by jphilo | Dec 31, 2013 | Recipes, Top Ten Tuesday
Photo Credit: www.freedigitalphotos.net
We’re home after a long weekend spent with family in the Twin Cities area. Bad roads on the way home Monday made the trip much longer than normal. Hence, no post yesterday and total writer’s block concerning a topic for today’s top ten list.
Until I remembered today is New Year’s Eve, the perfect time for a run down of Gravel Road’s top ten posts of 2013. That said, here goes:
10. Savory Vegetable Strata: First glimmer of 2013 readers looking for non-dairy recipes.
9. Mexican Rice: First glimmer of readers looking for easy recipes.
8. Top Ten Reasons to Look Forward to a Cousin’s Reunion: No glimmer necessary for this one. The pictures tell why this post was so popular. Our family is overflowing with cousins…with almost a dozen more yet to be born at the time these photos were taken!
7. Where Minnesota Farm Girl and Queen Elizabeth Meet: I love that readers loved this post pointing out parallels between the lives of Mom and England’s queen.
6. The Best Non-Dairy Egg Bake Ever: Hmm…is a recipe theme developing?
5. How to Build a Playhouse with Life-Sized Lincoln Logs: The popularity of this post proves that my husband also has a large extended family.
4. Tiny Town, Gigantic Heart: This post puts the tiny town of Camp Crook, South Dakota on the map, as it deserves!
3. Downton Abbey Dairy-Free Scones: Where Masterpiece Theater and dairy allergy sufferers meet!
2. Dairy-Free German Chocolate Cake: Our family’s favorite birthday cake redone for all to enjoy.
1. Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free Apple Crisp: Just goes to show, the more allergies people have, the more interesting and attractive they are to the general public.
Don’t see your favorite post of the year listed in the top ten? Then leave a comment below to give it some air time. Or suggest a topic for the coming year.
by jphilo | Dec 24, 2013 | Top Ten Tuesday
10. Way back in Genesis 3:15, God promised the birth of Mary’s Son who would rule over the enemy:
“And I will put enmity
Between you and the woman,
And between your seed and her seed;
He shall bruise you on the head,
And you shall bruise him on the heel.”
9 & 8. Isaiah prophesies the birth of Jesus in chapters 7 and 9…and centuries later his birth fulfilled every detail.
Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign:
Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son,
and she will call His nameImmanuel. (7:14)
For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us;
And the government will rest on His shoulders;
And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. (9:6)
7. The small book of Micah the prophecy about the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem is found.
“But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
Too little to be among the clans of Judah,
From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel.
His goings forth are from long ago,
From the days of eternity.”
3 Therefore He will give them up until the time
When she who is in labor has borne a child.
6 & 5. Powerful angels and humble shepherds use similar language to praise the arrival of Christ in Luke 2: 14 & 20:
“Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace among menwith whom He is pleased.”
The shepherds went back,
glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen,
just as had been told them.
4. In Matthew 2: 10–11, three wise men from the east also bow down and worship Jesus. Quite a fuss over a poor, humble babe.
When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.
After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother;
and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him.
Then, opening their treasures,
they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
3. Then, in Luke 2: 29–30, Simeon responds as should all righteous believers waiting eagerly for Christ’s coming:
“Now Lord, You are releasing Your bond-servant to depart in peace,
According to Your word;
For my eyes have seen Your salvation,
Which You have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
A Light of revelation to the Gentiles,
And the glory of Your people Israel.”
2. In John, God reveals the reason for the birth of His Son in human flesh.
“For God so loved the world,
that He gave His only begotten Son,
that whoever believes in Him shall not perish,
but have eternal life.
1. My absolute favorite Christmas verse is a beautiful reminder of God’s propensity to partner with frail humans to accomplish his eternal purposes.
But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart.
Luke 2:19
Is there any mother’s heart that does not break to think of the joy and sorrow Mary’s baby will bring to her life? Is there any believing heart that doesn’t beat faster in anticipation of the coming of the King?
Photo Credit: www.freedigitalphotos.net
by jphilo | Dec 17, 2013 | Top Ten Tuesday
This year was a good one for reading and listening to books. Thanks to Good Reads, keeping track of what I read was easy to do. After a look through my book list, I came up with this top ten list. All were books read for the first time in 2013, though many were published in previous years. That said, here’s my list.
10. Elsewhere by Richard Russo. Russo is a favorite novelist, and this memoir gives a peek into why he writes what he writes and how he thinks up the most loveable loser characters in modern literature.
9. Every Good Endeavor: Connecting Your Work to God’s Work by Timothy Keller. An adult Sunday school at our church studied this book last January. Thoughtfully and intelligently written, it shifted my perspective about what work is and why God created work.
8. A Curious Man: The Strange and Brilliant Life of Robert “Believe It or Not!” Ripley by Neal Thompson. My inner biography junkie loved this book. Reading it teaches so much about this very unusual man, the Believe It or Not! brand, and the times during which lived.
7. Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel by Garcia Marquez. Cindy, a book buddy, recommended this book by a Nobel Prize winner. The writing breaks all the modern writing rules about fast-moving plots, dialogue, and showing rather than telling. Still, Marquez created characters impossible to forget. When that happens, it’s a good book.
6. The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh. This first novel has a somewhat predictable plot. But Diffenbaugh skillfully weaves the language of flowers and a peek into the world of foster care with great care and beauty.
5. The Fish That Ate the Whale: The Life and Times of America’s Banana King by Rich Cohen. Who knew a biography about the man who made United Fruit the top banana selling company in the United States could be so interesting? And this book reveals the origin of the phrase “Banana Republic.” So worth reading.
4. The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grisson. In her historical novel set in the South before the Civil War, Grisson sheds light on the evils of slavery and shows how many wives of plantation owners lived in a prison created by the society.
3. The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins. I just finished listening to the trilogy and get what the hype is about. An interesting premise, an exciting story line, and a strong female protagonist who wrestles to determine what’s good and evil make it a page turner with a satisfying, bittersweet conclusion.
2. W Is for Wasted by Sue Grafton. Grafton manages to plunk her spunky, quirky heroine, Kinsey Millhone, into the world of homelessness without sounding preachy. She also advances the overarching character development of Millhone that began way back in A Is for Alibi.
1. Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin. The movie Lincoln inspired me to listen to Goodwin’s biography of Abraham Lincoln and his political rivals. It was fascinating. It joins a very short list of books worth reading or listening to more than once.
What were your favorite reads in 2013? Please share them in the comment box.
Photo Credit: www.freedigitalphotos.net
by jphilo | Dec 10, 2013 | Top Ten Tuesday
10. I prefer to watch The Lord of the Rings trilogy on Christmas instead of It’s a Wonderful Life. So does the man of steel, by the way.
9. The Christmas music has not made it’s 2013 debut in our home…and probably won’t.
8. No Christmas baking yet around here.
7. With the man of steel watching his sugar and no dairy for the woman of aluminum, the eating of Christmas goodies lacks the Christmas spirit around here. It’s akin to two toddlers engaged in parallel play: we’ll be in the same room eating, but refusing to share.
6. The Christmas letter muse has yet to bless me with an idea for this year’s missal.
5. Christmas stamps have not yet been purchased. Which, if past practice is any indication, means the faith-related stamps are gone, and generic snowflakes or goofy reindeer will grace our envelopes. Again.
4. If the Christmas letter muse drops an idea on my head, and if the post office still has either generic snowflake or goofy reindeer stamps, and if the letters get stuffed into envelopes at least by Martin Luther King Day Valentine’s Day Easter the Fourth of July, the return address labels will all be crooked. Because I am return label sticking impaired.
3. The Christmas tree looks mighty lonely with not one present under it yet.
2. If by some miracle the tape gets found and the presents are wrapped by Martin Luther King Day Valentine’s Day Easter the Fourth of July, the Christmas tree will still be a sory sight. Because in addition to being return label sticking impaired, my present-wrapping skills are minimal. So the presents will look like they were wrapped by a two-year-old.
1. My grandmotherly present-buying duties are in arrears as I have not purchased a single noise-making, highly aggravating, sanity-straining, obnoxious gift for our grandson to enjoy while his parents shake their fists at heaven and curse my existence…which is, of course, why God invented grandmas.
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by jphilo | Dec 3, 2013 | Top Ten Tuesday
10. “Jo, could you bring me the afghan my ma made. I’m cold.”
“Okay, Mom. Do you want the brown, orange, or cream-colored one?
9. “Is it time to go to bed yet? I’m tired.”
“It’s about 7:30. Can you make it until 8:00?”
8. “Jo, what do you have to eat around here?”
“Bananas, oranges, dried apples, cashews, or I can make some popcorn.”
“Oh, popcorn sounds good.”
7. “Here, Jo. Since you’re going to the kitchen, I’ll let you take my popcorn bowl to the
sink.”
“Okey-dokey.”
6. “It’s time for the weather/The Price is Right/Jeopardy/Judge Judy/Wheel of Fortune/Antiques Roadshow. Now, how does this remote work?”
“Hmmm…I can’t figure it out either. Let’s ask Hiram.”
5. “Mom, do you want to play Skippo?”
“I guess I can, if you’d like to.”
4. “Mom, would you like to play Uno?”
“I guess so, if it’ll make you happy.”
3. “Uno!”
“What do you mean, Uno already Mom?”
“I’m out, Jo. Eh-eh-eh!”
“How long have you been practicing that evil laugh? It’s kinda creepy, Mom.”
“Eh-eh-eh!”
“Dorothy, I’m going to record it and make it the ring tone on my phone.”
“Eh-eh-eh. Don’t even think it, Hiram.”
2. “Okay, Mom. It’s 8:30 if you want to go to bed. Sleep tight. I love you.”
“I know you do.”
1. “Both my mother and mother-in-law were really good cooks. You take after them, Jo.”
“Thanks, Mom.”
How does/did your mom say “I love you”? Leave a comment.
Photo Credit: www.freeditigalphotos.net
by jphilo | Nov 26, 2013 | Top Ten Tuesday
10. Our home is pet-free, so we can take off whenever we want.
9. Costco’s yellow legal pads and architecture mechanical pencils. Don’t know why, but they make me very happy.
8. The internet. It makes the writer’s life so much easier.
7. Public libraries. Without them I’d have to sell internal organs to pay for my reading habit.
6. We are healthy and active. Good health is an undeserved blessing we too often take for granted.
5. My husband. He said “Go for it” without batting an eye when I decided to quit teaching and give writing a try.
4. A mother who taught all her children to cook. Really, really well.
3. Grandma Conrad’s pie crust recipe. Yes, the recipe came from Mom when she taught us to cook.
2. The family’s coming to our house for Thanksgiving. I’d much rather cook than pack.
1. Mom will tell the same stories she always tells. And I’ll be glad to hear them all over again since that means she’s still here!
What will you be thankful for this Thanksgiving? Leave a comment!
