Saint Patrick by Jonathan Rogers

I've heard lectures on Patrick, but hadn't read a biography before.  Rogers gives an overview of the political and historical situation, looking at everything we know about Patrick's life, and interpreting it in light of what we know about Patrick's world.  He also analyzes Patrick's surviving writings, his Confession, and a letter he wrote his superiors.

On the whole I  enjoyed his look at the historical context, and the Patrick legends he retells.  Also, I love that while the  Confession is available on the web, it (as well as the text of a letter written by Patrick) is in the book for easy reference!

While I mostly liked this book, I disliked his his characterization of Patrick as an "antiauthoritarian" "renegade".  Also, Rogers suggests Patrick may reveal "his own prejudices" by referring to the Picts as "blood-thirsty", "wicked, abandoned, and apostate."  Puzzlingly, he interprets this as Patrick dismissing them as hopeless despite having seen the Irish convert.  I disagree. He isn't calling them unsaveable, he's stating the obvious- these are violent barbarians. They need Christ, just like the Irish did.  As do we all.

(Thomas Nelson provided me with a complimentary copy of Saint Patrick to review via Booksneeze.)

 

(Oh, and there's an Online Reader's Guide available, too.)

Learning Together

We mixed up some home made  "Bisquick" yesterday... perfect for quick biscuits and more. :)

 

Stirring things is hard work.

 

But working with mama is fun.

 

Especially when it's messy.

 

And we don't worry too much about flour flying, or dropped spoons.

 

We just enjoy the time together and the big picture, 

loving every minute of the soul work we have today.

(Love that phrase!) 

He learns to help.  

I learn to let go of efficiency and let him help.

I'm not sure which of us is learning more here... but it is good all around.

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Bonus cute...

Someone is walking! :)

New Header :)

If you're reading via RSS feed, you should hop over... I've got a cute new header!  :)

 

Podaegi!

I made my first podaegi recently. What is a podaegi, or podeagi  (or "pod" for short)? It is a traditional Asian carrier that is similar to a mei tai. Pictured podaegi, below, is from Etsy, here.

Sew She Sews has a very cute one pattern to make a podaegi here, and Jan Andrea has one here. Mine was pretty close to that first pattern, but I chose not to use multiple fabrics for the outside.  I used a pretty decorator fabric for the exterior of the body, and lighter fabric for the inside.  I used duck cloth for the straps.  After it was finished, I was excited to play around with it, as I'd never tried one before.  At first I had trouble getting it right... the decorator fabric seemed too stiff, and the blanket seemed too narrow.  Once I got the hang of it, it worked well, though. It seemed even easier than a mei tai!  Sadly, I didn't get any pictures before I loaned it out, but I have another one in the works... this one will have a wider body.  Not a really really wide one like the Jan Andrea pod, but definitely wider than the one from Etsy pictured.  I think the narrow body design was harder to wear correctly... I am very comfortable doing a back carry with my mei tai, but it was a hassle getting the pod spread out when the body was so small.  Also, my understanding is that the blanket part of a podaegi isn't weight bearing, so it can be blanket type fabric, so I'll use lighter weight fabric which I think will be easier to manage.  Plus I'll be able to use fabric from my stash, instead of having to wait to buy some! ;)

Here is a YouTube video of a back carry with one...



And here is a front carry, although I have to note that she ties the straps in a bow, I would much prefer a square knot for safety.



(Related posts from Babywearing it Up!: pod sew along on TBW
and Wrap pod tutorial.)

Embedded Comments issue...

For some reason, I can't comment on any blogger site that has embedded comments!  I did a few Swagbucks searches, and it seems like I'm not the only one having this problem.  I can comment on blogs that have their comments set to pop up, or to full page (which is what I have), but not embedded.  Hmmmm... : /
Anybody else have this issue?

Comment Form Placement

Full page
Pop-up window
Embedded below post

The embedded comment form can not be used if you have Post Pages disabled.

Shiny New Button!

 Thanks to the help of my sweet husband, who rescued me when I was banging my head against the keyboard thoroughly puzzled as to why, why, why, the image wasn't showing (double quotation marks!), and fixed the code so the image wasn't waaaaaay bigger than my sidebar, I now have my very own shiny new blog button!  I must say, having a button of my own makes me feel very cool.  ;)  I said as much to my husband, and then we went and worked out and I felt like a very wimpy person, instead... but anyway...  here it is!  Feel free to snag it and put it up! :)





<br /> <br/><br /> <a href="http://www.naddy.blogspot.com"><br /> <img width="200" src="http://i948.photobucket.com/albums/ad322/gnattygirl/naddysblogheader.jpg" height="128/"/><br /> </a><br /> <br/><br />

Baby Cuddles!

Leigh at Marvelous Kiddo has a beautiful post here full of baby photos, including this one that I sent her.  Thanks for including us, Leigh!

Swagbucks

Some of you may have noticed my Swagbucks banner on the sidebar, but I thought I'd take the time to write a post on Swagbucks because I'm getting ready to spend my third $5 Amazon gift card thanks to Swagbucks.  If you're already signed up with Swagbucks, this won't be too interesting, but if you're not, keep reading. :)

What is Swagbucks?

Swagbucks is a search engine that rewards you for searching.  It does this by randomly awarding points, or "Swagbucks" for searches.  Once you have enough Swagbucks, you can redeem them for prizes.  I've redeemed all of mine as gift cards, but you could also get a Paypal gift card and spend it like cash anywhere online.  I installed the Swagbucks toolbar, and I can search easily and quickly from there.

Why should I sign up using your referral link instead typing Swagbucks into my address bar?
Because if you go using my referral link (every Swagbucks link in this post, or the banner below) then I get points. :)  And if you use Swagbucks after signing up with my link, I get more points.  Which means more Amazon gift cards for me, which means more books, music, and general fun splurgy goodness.  :)  Plus of course you're earning points just for searching the web like you already do!

So what are you waiting for?
Go sign up!  Start earning while you search the web! :)

Tweetering

Just a PSA that I've succumbed to the twittering. If you already have as well, you can follow me here.

As an aside, does anybody else think its creepy that people "follow" you? If I noticed people following me on the street, I'd be a bit freaked out...but apparently it's a good thing if they follow you on Twitter. Huh.

Great Giveaway at Amoretti!

If you haven't been following the Amoretti blog, hop on over there and check out the latest giveaway. A Carry On, Jeeves dishtowel (!), the book itself, and a package of Penguin Wafers (which look very tasty) in addition to a Skirty!

"Don't you know what causes that?"

Good post over at Tandem Mommy Lifestyle.

"If the church doesn't see children as a blessing and a gift from God, why should we expect the world to?"

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Edited to add-

After writing and publishing this earlier today, I read a post from Lora Lynn over at Vita Familiae, in which she discusses a series of events in which she was asked this question.

It's hilarious, and you can (and should!) read it here.

Jenni did this, and I realized that although this type of list has been floating around for a long time, I haven't. So here it is. Feel free to do it too... just let me know in the comments so I can read which ones you've done! Just boldface the items that you HAVE done, and leave the rest normal…

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/world
8. Climbed a mountain.
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch (is cheesecake an art? how about photography?)
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train (yes, but we didn't have overnight berths, so it was NOT very comfortable... plus the conductor came by regularly to see our tickets, waking us from our fitful slumbers)
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29 Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33 Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors (some of them, anyway)
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41 Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal in a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45 Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60 Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Gotten flowers for no reason
64 Donated blood, platelets, or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66 Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67 Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt (the top is done, which I think means I can count this one.)
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79 Seen the Grand Canyon in person (those of you who know me well will understand why this one amuses me... for the rest of you who don't know, I lived there for several years of my childhood)
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating (I've done part of this, I guess... I shot a deer, then helped later wrap up the steaks... I definitely missed the middle part there, with the evisceration, but I've done that with chickens many times so I'm counting this one anyway!)
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a lawsuit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

iGoogle

If you don't have an iGoogle page set up, but you have a google account, you really should take advantage of it. I love my new iGoogle page! It is easy to customize, and I added widgets that give me a preview of my gmail inbox, let me play hangman, display quotes of the day, track Nathan's age (4 months, 3 weeks, and 2 days old!), have to do lists, weather, and the latest? A great little widget that lets me post to my blog from the same page. Gotta love it!