<a href="http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Eyebright/768159/"><img src="http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh260/Eyebright17/PoorManRecipesSquare.jpg" alt="Simple Recipes" border="0"></a>


<a href="http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Eyebright/768159/"><img src="http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh260/Eyebright17/PoorManRecipes.jpg" alt="Simple Recipes" border="0"></a>

• 2 Comments • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link

Feb. 25, 2010 - Spaghetti Rice

 

1. Combine the rice, water, and corn in a microwavable bowl and cook for 20-30 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, brown the meat in a skillet.  Add seasonings to taste.

3. When the rice and the meat is done, combine both into one bowl and add the spaghetti sauce. 

 

Serves at least 6 large portions.

© 2010 Defective Compositions

• 4 Comments • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link

Feb. 18, 2010 - $7 Dollar Slow Cooker Suppers

Several months ago, I got to particpate in something really neat, and tasty!  How often do you get that kind of opportunity? 

Molly needed taste testers to check out the recipes for a new cookbook that would soon be coming out.  My family tried at least five recipies, and included our comments and thoughts on each one.  Now, that loverly little cookbook is out and ready for the world to purchase! 

$7 Dollar Slow Cooker Suppers does not only include suppers, but it also has a breakfast and dessert section that will be sure to delight your senses.  You can go right on over to Econobusters to check it all out.

© 2010 Defective Compositions

• 2 Comments • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link

Feb. 15, 2010 - My Brother

Yesterday, I got really angry with my brother over something small and worthless.  I tend to do that a lot.  I also added in a selfish and rash action that caused us both unhappiness.  I immediately regreted it, of course, but I was humbled by my brother's unusual response to my provocation.

His face grew very angry at first, but then without a word he stooped to get what he had come for, and left.  A moment later I heard him whistling as he began cleaning in the other room. 

Like I said, it humbled me.  That was not the response that I either expected or deserved.  Later, we got it all sorted out and forgiven, but that incident has made me see my brother in a new light. 

Not that we won't continue to have our problems (because both of us are far from perfect!), but I can see now that my brother really does try.  For once, instead of being mean and nasty back, he just let it go, which quickly diffused the situation instead of feeding it.

So, from now on, I am going to try to continue looking at my brother in that new light.  I am going to try and see the good instead of the bad.  I am going to try and see with love.

Romans 12:10

Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love; in honour prefering one another...

© 2010 Defective Compositions

• 2 Comments • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link

Feb. 8, 2010 - The Cutest Template on the Block

Well, I've done it again.  I know that the last template was only here for a few weeks, but I woke up this morning with a desperate urge to create the most wonderful, lovely new template I could and I spent 6½ hours struggling with trying to find the right idea, and then polishing it up until it shone.

I think there is still a few things I want to add to my new template, but they will come with time.  The subtitle "almost perfect, but not quite" comes from a poem by Shel Silverstein.

ALMOST PERFECT BUT NOT QUITE
"Almost perfect… but not quite."
Those were the words of Mary Hume
At her seventh birthday party,
Looking ‘round the ribboned room."
This table cloth is pink not white—
Almost perfect… but not quite."

"Almost perfect… but not quite."
Those were the words of grown-up Mary
Talking about her handsome beau,
The one she wasn’t gonna marry.
"Squeezes me a bit too tight—
Almost perfect… but not quite."

"Almost perfect… but not quite."
Those were the words of ol’ Miss Hume
Teaching in the seventh grade,
Grading papers in the gloom
Late at night up in her room.
"They never cross their t’s just right—
Almost perfect… but not quite."

Ninety-eight the day she died
Complainin’ ‘bout the spotless floor.
People shook their heads and sighed,
"Guess that she’ll like heaven more.
"Up went her soul on feathered wings,
Out the door, up out of sight.
Another voice from heaven came—
"Almost perfect… but not quite."
-Shel Silverstein

Since I made it, I love everything about it, from the rounded corners at the top, to the floral motif, to the uncluttered sidebar, to the gorgeous blue.  It's almost perfect...

© 2010 Defective Compositions

• 12 Comments • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link

Feb. 6, 2010 - Route 66 Skirt Pattern Giveaway

I've seen that several of my friends have posted about this skirt pattern giveaway, and while I'm not against giveaways, sometimes I  think they are just too much work.  Really, I'm tired of the giveaways where you can get more entries by posting of every social network imaginable.

So, when I finally decided to click through and see what this skirt pattern giveaway was like, I was pleasantly surprised to see an absolutely darling skirt, that I decided I simply must have.  So, I scrolled down to see what the requirements were to enter, and there were only two.  I was quite pleased, and so, without further ado, I give you the link to the Route 66 Skirt Pattern Giveaway, over at Feminine Farmgirl.

© 2010 Defective Compositions

• 0 Comments • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link

Feb. 3, 2010 - Baking Day!

After "perusing" the cookbook section of the library yesterday, Bluejane and I got a wild idea to spend a day baking as many things as we wanted.  We marked the things we wanted to make, and went to bed last night excited by the prospects of the coming event.

And, after spending 4+ hours mixing, stirring, rolling, and baking, we decided that we had enough, and gathered it all together on a square card table to display the fruits of our labor.

Ready for a look-see?

• 6 Comments • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link

Jan. 27, 2010 - 7 Things You Probably Don't Know About Me

Sweet Alyssa over at Life of Faith awarded me with the "From Me to You" award.  Now, I'm not passing the award on or anything, because I don't really think I do that sort of thing, but I thought the seven things bit sounded like fun, so here it is.

Seven Things You Probably Don't Know About Me

1. I have never painted daisies on a big, red rubber ball.
2. I can't decide if my favorite color is red or orange...or green...or blue...or yellow...
3. I want to learn how to make bobbin lace.
4. I am fascinated by the story of Anastasia and the last Romanovs.
5. It is one of my dreams to play in an orchestra.
6. It is another one of my dreams to tour the British Isles.
7. I really do not like coffee.

There ya are.  Me in a nutshell.

© 2010 Defective Compositions

• 9 Comments • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link

Jan. 27, 2010 - The True Princess Award

 I haven't done any awards for a while, because...well, they just take too much work.  However, when Esther gave me this darling "True Princess Award", I couldn't miss the chance to post that cute graphic on my blog!  I just love those shiny red shoes on the cheerful green background!  Plus, sparkles just make it complete. 

I am not going to award it to anyone though, because most of the lovely princesses who I would give it to don't do awards.  It is NOT because I want to save the lovely princess graphic for myself!  If you would like to award this graphic to the princesses you know, then feel free.

© 2010 Defective Compositions

• 0 Comments • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link

Jan. 20, 2010 - Reading on a Rainy Day

Some days, rain is an unwelcome, and unwanted guest, but some days rain is a sweet invitation. 

Can anyone resist a cozy blanket and a cushy chair, a mug of hot tea, and a deliciously good book?  I know I can't!

"You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me." 
— C.S. Lewis

Clip art credit goes to Karen's Whimsey.

© 2010 Defective Compositions

• 5 Comments • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link

Jan. 18, 2010 - Black ~ Ted Dekker

Black by Ted Dekker

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Black tells the tale of a young man who suddenly starts having dreams. However, these dreams aren't your run-of-the-mill kind, being about two completely different worlds. When Thomas Hunter begins to not only know things that should be impossible for him to know (such as a mutated virus that will fatally infect four billion people), but also starts to be confused as to which world is the dream, and which is the reality, he catches the attention of more than one person. And that's when things begin to get complicated.

Action, adventure, danger, fantasy, and even a tiny bit of sci-fi mesh in this one-of-a-kind novel. In what other kind of book could Thomas be killed twice and survive? There are Christian elements as well; in the alternate reality that Tom dreams of he becomes a follower of Elyon, the allegorical God figure.

This book was somewhat odd, and I occasionally wondered if I was missing something, but by the end,I was pretty much hooked. I must say that I think Ted Dekker must be the king of cliff-hangers, because the end of this book was a doozy. Many parts of it were also funny, and I found myself laughing out loud, which I don't usually do.

If you are looking for a book that is exciting, fast-paced, and slightly suspenseful, then I think you will enjoy Black.

View all my reviews >>

© 2010 Defective Compositions

• 3 Comments • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link

Jan. 15, 2010 - The Glade Between the Forests ~or~ The First Draft of my Novel is Finished!

A few final tweaks, the addition of a sentence or two, and that was that.  It was finished.  The first draft of my novel is complete.

Now I am in an inbetween place.  A valley between two mountains.  A village between two cities.  A clearing between two forests.  The eye of the storm.  Here I can catch a breath of cool, sweet air, but I can smell the rain that is coming with the towering clouds. 

The forest behind me, once dark and forbidding, now seems almost friendly and welcoming.  I have been there.  I have seen it's hidden secrets.  I have discovered the path through it, and have learned it's personality and quirks.  Now I am resting in the sweet glade that separates the one from the other.  The forest ahead of me is now the one that looms large and frightening.  The only thing that I have to help me throught that forest, is the knowledge that I have acquired from the forest behind me. 

In other words, I am inbetween two steps of the novel writing process.  I have completed the first draft.  Now, the large and seemingly unending task of editing my work lies before me.  I am a little overwhelmed at the prospect, but at the same time, a hint of adventure and daring challenges me, and I feel myself responding with thrills of excitment. 

This is a new step.  I am going where I have never gone before.  How long will take me?  I don't know.  I don't know how big the forest is.  I don't know the circumference of the storm.  The city is a big place! 

Picture credit goes to Karen's Whimsey Public domain Images

© 2010 Defective Compositions

• 5 Comments • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link

Jan. 12, 2010 - My Mandolin

I guess it's about time I tell you about one of the Christmas gifts I got.  My brothers and sister got guitars, and so when I was opening my present, I was wondering, "Did Mommy and Daddy really get me a guitar?  I mean, they're nice and all, but I can think of a dozen other instruments I would rather play."   Rather ungrateful of me, I know. 

So, I was delighted instead, when I opened the box to find a beautiful Mandolin, just waiting to have it's strings strummed.  After they were tuned, of course. 

 So, nearly every day I have practiced on my Mandolin.  I have found several great websites that teach you how to play, or that have tabs for you to use.  It's been really fun to pick out a tune, and to have it actually be recognizable! 

I am also trying to learn the basics such as techinque.  I am kind of struggling with the upstroke/downstroke business, but I'm getting better. 

Anyhow, I am very pleased with it, and I can't wait to learn more!

© 2010 Defective Compositions

• 2 Comments • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link

Jan. 9, 2010 - Link to Me

<a href="http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/eyebright" _fcksavedurl=""http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/eyebright"" _fcksavedurl="http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/eyebright"><img src="http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh260/Eyebright17/Blog%20Templates/BlogButton5.gif" _fcksavedurl=""http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh260/Eyebright17/Blog%20Templates/BlogButton5.gif"" _fcksavedurl="http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh260/Eyebright17/Blog%20Templates/BlogButton5.gif" border="0" ></a>

© 2010 Defective Compositions

• 0 Comments • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link

Jan. 8, 2010 - "Writing Once Again" ~ Journal Excerpt

Excerpt from Eyebright's journal, January 8th, 2010

After not even looking at my "manuscript" since the end of November and NaNoWriMo, I began working on it again tonight.  I was so excited about "being back" that I was actually trembling.

The first draft is almost finished.  I wrote almost without stopping...

Oh, how good it feels to be writing once again!  The words came without hesitation, and I delighted in them, even as they were being typed.

© 2010 Defective Compositions

• 2 Comments • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link

Jan. 6, 2010 - Memory's Sea

© 2010 Defective Compositions

• 4 Comments • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link