I finally own a Kindle! Like I said I said in a previous post, I'm the last one on the bandwagon. I first heard about the Kindle back in college when I was the personal secretary to a technology professor. He showed me the promo video for it before it even was on the market. It was like $400 back then. I thought it was the most amazing thing ever but thought it would be sad to lose the new book smell and the ability to see the thickness of how much I'd already read change. I also could never see myself spending $400 on a piece of technology. My laptop at the time had only cost $99. I'm a techno cheapskate.

Then I noticed the Kindle getting cheaper and cheaper and cheaper. One of my 6th graders got one for Christmas. As I was buying textbooks for my grad classes I noticed that some of my textbooks were available for Kindle. My husband downloaded Kindle for PC and started purchasing his textbooks for Kindle. Then wonder of wonder, miracles of miracles...Kindle offered a new model for only $114. The only downside is that it has advertising on it. Who cares? You barely even notice them.

So, I put it on my Amazon wishlist hoping that my dad would pick up on the hint and buy me one for my birthday. He did! He's still pretty skeptical about it because he's a techno cheapskate like me. (Hey, I learned from the best.) He thinks I'll never use it. I'll show him. I plan to flaunt it in his face when he comes to visit me in a week. Maybe he'll buy one for himself.

I've already downloaded several free classics. I, unlike the most of the world, actually do read classic literature for fun. I need to finish my paper copy of a Tale of Two Cities and then I'll have to decide which Kindle book to start first. I'm thinking the first one will be The Scarlet Letter because it's a real crying shame that I graduated from college with an English degree and have never read it. I could probably ace a test over it though, because I know the premise of the story and even know the characters' names.

I'm really looking forward to buying able to buy books cheaper and then not having to store them. My apartment is teeny and my hubby and I are both bibliophiles. I'm also looking forward to reading outside at my favorite park. The electronic ink technology allows you to read off of the screen without a glare. It's pretty incredible. I told my husband that I might just buy a monthly train pass to the large, crime-filled city near my house and then just ride the train and read my Kindle so I can feel like I'm a cool city girl (even though I'm a super-nerdy country girl.)

Lord, Change My Attitude- Book Review

I just finished reading a great book during my daily devotional time. It's called Lord, Change My Attitude Before It's Too Late by author and pastor James MacDonald of Harvest Bible Chapel. MacDonald also hosts a radio program on Moody radio called Walk in the Word, and his church has started several other churches throughout the Midwest. He has a great ministry.

I heard about this book back in 2009 during our Seminary Wives Fellowship meetings. The professors' wives were all reading through this book together and then presented the chapters to the rest of us. During the time, I was having a really bad attitude about my life circumstances. I was living 900+ miles from home, was poorer than dirt because of seminary, had started my teaching career, and rarely saw my husband because of his seminary and work schedule. To top it off, I really didn't want to be at these SWF meetings because they were held in the same building that I taught in. The last thing I wanted to do was come back to the building where I had already spent 8+ hours earlier that day. Needless to say, my heart was ripe for the message of this book. I decided to put it on my Amazon wishlist, and my dad bought it for me for Christmas (we both have a slight obsession with purchasing books off of Amazon).

I started reading it shortly after that, then put it down for a few months, then picked it up again around the next Thanksgiving, then put it down for a few months, and I just finished it this morning as part of my devotions. I wish I would have had the time to finish it in a shorter time frame. Oh well.

The book is divided into 10 chapters with every odd numbered chapter describing a bad attitude and every even numbered chapter describing what to replace that bad attitude with. A lengthy epilogue wraps it all up nicely. The five bad attitudes covered are as follows: a complaining attitude, a covetous attitude, a critical attitude, a doubting attitude, and a rebellious attitude. Upon first reading the chapters, I caught myself thinking "Oh, this doesn't apply to me," and then ended the chapters thinking "Ouch, it actually does apply to me." I really do have an attitude problem.

I really appreciated how MacDonald explained how to fix these attitude problems. I'm all about application. I also liked how he applied the story of the Israelites and their wilderness wanderings to these bad attitudes. He contrasted how the Israelites chose a life of wilderness wandering because of their complaining attitudes. They could have had a life in the Promised Land if they would have trusted God's timing. He didn't just pull random verses out of context to prove his point. He systematically went through the story of the Israelites and applied it to his principles delineated in his book. He relied heavily on Scripture throughout the book. It's easy for Christian authors to fall into the trap of throwing Scripture into their books as an afterthought. MacDonald doesn't fall into this trap. He builds his book around Scripture.

I strongly recommend this book to individuals struggling with contentment in their lives. If you can't understand why you are so unhappy all of the time, pick up this book and apply the principles to your own life. But if you're not prepared to apply what you read to your own heart and life, you will never change. MacDonald says in his epilogue, "If you're not turning to Him (Jesus) and walking intimately and personally with Him, you will never escape the wilderness. Even if you are a Christian, but are trying to do it yourself, it won't work" (p. 262). What a great reminder for all of us!

Next on my list to read...Hinds Feet on High Places by Hannah Hurnard.

A Day of Food

I've spent a lot of time focusing on food today. I decided to dig through old magazines with the intention of finding good recipes. I decided to rip out the recipes and through away the rest of the magazines. My friend, Liz, gave me these magazines last summer and last fall and I'm just now digging through them. Here's the lovely stack I had to dig through:

While I was working on this stack, I also whipped up some Honey Mustard Chicken. My husband's aunt gave me a box of laminated recipe cards that came from various members of the family as a wedding gift . She put little notes and memories on each card. I cannot tell you how much I treasure that recipe box. This recipe is probably my favorite from the stash.

Honey Mustard Chicken

Ingredients:

  6-8 Chicken Thighs, or assorted pieces

1/3 c mustard (honey mustard is the best)

1/3 c honey

3 Tb milk

2 Tb butter, melted

1/2 tsp curry powder

Instructions:

Mixed together above ingredients. Roll chicken pieces in batter and lay in FOIL LINED baking dish. You will regret if you don't line pan with foil! Pour remaining batter over chicken. Bake at 350 F for 1 hour 15 minutes. Baste about every 15 minutes and the chicken will be golden brown when finished. 

Serving Suggestion(s): Serve over cooked white rice. I usually double the sauce recipe for extra deliciousness.

Yield: 4-6 Servings

Every woman needs a rice cooker!

 I also watched 11 Rachel Ray video clips on Swag Bucks.com for three lousy Swag Bucks. I'm trying to rack up as many as I can to get gift cards to help my husband buy us a new TV. Ours was free from my grandma. You can barely read any of the words on the screen because she kept the TV on for about 12 hours a day for several years before she gave it to us. Needless to say, we need a new TV! I did learn a few tricks of the trade from Rachel, though. I'm going to start using a garbage bowl as I cook. It will save me a ton of time and will keep germs and messes from going all over my kitchen. I also might look into grating fresh nutmeg. I may even think about using some EVOO. I do have a slight aversion to olive oil after a camping trip gone awry. It might take a few years before I can eat it again.

It's been a great day foodwise. I think I might go create some sort of dessert out of whatever few ingredients I have lurking in the cupboards.

Coping with Grief

Disclaimer: I don't want to sound heartless and insensitive in this post. I truly hurt for those who have experienced tragedy. I just want to find a way to help all of us know how to deal with tragedy whether we are directly or indirectly affected by it. This is NOT targeted at any one person.

Lately I've been pondering tragedy. For some reason I read several blogs that talk about tragedy a lot. I've been blessed with a life that is relatively tragedy-free. All of my grandparents, parents, aunts and uncles, cousins, and siblings are still alive. In fact, my husband and I were able to have all eight of our grandparents at our wedding. All eight of those grandparents are still married to their original spouses. That's unheard of in today's society. Both my parents and my husband's parents are happily married to their original spouses as well. My husband and I both have full-time jobs. So do our parents. Most of our friends are happily married or are happily single. We are truly blessed. Since my life is free from tragedy, I have no clue how to comfort friends in times of tragedy. My typical response goes something like this, "I'm so sorry. I can't even imagine how you must be feeling right now. I will definitely be praying for you." Or, I avoid the topic all together and try to talk about something else because I figure they are sick and tired of people only talking about their tragedy.

A blog I happened to be reading didn't seem to approve of my method of comfort. This blogger experienced a horrendous tragedy and blogs about it quite frequently. She didn't seem to like those types of comfort phrases because they seemed trite. I understand that, I just don't know what the right thing is to say. She's not the only blogger to do that. Most bloggers who blog about tragedy leave out what they want those of us looking on to do. Us "outsiders," if you will, want to comfort our hurting friends. We are absolutely genuine in our efforts. Some (not usually me) give advice because they feel they are genuinely supposed to help their friend get through their tragedy. Although, I get really ticked when friends post statuses filled with hurt on Facebook and then some well-meaning person totally tries to downplay their suffering by saying, "Just wait until...happens. This circumstance will seem like nothing compared to that." Have a heart. Most of our bumbling efforts, however, are out of a desire to be loving and helpful. Most aren't because we want to lord our superiority over our hurting friends (except for those snarky status commentators).

So, what I'm trying to say is this: hurting people we want to help you.  We love and care about you. TELL us what would comfort you. HELP us understand your needs. As good friends we want to "be there" for you. We would do anything in our power to help you. Let us know what you do want us to do and what you don't want us to do.

What in the world is going on?

Is it pathetic that my only sources of what is going on in the world are the radio show "Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me" and my 6th graders saying, "Mrs. Rhine did you hear about...?" I like to think that I'm blissfully ignorant. I don't really think I'm being selfish and completely wrapped up in myself. If I was, I wouldn't browse my friends' friends' Facebook pictures. (You know you do it too. Don't judge me.)

Every time I try to watch the news or try to read articles online, I get depressed. I start thinking the world is crumbling around me and there is no hope for anyone. I'm a Christian. I believe that shortly before Christ returns the world will be in chaos. I know the world is in a lot of turmoil right now. I think that knowledge is sufficient. I don't think I should be pouring over the gritty details. The Bible does command us to think on whatever is pure and lovely. It does not command us to dwell on all the sufferings of the world so we can be aware of our surroundings.

Now I'm sure lots of people can find flaws in my logic. But for where I am in life right now, I think it's best that I just hear snatchets of what's going on in the world. The most informed people I know (mostly ultra-conservative Fundamentalists) are also some of the most miserable people I know. My own grandmother probably knows more about Obama than Obama himself. She, however,  is not the happiest woman alive.

God commands us to be joyful. I'm choosing a life joy over knowledge. How bout you?

Relaxation

I cannot seem to relax. School is done for the year. I have a three month vacation. I keep thinking about all the projects I want to accomplish and all the responsibilities I need to take care of. Argh.

Instead of relaxing, I browse Facebook, play Mahjong, and watch Monk on Netflix. Aren't those relaxing tasks, you ask? Sure. But they are all worthless, meaningless relaxation techniques. What I really want to do is cook a fancy meal or read one book after another while sipping tea. 

I think I'm going to make a conscious effort to relax in meaningful ways next week. I don't care if I have dirty dishes on the counter or clothes that have been in the dryer for three days. I'm going to sit down with a book and read it until I'm satisfied. Then I'll tackle those dishes.

Sweat and Sunshine

I "sat out" for the first time of the summer today. My pasty white skin was hungry for some good ole Vitamin D. I know all of the health warnings about sun and skin cancer. I actually did a research project on it once. I came to the conclusion that outdoor tanning is slightly better for you than indoor tanning. I've done indoor tanning as well. I was forced to by an unnamed female family member. I had to do it before my senior pictures and before my wedding. I truly hate indoor tanning. I won't go into all of the nasty reasons I hate it, but I hate it. I won't be doing it ever again if I can help it.

Sitting out at my apartment is a bit complex. Our apartment is actually a garage that was converted into an apartment. Our landlord, his wife, and their youngest daughter live in the house attached to our apartment.Our home is right at the edge of a small forest. It's great because of all the wonderful shade and hiking trails right in our backyard. It's not great, however, for sitting out. I decided to set up facing lawn chairs in our driveway as soon as my husband left for for his second job. The driveway is the only spot that receives direct sunlight. I probably looked like a total loser sitting in the driveway desperately trying to get some color, but I don't care.

I had a Mr. Freezie in my hand along with a cup of water with an entire tray of ice cubes (not exaggerating) and A Tale of Two Cities. It was super relaxing. My landlord's wife thought I was crazy for sitting out in this 90+ degree heat, but I don't care. It was totally worth it to me. I think my 3 month summer vacation is probably one of the best perks about being a teacher. Before you non-teachers start griping about that, compare your salary to mine and you'll see that life isn't so unfair after all. : )

Calm my Stomach

Today I found myself asking God to calm my stomach. Most people pray "Lord, please calm my heart in this difficult situation." I, however, asked God to calm my stomach. When I get anxious about something, my stomach goes haywire. I almost push myself to the point of ...well nevermind.

The reason I needed God to calm my stomach was I was going to take the train all by myself to a large city filled with crime. I won't tell you what city because that's "asking for trouble" as my dear mother would say. My husband was originally supposed to go with me, but he had to work. Story of our lives.

My middle brother, Luke, had a jazz band concert in this large, crime-filled city. So, I couldn't not go. (Did you know that many linguists are advocating for the acceptance of double negatives?) I live 900+ miles away from my family. Luke came here with his high school jazz band as a sort of last hoorah before going to college in the fall. No humane woman would pass up the opportunity to see one of her family members perform a concert in a nearby crime-filled city when she lives so far away from said family member.

So, I begged God to calm my stomach and took the train to the large, crime-filled city all by my lonesome. I was freaked out at first because the train system in this large, crime-filled city is confusing and cumbersome. Normally I have my logical husband there to look clueless figure things out with me. I was on my own this time. As usual, I figured out the cumbersome steps easily enough.

Once I got on the train, a new flood of worries swept through me. Where do I sit? What is the proper etiquette? How many rows should I keep between me and the person in front of me? Is it more acceptable to choose the side of the train that has three seat in a row or two? Do I leave my orange ticket on the seat when I leave, or do I take it with me? Is it weird to tell the conductor "thanks" when he punches my ticket? Are the others around me going to think I'm reading my book too slowly? Should I keep my purse on my lap, or put it next to me? Is it weird to lean my head against the window? Is this designated as a quiet car? Are you allowed to text on a quiet car? Should I answer my cell phone? Do I stand up before the train stops so they know I'm getting off?

Those are only some of the questions that were whirring through my brain on my hour-long train ride. I'm obsessed with what others think of me. That's why I need God to calm my stomach.

Even though I was in a mild state of panic most of the trip, I did take time to enjoy the ride...somewhat. I've always harbored this secret desire to have a fancy cubicle job in a big city that involved a long commute on some sort of public transportation. I've always wanted to be able to read a cool classic novel while riding public transportation. So, I brought A Tale of Two Cities to read along the way. I felt so literate. The thought did cross my mind that I could get used to this sort of life. Maybe I'll have to apply to teach in the public school system of this crime-filled city. Or not. My prayers would be more along the lines of "God, please help me disarm my student without the gun going off."

Anyways, the concert was great. The train ride was great. The feeling of accomplishment when I pulled into my driveway was great. God calmed my stomach as usual. I am safe at home watching episodes of Monk. Monk reminds me a little of myself. Maybe that's why I like the show so much. What he needs is some quality nouthetic counseling, as my husband would say. Or maybe he should just ask God to calm his stomach.

Last one on the Bandwagon

I'm always the last one to jump on the bandwagon. I think it stems from my childhood. My parents had this phobia of fads. When I say "parents" I mean my dad. My mom just followed his lead like a good wife should. : )

For example, we were never allowed to own Beanie Babies until they were no longer cool. My dad could not fathom why anyone would even think of spending money on a piece of cloth filled with beans. So, while all the other kids were anxiously waiting in line outside of flowershops, my brothers and I were stuck playing with boring toys like Barbies and G.I. Joes.

Because my father is the third greatest man to walk the face of the earth (Jesus and my husband, Ben, take 1st and 2nd place respectively), I tend to follow his avoidance of fads. I usually buy clothes that stay somewhat in style for a few years. I did not choose blue and brown for my wedding colors. I did not major in international business or marketing. I still haven't seen The Notebook. I haven't joined Twitter. I didn't start seriously blogging until, well, now.

I tried blogging once or twice, but it just never worked for me. I always obsessed over my grammar and syntax because I majored in English. After reading blogs for the past year, I've decided that I can't keep my thoughts to myself any longer. The Facebook status bar only allows 420 characters. I have so much more to say than that.

Thus, One Bright Day in the Middle of the Night was born.

Where did I get this title you ask? Well, one of the reasons I've avoided blogging is the title part intimidated me. Every other blog I've read has these mega-creative titles. I'm not mega-creative. I'm great at copying others. I decided a title composed of nonsense words would best fit my blog. So, I did what any good teacher would do. I googled "nonsense words." This, of course, led me to my secret favorite website, Wikipedia. What? But you're a teacher. Teachers tell their students that Wikipedia is full of lies. We just say that because our teachers told us the same thing. We use it secretly.

Anyways, this lovely poem popped up in my search:

One bright day in the middle of the night,

Two dead boys got up to fight.

Back-to-back they faced one another,

Drew their swords and shot each other.

One was blind and the other couldn't see,

So they chose a dummy for a referee.

A blind man went to see fair play,

A dumb man went to shout "hooray!"

A deaf policeman heard the noise,

And came and shot the two dead boys.

A paralyzed donkey walking by,

Kicked the copper in the eye,

Sent him through a nine inch wall,

Into a dry ditch and drowned them all.

(If you don't believe this lie is true,

Ask the blind man -- he saw it too!)

--Anonymous

My dad used to recite this all the time, so I figured it would be a fitting title. So, there you have it folks. My new blog. I hope it works this time.