Ok, we’re looking for free blogging alternatives to Microsoft Windows Live Writer. Why? Well, I recently acquired a Macbook Air and I’m looking to find a replacement for what has become one of my favorite applications.

In my quest to find something that would aid my blogging, I pretty much found nothing. This post is a test of the Qumana program, which is the best thing I could find.

Why look for a tool to help with this? Well, honestly, I’d rather simply open up an app and start blogging, without having to launch a web browser. What if you have multiple blogs? Isn’t just loading up an app with multiple blog accounts easier than logging into every site where I have a blog? I think so.

Anyway, we’ll test this Qumana application and see how annoyed I can get! lol

I think a lot. I mean, a LOT. Sometimes I feel like my brain is in fast-forward all day, and like my thoughts are fighting for their own space. I’m not sure how to slow it down, but I’d like to. “Breathe,” I say to myself, and “slow down.” Even in those moments, though, I find my mind racing at a pace that I can hardly keep up with.

Does your mind work like this? Do you struggle with an overabundance of thought? Much of the time it is a distraction and a cause for anxiety. What do you do to slow down on the inside? How do you maintain focus when you realize it’s happening? Reaching out a bit here, looking for suggestions…

In our marriage, Allyson and I have traditional roles. I am the primary wage earner while she is a Home Maker. More often than not, she is the one planning meals and cooking, and let me tell you… she creates exquisitely scrumptious dishes day after day, with the greatest of ease and grace.

Despite following this older path in life, we do share in one another’s roles quite often. Breakfast is among my daily duties, and Ally calls it her “favorite meal of the day.” While I’d like to think it’s because my skills as a cook are off the hook, I’m pretty sure it’s the simple fact that she doesn’t have to prepare and fix this meal. 🙂

Saturdays are of particular fun as they are Pancake Day. This has a dual meaning. 1. It means that we get to have pancakes today! 2. It means Daddy is home for the weekend and the daily grind is mostly out of site for the next 48 hours. The latter reason, I think, brings greater joy than the former. (at least I hope so!)

I thought I’d share the recipe with you today for “Uncle Chad’s Famous Pancakes.” They earned that title from my nieces in Texas, b/c they now make and eat them with fondness on a regular basis. It’s a buttermilk recipe, and here’s the ingredient list:

• 2 eggs
• 3 T butter (melted)
• 2 T sugar
• 2 C buttermilk
• 1 T vanilla (that’s right, tablespoon)
• [mix the above together w/a wisk]
• 2 C flour
• 1 t powder
• 1 t soda
• 1/2 t salt
• [I dump the flour in on top of the wet ingredients, then add the rest of the dry ingredients and mix slowly ’til it’s all a little lumpy]
• chocolate chips (opt. — don’t mix them into the batter, that’s yucky)

All the while, before cooking them, I have the pan set on medium-low heat (4 out of 10 on our stove top). It’s important the skillet be neither too hot nor too cool. Too hot and you get burned pancakes, too cool and you get limp, lame ones.  Here are some photos I took this morning as I went along.

The wet stuff, sugar not pictured.

As mentioned, I put the flour right in w/the first set of stuff, then mix slowly until it looks a “little” lumpy. You don’t want pancake batter to be too smooth, some lumps are good.

Could probably even be lumpier than this…

First group is always w/out choc. chips for testing purposes. Flipped gold.

Chocolate chips for the wife and boy. I prefer them without (crazy)!

Tasty pig optional (well, maybe for you, not for us).

Happy Eaters are a requirement! Silly ones, too.

Giant pancake to finish off the batter: optional but fun.

Yesterday I was at an outdoor event, grilling for the group. I love to grill, so it my pleasure to start the charcoal and sweat over the hot dogs on a 90 degree day here in Northeast, OH.

One of the ladies in the group shared why she no longer wears shorts, and what she said caught me completely off guard.

“One day I met my husband at an event, and I had a pair of shorts on. As soon as I walked in, he said to me:

‘Why are you wearing THOSE, they make your legs look totally fat!’

I told him he could have at least waited until after the event to say that. The whole time I stood against the wall because I didn’t want anyone to see my legs.

That same day I went home and changed into pants and threw all of my shorts away.”

Something about what she said made me immediately ask her, “How long ago was that?” She replied, “TEN years.”

I was saddened for her, angry toward the man, and amazed at the impact a single phrase had on this woman’s life, and the effect it will likely have on her until the day she dies. Then I grew sober in my heart and realized how often I am careless with words, wondering how many times I have probably affected lives with what I’ve said.

James chapter 3 is a great reminder for watching our words. A small part of it is quoted below in the graphic. But another verse in the Bible tells us of the way words can sink down deep:

Proverbs 18:8

The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to the inmost parts.

Just about any time is a good time to think about what we say, and how we say it.

Paths mysterious brought us here
So many roads passed by in fear
Hoping we might know a child
Of our own blood, with no papers filed

But Father has his own designs
In sovereign splendor he assigns
Our days, each one, our paths before
they come to be, what is in store

We tried for years, we tried in tears
We begged for "barren" to disappear
We ached for what we wanted most
To have our seed to love and boast

And as the sun set on those dreams
We chose a new path, now it seems
That God intended all along
So now we get to hear your song

We watch you dance, we see you spin
"Tickle me, throw me, Daddy, again!"
Your stomping monster brings such joy
"[D]rampa, did you bring me a toy?"

The abandon you have as you play
Singing all along the way
Always full-speed as you run
Chasing after some new fun

I never thought I’d see or find
In choo-choo trains, such joy divine
But you have brought the rails in close
I don’t think you’ll ever overdose

Lastly, I want you to know
That I will always love you so
And claim you proudly as my own
Our answered prayers now not unknown

And everything I have is yours
We long to see just what’s in store
For you in life in days to come
From God to us, you are our son

It’s a legal thing. There are lots of legal things. This morning’s proceedings at the Medina County Courthouse were nothing short of profound. This little boy on the left is now MY little boy. He carries MY name. He represents ME to the world.

The judge said at one point, right at the end of his speech, "The name of the minor is changed…" The legal status of this child has changed… and the judge said something else that will be in my heart forever… "It is in the best interest of the minor…"

God’s smile is on us in force today. The light of His face is surely shining upon us! I am so proud to be this boy’s daddy, and so amazed that he has become ours (and we his!).

So many people in our lives have supported us up to this point, and I’m confident that love and kindness will continue. We have a GREAT, BIG family! Our deepest thanks and love are returned to everyone in that family.

The love between these two is strong. They have snuggled one another for the past… hm, 13 years? These are especially fun if you can view them in quick succession. 🙂 Emma and Allyson have long been great lovers. The tenderness and affection of a favorite pet is a treasure. And my brain goes, “Hmm, now there’s another argument against Evolution… Why should there be pleasure between animals and people, if we’ve all be assembled by a mere chance collision and combination of particles?”

I know, looks violent… just a yawn, though. 🙂 If you watch quickly from bottom to top, it’s a bit like Emma is eating Ally’s head. We’ve always thought she would do precisely that if she was bigger.

Emma says, “If I were bigger, I would eat you!”

The lack of recent blog posts is a testament to the busyness of life these days. I think I’ve also been less caught up in the idea of sharing any and every thing that’s going on in my life. My heart goes through seasons of openness. The combination of busy and guarded makes for a desperate decrease in blogging production.

Today I am sharing a collection of recent photos. The photos of the boy we’ve gained, and who will on Monday take my name as his own, and photos of the boy we’re losing, who I may never see again beyond April of this year. There are a few from the recent Texas trip, as well. Enjoy!

Vacation Pics

Her boots… she is in love with them. I am in love with her.

On the train

At Grandpa Doug and Grandma Ruthie’s house

Grandpa Doug in his truck

Getting as much of the chocolate Sonic shake as possible (it was a COLD shake!)

With silly cousins

At the airport for his first time!

I’ve decided to post separately about the loss of Logan in our lives. Please see the next post for some thoughts on his going away.