Minnesota Weather

Minnesota weather is really rather interesting.

Before moving here, I was told that Minnesota has a “dry” cold.  Not sure what that meant exactly.

Now I do.  It is very dry.  Scratch, scratch, scratch.  I feel itchy all over sometimes.  It’s important to stay hydrated and using a good lotion is also important.

We use CeraVe — also recommended by Dr. Oz for dry skin.

CeraVe

Another interesting tidbit — chapstick is sold in 3’s instead of the usual 1 like what I’m used to seeing in Seattle.  I’m sure you can find a single one but every time I’ve looked, they have sold them in a pack of 3.

ChapStick

My asthma has not kicked in yet either.  Good news as I thought for sure I’d be spending a lot of time in the emergency room.  My breath has only been “taken away” once since I’ve been here and I haven’t had to use an inhaler to stop its continuance.  I simply put a warm glove over my mouth until I arrived at a warm place.

I just need to stay out of the cold north winds and then I’m fine.

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The Past

“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”  George Santayana, from The Life of Reason, Vol 1, 1905

Reading the words above make me realize how “not in the past” I am living.  Even though it is good to remember our past, we need to make sure not to repeat the wrong decisions we made.  We all have growth as we get older.

And older I am.  I still have spontaneous moments when I want to dance in the rain, scream at the top of my lungs and roll down a hill (hopefully missing any dog poop on the way down).  laughs


“They” say, and I’m not sure who they are, that people get stuck at a certain age.  It matters not how many years old they are.  What matters is what age their brain gets stuck at.

I’m still stuck somewhere in my 20’s.  Maturity at age 25.  Seems like an oxymoron.  Not too many people are mature at that age.  They are still searching for themselves (as are some people at 50).

Yet, the body knows it’s not 25 and so there are limits to what one can do in spite of what one may want to do.  Still, being older and having a youthful mind is not so bad.

 

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Paninos Restaurant in North Oaks, Mn

Paninos is an Italian restaurant located in North Oaks, Minnesota at the Village Center.

Paninos Restaurant in North Oaks, Minnesota

We stumbled upon this restaurant after looking at houses late in the evening.

The restaurant was well lit and we were greeted well when we entered.  It has tables and booths and a relaxed atmosphere.  Murals are on the walls throughout the establishment.

Mural on wall of Paninos Restaurant in North Oaks, Mn

Mural on wall of Paninos Restaurant in North Oaks, Mn

The garlic bread did not really taste like garlic although the presentation was good.

Garlic Bread at Paninos Restaurant 

We had an appetizer for one of our entrees called the Cracker Pizza.  The crust was thin as expected.  Just the right amount of cheese and ground beef.  The crust was a little soft since we expected a crunchier crust due to the name “cracker” pizza.

Cracker Pizza at Paninos Restaurant

The second entree was the cavatappi bolognese.  It was okay.  We probably could have made this better at home.

Cavatappi Bolognese
Overall, it was a good dining experience.
Paninos is located at 857 Village Center Dr in North Oaks, Minnesota.

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Hannah

Her name was Hannah and she was married to Elkanah.

Hannah was not able to conceive children so Elkanah, although being a Godly man, took on another wife to perpetuate his name as so many did back in those days of old.

This caused jealousy between the two women — one who could bear children and one couldn’t.  And the second wife would taunt Hannah.  Human nature can sometimes be cruel.

The cruelness did not prevent Hannah from going to church and petitioning God for a miracle in giving her a baby.

When I re-read the story, found in 1 Samuel 1, I pondered my prayer and church life.
Unlike Hannah, sometimes I allow people to get in the way of my going to church for God’s blessings.  And I further exacerbate the problem when I do go by holding up a higher standard for “church” people only to be disappointed. Then I have to fight against the tendency to judge people.  Because, although it may be how they are, we just don’t know how they got there.  
Inside us all, I believe, is God’s goodness just ready to burst out.  If we could look at people the way God looks at them — with the potential to be good in spite of the bad that reveals itself on the outside –how different we would treat each other in life.
God answered Hannah’s prayer.  And this time it was a loud resounding YES!  Her baby boy, called Samuel, served many years in God’s sanctuary.  
But whether God’s answer was yes or no, I believe Hannah would have continued her close communion with God trusting that He knew what was best for her.
A great example for me to emulate.

For a more detailed account of this story, click here.  
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House Hunting

Blah!  Why can’t house hunting be easy?

If my husband didn’t work, we could house hunt all day and still have a life.  Since he works (not that I’m complaining about that), we have evenings and Sundays to house hunt.  Not much time to view too many homes.

It’s not that we’re picky.  All we want is an updated house on a treed lot.  Not an updated house with no trees.  Not a treed lot with a fixer upper.

Bleah!

Kudos to our realtor, Bridget Crepeau from Edina Realty, for having the patience of Job in continuing to help us find the right home.

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Hudson, Wisconsin

This home is located in Hudson, Wisconsin just a few minutes from I94 and is a short sale (the price of the home is worth less than the mortgage that is owed).

Hudson, Wisconsin Home

Only the front of the home is brick — the rest has siding.  The backyard is large and further back are tennis courts and a public playground.  There is also a golf course.

We peeked through the front door and the dining room is on the right, the living room on the left and the stairs to the second floor are offset to the left.

Unfortunately, the back is not very treed so it’s not very private.  It’s not a home that we wish to view but we found it interesting.

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Prayer

 “Let every breath be a prayer.”  My Life Today, pg 17, by Ellen White


So many times I hear people say “Oh, God” or “oh my God.”  Is it an acknowledgement of God or just a phrase that’s been coined?


The saying “there is no atheist in foxholes” rings true to me.  I believe at the core of every person’s being there is a belief in God. The world somehow smudges that belief and we have, well, what we have today.  


How does one define morality in the world of no God?  Does it mean we have no rules to live by?  If we do have rules, whose rules do we choose?  The government’s?  Or perhaps we should go by majority rule.  Or I have even heard that we should just be allowed to do whatever we want to do.


Until that is, other people’s actions affect us, or someone we love dearly, directly or indirectly.  


Let’s take Jared Loughner, the accused Tucson gunman.  Which moral standard should he have abided by?  Which one should we hold him to?  I believe States have laws against killing other people.  But then, so does the Bible — “thou shalt not kill.”


Perhaps we should put it to a vote as to whether that law is good or bad.  Uh, perhaps not.  If the majority were to vote that killing is ok, that an eye for an eye is the right code to live by — well, we could have a revolution on our hands.


No.  I continue to believe that inherently we really all believe and when push comes to shove, every breath is a prayer to the Creator God.  Whether we want it to be or not.

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Rhetoric

Rhetoric.  One of the definitions, found at dictionary.com, is “the undue use of exaggeration or display.”

This morning, I was listening to a radio station and they have a “rhetoric meter.”  Whenever the dj says something “inappropriate,” the rhetoric meter comes on and gives the level of rhetoric measured from 1 to 10 with 10 being the most rhetoric.

I found it rather comical as the meter would interrupt the dj to give him his rhetoric level over and over again.  Then I wondered how different we might all be if we had internal rhetoric meters.

One for gossiping, one for judgment, one for jokes, one for flattery, etc.

The internal meter could give us an electrical jolt — the more rhetoric, the more of a jolt one would get.

Yes, I know.  Someone has to evaluate what is considered rhetoric and the different levels.

Perhaps it would take a lot of the “fluff” in our talk away and make us more real.  Or perhaps we just need to listen to the Holy Spirit when He speaks to our heart.

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”  Ephesians 4:29

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