2 tablespoons finely chopped green onions
salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons each: lemon juice, grainy dijon mustard
1/4 cup snipped fresh chives plus a few more for garnish
  1. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Place potatoes in large pot; cover with cold water. Heat to boil and cook until just tender, about 15-20 minutes. Drain and cool to room temperature.
  2. Heat 1 tsp. of the olive oil in large oven proof skillet. (I used a cast iron dutch oven so I'd have plenty of room for a couple of extra potatoes.) Add potatoes, overlapping slightly. Cook over medium heat on stove top for about 5 minutes. Lay salmon fillets over potato slices. Rub each fillet with olive oil and sprinkle green onions on top. Season with salt and pepper. Place skillet in oven; roast until salmon is opaque, slightly firm and done, about 10-12 minutes depending on thickness of fish.
  3. Whisk together lemon juice and 1/4 cup of olive oil in medium bowl. Whisk in mustard and chives. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside at room temperature.
  4. Transfer potatoes and salmon to plates. Whisk vinaigrette again and spoon over fish or serve on the side. Garnish with chive stems. Enjoy!

Thursday, July 24, 2008

Price of Gas: July 24, 2008

The downward trend continues! Last week, gas in Crystal Lake, IL was $4.21 per gallon and this week it is $4.09. That is a drop in price of 12 cents per gallon! Yay! I am hoping this downward movement in gas prices continues for a while. That coupled with the fact that Andy is working from home one day per week and thereby saving on the gas necessary for his 80 mile round trip commute really does make a difference.

What are you paying for gas in your area? Have you made any changes in lifestyle because of high gas prices? Let Rebecca know in her gas price post for the week and see what others are paying and how they're coping.

15 Words or Less Poem



His light,
Shining in the darkest places
Brings beauty to impossibility.

More 15 Words or Less Poems here.

Sunday, July 20, 2008

Sunday's Hymn: Like a River Glorious

Like a river glorious
Is God's perfect peace,
Over all victorious
In its bright increase;
Perfect, yet it floweth
Fuller ev'ry day,
Perfect, yet it groweth
Deeper all the way.

Stayed upon Jehovah,
Hearts are fully blest,
Finding, as he promised,
Perfect peace and rest.

Hidden in the hollow
Of his blessed hand,
Never foe can follow,
Never traitor stand;
Not a surge of worry,
Not a shade of care,
Not a blast of hurry
Touch the spirit there.

Ev'ry joy or trial
Falleth from above,
Traced upon our dial
By the Sun of Love.
We may trust him fully
All for us to do;
They who trust him wholly
Find him wholly true.

Frances R. Havergal, 1876

Saturday, July 19, 2008

Project Black: Take Seven


Andy grilled us some burgers tonight on a black Weber! And they were good!

Every time I think that I can't come up with any more black things to photograph, something else presents itself right in front of me! I like the way the back of the garage and house as well as the sky are reflected in the top of the grill.

Friday, July 18, 2008

15 Words or Less Poem



Years stacked one upon another,
Some protrude at angles.
Step by step
A life emerges.

For more 15 Words or Less Poems visit Laura here.

Thursday, July 17, 2008

Project Black: Take Six

This little cemetery is around the corner from my house. Charlie and I walk past it all the time so I almost didn't see it as Project Black material! Today it hit me and I took several shots of the fence but I like this one best. Something about the repetition of it.

I know I've been remiss about visiting all the Project Black posts. Its been a hectic but fun-filled week with my sister visiting! But I am going to start my rounds now. See you soon.

Oh, and in the meantime, you can check out others. Just go to Anna Carson Photography for the links.

Price of Gas: July 17, 2008

Here's the price of gas today in Crystal Lake, IL. Its up two cents per gallon from last Thursday when it was $4.19 but actually it shot up to $4.25 per gallon during the week before settling at $4.21. I'm hoping that downward trend continues!

What are you paying for gas in your area? Let Rebecca know and see how your price compares with elsewhere.

Sunday, July 13, 2008

Project Black: Take Four

Sunday's Hymn: Praise the Saviour

Praise the Saviour now and ever;
Praise him all beneath the skies;
Prostrate lying, suffering, dying
On the cross, a sacrifice.
Victory gaining, life obtaining,
Now in glory he doth rise.

Man's work faileth, Christ's availeth;
He is all our righteousness;
He, our Saviour, has for ever
Set us free from dire distress.
Through his merit we inherit
Light and peace and happiness.

Sin's bonds severed; we're delivered;
Christ has bruised the serpent's head;
Death no longer is the stronger;
Hell itself is captive led.
Christ has risen from death's prison;
O'er the tomb he light has shed.

For his favor, praise for ever
Unto God the Father sing;
Praise the Saviour, praise him ever,
Son of God, our King.
Praise the Spirit; through Christ's merit,
He doth us salvation bring.

Venantius Fortunatus, circa 530-609

Friday, July 11, 2008

Project Black: Take Three

Project Black: Take Two


Don't get the wrong idea. Its not me who plays. Its Emily, our daughter.

Thursday, July 10, 2008

They're Here!

Remember this post of mine some months ago? Well, today's the big day! Andy is picking up my sister, Mary, and her husband, Jim, at the airport on his way home from work. So they are not exactly here at the cottage yet but I know they've landed at O'Hare. And our daughter, Emily, is coming home for the weekend to play with us too! We have plans for boating and a visit to the Mustard Museum plus lots of talking and eating! So don't expect to hear a lot from me for the next few days. I might do some scheduling of posts in advance but probably not a lot else. Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

15 Words or Less Poem






Free floating through blue skies
Towards God's green earth.
Me?
Feet firmly planted!

Price of Gas: July 10, 2008

Yes, gas is down 2 cents per gallon in Crystal Lake, IL this week. BUT between last Thursday and today, the price shot up to $4.35 per gallon before coming back down to this. Dare I pray that we are on any sustained downward trend? With Andy driving 80 miles a day to work and back, I sure am praying we are! And I am thanking God for the one day per week that Andy can work from home...and that is not only because of the price of gas.

So what are you paying for gas in your area? Let Rebecca know and she will post a synopsis of gas prices far and wide for this week.

Project Black: Take One


My latest thrift shop find! Isn't it a beauty!

More Project Black photos at Anna Carson Photography.

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Tagged Again!

Kim just tagged me for a new meme. Well, actually its an old meme from before my time...my time of having a blog, that is. I'm sure lots of you will recognize it though, and it just so happens that its also reading related. Its the Bookworm Meme!
  1. Hardback or trade paperback or mass market paperback? Hardback is always nicest but sometimes price is a consideration, you know. And if you can accept paperbacks, you can get more books per dollar so I mostly do!
  2. Online purchase or bricks and mortar? Online mostly. Often what I want is not in the bricks and mortar store and with online, I can shop for price more efficiently too. Plus I can peruse my wish list and update it and change it and dream over it any time I want to!
  3. Barnes and Noble or Borders? Usually not either one. I shop used as much as I can on Amazon or ebay or wherever. Even if I am going new, its not likely they will have the cheapest price, in my experience. Or the books I want.
  4. Bookmark or dog ear? Bookmark, always! One of my Bookworm Bookmarks, to be precise.
  5. Mark or not mark? I used to never mark in any book. Heaven forbid! But that was a long time ago...or it seems like it. Now I mark to my heart's content in non-fiction but rarely in fiction.
  6. Alphabetize by author or alphabetize by title or random? I organize my book shelves by subject or category and within that, by size. But within a category or subject, all the books by the same author go together. It makes sense to me.
  7. Keep, throw away or sell? Usually keep but occasionally sell. Never throw away!
  8. Keep dust jacket or toss it? Keep it, always!
  9. Read with dust jacket or remove it? Usually remove it but sometimes I am so anxious to start reading that I forget.
  10. Short story or novel? Definitely a novel!
  11. Collection (short stories by the same author) or anthology (short stories by different authors)? I'm generally not a fan of short stories.
  12. Lord of the Rings or Narnia? Here's my confession. I've never read Lord of the Rings! I can hear you gasp but its true. When I was younger, I really did not like what I considered fantasy and as I've gotten older there just always seems to be something more pressing that I want to read.
  13. Stop reading when tired or at chapter breaks? Chapter breaks if at all possible!
  14. "It was a dark and stormy night" or "once upon a time?" "It was a dark and stormy night." Its so much less predictable.
  15. Buy or borrow? I use the library when possible, sometimes making requests that go outside the "system" or I do borrow from friends. Kim, especially! But once I realize that I want to own the book, I set about buying it!
  16. New or used? Used in good condition is fine with me. You can buy more books that way! But I don't want to buy someone else's marked up copy. Too distracting.
  17. Buying choice: book reviews, recommendation or browse? I've done all three but I love to browse and find an unexpected treasure.
  18. Tidy ending or cliffhanger? Tidy ending, definitely! I hate a cliffhanger!!
  19. Morning reading, afternoon reading or night time reading? Yes. All three or whenever I can.
  20. Standalone or series? Both. I do love a good series but I also think that the very best books are generally one of a kind.
  21. Favorite series? I really like The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series by Alexander McCall Smith. I usually read one just once a year while we are on vacation. Those books just induce a relaxed sense of simplicity in me.
  22. Favorite book of which no one else has heard? The Three Day Promise by Donald K. Chung. Its the memoir of a Korean man attempting to fulfill the promise he made as a youth to his mother to return in three days when they were then separated by the Korean War. Maybe others have heard of it by now but at the time I read it, it was self-published and fairly obscure.
  23. Favorite books read last year? Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God by J.I. Packer and Luther: Man Between God and the Devil by Heiko Augustinus Oberman.
  24. Favorite book of all time? Little Women by Louisa May Alcott maybe. Or maybe Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. Or Knowing God by J.I. Packer. That's just too hard of a question. I love so many books.
Anyone else not done this meme? Consider yourself tagged then! Just let me know in the comments if you do it so I can come visit and read your responses.

Monday, July 7, 2008

Chew on This: Psalm 5

1 Give ear to my words, O Lord;
consider my groaning.

2 Give attention to the sound of my cry,
my King and my God,
for to you do I pray.

3 O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice;
in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch.

4 For you are not a God who delights in wickedness;
evil may not dwell with you.

5 The boastful shall not stand before your eyes;
you hate all evildoers.

6 You destroy those who speak lies;
the Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.

7 But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love, will enter your house.
I will bow down toward your holy temple in the fear of you.

8 Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness because of my enemies;
make your way straight before me.

9 For there is no truth in their mouth;
their inmost self is destruction;
their throat is an open grave;
they flatter with their tongue.

10 Make them bear their guilt, O God;
let them fall by their own counsels;
because of the abundance of their transgressions cast them out,
for they have rebelled against you.

11 But let all who take refuge in you rejoice;
let them ever sing for joy,
and spread your protection over them,
that those who love your name may exult in you.

12 For you bless the righteous, O Lord;
you cover them with favor as with a shield.

I read this psalm of David with a sense of victory and triumph. It bolsters my faith in my God and encourages me to increasingly cry out to Him in prayer! I'm not sure if it is because of continually getting older or as a result of His work in me through sanctification but I am increasingly reminded of my weakness and sinfulness, my need of Him. Maybe it is the result of both. But He does "give ear to my words!" He does, through His mercy, "give attention to the sound of my cry!" I suppose I could (and have) seen the time given to Him in prayer in the morning as "sacrifice" but it has become such a joy! Even when I start out in such a state as to not know what exactly I am asking Him for. Especially then, in fact.

The next several verses seem to me to each address an attribute of our holy God. Verse 4 speaks of His goodness. Evil is incompatible with Him. Verses 5 and 6 refer to God's justice. Boastful, evil, bloodthirsty, deceitful men will meet destruction in Him. But verse 7 reveals God's steadfast love for His own in which He allows them to enter His house. Hallelujah, I am with David as one of His own! What a sense of reverent awe-filled praise of my God does that instill in me!

Verse 8 reminds me, like psalm 4 last week, that it is the Lord's righteousness I need. I have none of my own. In this verse, David (and I) ask for God's straight way to be revealed and we can have confidence in His guidance and answered prayer.

In verses 9 and 10, returns to the theme of evil and requests God's justice in the face of it. We can have complete confidence in this attribute of His. He is a just and holy God.

But verses 11 and 12 return to the joyous victory of God's own people. I take this so personally! I can rejoice and exult (don't you love that word?) in the protection of God's refuge because I am His! That is reason to sing for joy! He does bless me and cover me with His favor! Who could ask for more!

Each week, Leslie at Light Came, is "chewing on" a different psalm and inviting us to join her. Read what she (and others) have to say as well as sharing your thoughts.

Tagged for a Meme on Reading!

There's a meme about reading going around and I've been tagged by Elle of A Complete Thought. I love to read so this one is right up my alley. Here goes...
  1. Do you remember how you developed a love of reading? Oh, I do indeed! I am the oldest of six children and my family did not have much money when I was growing up. But library books were free and the library was right around the corner from our house. It was a treasure trove for me and my brother, Richard, who is 15 months younger than I am. In the summer time especially, any spare moment we could find, the two of us were either going to the library to pick out books or reading them. We went to the library almost every day and I well remember how we got in trouble with the children's librarian for "bothering" her since we "couldn't possibly be reading all those books." But the truth is, we were! Those books were new worlds to discover for us and we'd each take one to our respective trees, climb up and read for hours.
  2. What are some books you loved as a child? My very favorite childhood books were the Betsy, Tacy and Tib books written by Maud Hart Lovelace and illustrated by Lois Lenski. I can't think of those books without thinking of the illustrations too! And I loved the way the books became more difficult reading as Betsy, Tacy and Tib (and I) grew. I also loved the Flicka, Ricka and Dicka books by Maj Lindman. Richard read Snipp, Snapp and Snurr by the same author and I read some of his picks along with my own. There also was a series of books about a mouse named Florence that I loved as much for the illustrations as the stories but I can't remember the titles or author or anything more about them. Anyone have a clue? So like Elle, I was a series reader. Oh, and of course, there were the Nancy Drew books as I got older. And Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. And the Anne of Green Gables books by L.M. Montgomery. And I loved any biography I could get my hands on...a love that continues to this day. Okay, I guess I'd better force myself to move on to the next question.
  3. What is your favorite genre? I love non-fiction and I as mentioned in the previous answer, I love biographies. To me, there is nothing as absorbing as getting inside the life of someone whom I admire or find intriguing and learning about the forces...social, familial, historical, spiritual or whatever...that shaped that person's life.
  4. Do you have a favorite novel? It is really hard for this avid reader to pin down one particular novel as a favorite but I am thinking that the novel that I reflect on most often over the course of my life would have to be Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. But Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe as well as Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen are right up there too!
  5. Where do you usually read? Well, its not in a tree anymore! In bed before I go to sleep or on the couch with Charlie on my lap when I take a reading break during the day.
  6. When do you usually read? Whenever I can steal a few moments! I've been known to read at the stove while cooking but I prefer to read for a half hour or so while I have lunch or a cup of tea during the day. I also read for about 20 minutes at night before I sleep.
  7. Do you usually have more than one book you are reading at a time? Yes, I try to limit myself to no more than three...one fiction, one non-fiction (biography, theology, etc.) and one "picture book." Now what I call a picture book is really also non-fiction but its a book that incorporates a lot of pictures about an interest of mine...needlework, gardening, cooking, tea, a beautiful area I love. Something I can look at when I am really too tired to read but it meets the need to hold a book and flip through pages.
  8. Do you read non-fiction in a different way or place than you read fiction? I try not to read non-fiction in bed when I am too tired to fully absorb it but sometimes I do because that is just the book that is absorbing my thoughts at the time.
  9. Do you buy most of the books you read, or borrow them, or check them out of the library? I am a big fan of the library. But there are some books I just want to own and some I've been introduced to by generous friends who lent them to me.
  10. Do you keep most of the books you buy? Yes, because the ones I buy are generally the ones I really do want to own. But I do selectively lend them.
  11. If you have children, what are some of the favorite books you have shared with them? I have a precious daughter with whom I read Little Women when she was about 14. She couldn't understand why parts of it so deeply moved me and, since I had not read it since I was 12 myself, I also was surprised at my reactions to parts I barely remembered from that early reading. I also tried to introduce Emily to the Betsy, Tacy and Tib books but found that she wanted the joy of discovering new books for herself just as I had.
  12. What are you reading now? I'm (re)reading Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen, (re)reading Knowing God by J.I.Packer and my "picture book" of the moment is a knitting pattern book lent to me by my dear friend, Carol.
  13. Do you keep a To Be Read list? Yes, and some of them are stacked on my nightstand. Hehe.
  14. What's next? Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen and Practical Religion by J.C. Ryle. My "picture books" are never planned!
  15. What books would you like to reread? I am in the process of rereading the Jane Austen books right now in conjunction with rereading her biography, Becoming Jane Austen by Jon Spence.
  16. Who are your favorite authors? Well, I love Jane Austen (can you tell?) and Louisa May Alcott and Harriet Beecher Stowe and J.I. Packer and John Brown. But there are so many I haven't read that I am sure would be favorites if I just read them!
Oh, this has been so much fun! Thanks, Elle, for tagging me! Who else would like to join in? How about Kim from Hiraeth, Rebecca of Rebecca Writes, Ann from Whatever Things...and Islandsparrow! And you, if you haven't been tagged yet! But now, I've got to go read a few pages. Oh, and if you are too busy reading or whatever to play right now, please don't feel any pressure. Only play if its fun!

Sunday, July 6, 2008

Sunday's Hymn: Revive Thy Work, O Lord

Revive thy work, O Lord,
Thy mighty arm make bare;
Speak with the voice that wakes the dead,
And make thy people hear.

Revive thy work, O Lord,
Disturb this sleep of death;
Quicken the smould'ring embers now
By thine almighty breath.

Revive thy work, O Lord,
Create soul-thirst for thee;
And hung'ring for the Bread of Life
O may our spirits be.

Revive thy work, O Lord,
Exalt thy precious Name;
And, by the Holy Ghost, our love
For thee and thine inflame.

Revive thy work, O Lord,
Give pentecostal show'rs:
The glory shall be all thine own,
The blessing, Lord, be ours.

Albert Midlane, 1858

More Sunday Hymns here.

Thursday, July 3, 2008

Price of Gas: July 3, 2008

Well, here it is...the price of gas in Crystal Lake, IL for today. Its up a whopping 8 cents per gallon this week! Makes me even more thankful to have Andy working from home one day a week.

How about you? Any changes is gas prices in your neck of the woods? Rebecca has the scoop on prices all over the world for comparison. Why not add your "neck" to the mix?

Andy Works

Yesterday was the first day of a new routine for us. Andy will now be working from home one day per week! I know its not like he's home to spend time with me on those days but I just like having him in the house with me. There was a time when he worked out of our home every day (for a different company) and I loved it!

But back to yesterday. Here he is hard at it on the screen porch.


And...we got to have lunch out there together!


Life is good.