Music Monday: Casting Crowns

I am always so skeptical of Christian Rock Music. I just have never really liked it much. I know it has come a long way in the past few years, but when compared to current pop music, it usually is years behind.

However, over Christmas break I got a chance to really listen to the CD Lifesong by the group Casting Crowns. One of my younger brothers likes them and had it playing while we drove and talked and I have to say that I was pleasently surprised. My personal favorite right now is Praise You in This Storm, here is just the chorus:

And I’ll praise you in this storm

And I will lift my hands

For You are who You are

No matter where I am

And every tear I’ve cried

You hold in Your hand

You never left my side

And though my heart is torn

I will praise You in this storm

Thanks Jay, everytime I listen to this CD I will remember a long drive and great conversation!

Should We Be Happy at Work?

As I was swapping out the guts of a computer yesterday on the job, a very unsettling thought crossed my mind; I don’t like to chase down computer hardware problems.

This train of thought led me to really start thinking that I am perhaps in the wrong career.  I then eventually had to ask my self if that even mattered.

There are many great sites out there to get one thinking about careers and being happy at work.  I ran across this sort of fun quiz on Monster today “Discover Your Perfect Career.”  I think that is a really silly name, but the quiz did get me thinking and actually all of the careers it mentioned at the end are things I have dreamed of doing.

The quiz said that I am an ENFP (Extravert, Intuitive, Feeler, Perceiver).  I actually think this is pretty accurate.  And some of the careers it recommends are Career Counselor, Journalist, Graphic Designer, Copywriter, Corporate Team Trainer and Psychologist.  As I said, these are all things I have thought of in the past.

But do we have to be happy at work?  Does work have to be meaningful and fulfill me?  Or is this a bunch of touchy feely crap that we have bought into?  I am not sure that our parents, that would be the baby boomers, gave this a bunch of thought.  I have a very hard time imagining my dad sitting around wondering if being an insurance agent completes him.  I don’t think he worries too much about whether or not he is happy at work.  I also have a hard time picturing my father-in-law, a very logical practical Dutchman, wondering if he is happy enough at work.

What do you think?  Do we need to be happy at work, are just somewhat content? 

Blessings on this Christmas

As I sit here thinking of this Christmas and of Christmas past, I am so very thankful for this time of reflection. Time to remember good times of the past and to anticipate future blessings. It has been a rough few months, but I know we will get through. And as I wish I had taken more time in the past few weeks to just sit an enjoy the season, I am reminded of the simple truth in this time of year.

I think Linus has it right, and all I want to do is enjoy this Christmas classic with those I hold dear and make memories that will bless me in years to come. I don’t want to forget to ponder the real reason for the season.

Blessings. . .

Cafe Thursday - Crescent Wreath

I can’t wait to try this adorable, yet quick and easy to make crescent wreath!  I just love the shortcuts from Pillsbury.

Ingredients

2 cans refrigerated crescent rolls

1 container pineapple cream cheese spread

1/3 cup chopped ham

1/4 cup yellow pepper, finely chopped

1/4 cup green pepper, finely chopped

1/2 cup broccoli, finely chopped

1 Tablespoon red onion, finely chopped

6 cherry tomatoes, quartered

Directions

Heat oven to 375°F. Turn 10-oz custard cup upside down on center of ungreased large cookie sheet.
Remove dough from 1 can, keeping dough in 1 piece; do not unroll.
(Keep remaining can of dough in refrigerator.) Roll dough in one direction to make 12-inch log.
Cut log into 20 slices. Arrange 16 slices, slightly overlapping and in clockwise direction,
around custard cup on cookie sheet.

Repeat with second can of dough, cutting log into 20 slices. Arrange remaining 4 slices and slices
from second can (total of 24 slices) slightly overlapping each other and in counterclockwise
direction, close to but not overlapping first ring. Remove custard cup.

Bake 15 to 18 minutes or until light golden brown. Gently loosen wreath from cookie sheet;
carefully slide onto cooling rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.

Place wreath on serving tray or platter. Spread cream cheese spread over wreath. Sprinkle with
remaining ingredients. Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate up to 4 hours before serving.

Merry Christmas

Bonding over TV Shows

If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em, right?  Last night DD and I did some bonding while watching Clash of the Choirs.  Now, usually, I hate all of those reality shows.  My life has enough reality in it.  I want to be entertained when I watch TV, you know, good fiction.  Give me a murder mystery, gory though it may be anyday over one of those who can survive this stupid island like adventure longest by being a creep shows.  However, DD’s main passion in life is music, so this seemed like a show we may both enjoy, and I like choirs, so I figured we would give this new show a try.

 I am so glad we did!  I don’t know if this show would interest me as much if it weren’t Christmastime, but it was very enjoyable.  The celebrity hosts are fun (to look at with Nick Lachey and Blake Shelton) and the music is actually really good.

My favorite had to be Patti LaBelle’s Philadelphia choir, they brought the house down, and the talent was amazing.  I personally thought Nick Lachey’s was second, but I would guess there will be lots of debate about that one.

If you missed the show last night, you have another chance tonight, or tomorrow, or Thursday.  It will be on NBC all this week.  Let me know if you watched and what you thought.  We sure had fun rockin with the bands. 

Finally Friday Fun - All About Wine

I can’t even remember why I ended up on this site, I think I was looking for a gift for a friend. But this site is really a lot of fun. It is an educational wine site by a guy that may live next door to you.

Wine Library TV is hosted by Gary Vaynerchuk who is a typical Jersey guy. If you don’t know any Jersey guys, he is loud, opinionated, but somehow endearing. He is the Director of Operations at a wine store in New Jersey, which seems to be a family owned business. He has gotten som nice press recently, and been on Conon O’Brien and the Ellen Degeneres Show.

The best part about his site is that it is a video cast, instead of being a bunch of writing I have to try and make time for. He does a daily show, and I have only seen a few, but they are pretty good, and I have found that the information is worthwhile.

If you are looking for a gift and need some wine advice, or you just wish you knew more, check out this great site. I recommend starting with the link on the right under “things to check out” called “New to wine?” Enjoy!

Dealing With Christmas Stress - Part 3

The last thing about Christmas that usually stresses me out is the thought of having to decorate the entire house.

Not this year.  I have listed a couple of tips below to make holiday decorating quick and easy.

1.  Add Christmas tree lights to mirrors and doorways.  I know, the sprigs of evergreen and lights looks so nice, but I find that a cheap set of multi-colored lights around a mirror or door frame can quickly decorate a small room (like the bathroom).

2.  Place baskets of ornaments on tables and countertops.  We all have baskets lying around, and most of us probably have old ornaments that we don’t  hang on the tree anymore.  Put them in a basket for an instant centerpiece.  Add some ribbon and you have a very nice new decoration.  If you want to do more, paint the basket to match the bulbs.

3.  Add handmade snowflakes to windows and mirrors.  My kids actually love to make snowflakes and tape them to the windows.  Here is a great site with some patterns to use.

4.  Another thing I do is decorate pillows with ribbon from past Christmas presents and wrap wall art and pictures like presents.

5.  All you need to complete this look is to decorate the tree with traditional ornaments, bows and lights.

Dealing With Christmas Stess - Part 2

 

As promised, today I will share one of my secrets for dealing with Christmas stress this year.  I am cheating.

That is right, the second thing I stress out about most years is all of the baking I have to do in order to take cookies everywhere I go.  I am not gonna slave in the kitchen for hours upon hours trying to make the perfect cookie this year!  I am going to start with some dough provided by good old Pillsbury, and go from there.

In fact, over at the Pillsbury site they have some pretty darn good looking recipes that I plan to use, as well as some of my own editing of their dough.  Why reinvent the wheel?  Most cookies consist of sugar, butter, flour, I think that is what is in the Pillsbury stuff . . . right?

And instead of making 30 different kinds of cookies, I am going to narrow in on a couple and do them really well.

What Have You Done For Your Teen?

I sit here this morning, typing in pain.

In order to bond with my daughter last night, I participated in an activity I really didn’t want to.  I got my nails done.  And do you think she would settle for mom getting a nice plain old manicure?  No!  I had to get these darn acrylic nails put on.  I got them as short as I could, but I am still having a tough time this morning.  It was all I could do to convince her that I just couldn’t possibly get a design too.

So, here I sit, a system administrator who can barely type, let alone be able to take a hard drive out of a computer.  They look great, but come on, they have no practical purpose at all.  I am just waiting for the ridicule from the guys here to start.

So, was it worth it?  Absolutely!  I am convinced that it is these small little memories and shared experiences that really matter.  We wont remember what color we got, or what salon we went to, but we perhaps now have a new Christmas tradition that we will share in years to come.

 What crazy things have you done to bond with your teen or parent?