This is Alpha, the first-born, when he was 2YO.
This is Beta, the second-born, when he was about 2YO.
This is Gamma, the third-born, when he was about 18MO.
Dec
29
2011
Photo shoot-type of shots, that is.
Here is what Christmas looked like around here, and at various relatives’ houses too.
First of all, in chronological order at least, was the traditional gingerbread train.
We keep telling the kids that no, they cannot eat it, especially since it is more than a couple of weeks old. But that doesn’t stop them from picking bits o’ candy of it and eating them anyway.
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Dec
27
2011
Now that the bowl games have started, it’s time for the annual discussion of playoffs for college football.
Plus I know my youngest brother thinks there aren’t enough playoff proposals, so I’m adding mine to the mix. I’m sure he will appreciate it.
Introducing:
Of course, the 16-team conferences might to share with the other conferences so that everyone has 14 or 15 teams. Or maybe not.
The championship game becomes the first round of playoffs, so there are 16 teams right there. One of them has to be the best in the country. If they aren’t the best in their conference, they can’t be the best in the country.
This would maintain the importance and tradition of the bowl games.
This would maintain the importance of the bowl games.
This would placate the people who like the current BCS format. All 3 of them.
And it would be the concession they want in order to agree to be the quarterfinal round instead of the semifinal round.
There.
That wasn’t so hard, right?
I’m looking at you, NCAA.
Oh, right…the schedule.
I don’t care as much about the schedule. They can keep the games on separate nights like they do today.
The main thing I care about it that the contract does not go to ESPN. It must remain with the over-the-air broadcasters so that regular Americans can watch.
I don’t have fancy-schmancy satellite TV or cable or streaming internet, and I would like to watch the bowl games.
Now I exhort you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment.
1 Corinthians 1:10
Dec
22
2011
In general, I like Christmas music. We turn on the radio in the van for our travels during the month of December so that we can partake in the sounds of the holiday.
But the songs on the radio station get old fast. Rockin’ around the Christmas Tree might be fun to hear 3 or 4 times through the Christmas season, but when it becomes 3 or 4 times a day then something is wrong.
“I’m tired of these fake Christmas songs and I’d like to head some real Christmas songs,” I thought to myself recently. And that got me thinking:
s
What makes a song a real Christmas song?
It’s easy to sort them as I hear them:
O Holy Night is a real Christmas song, and
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas is not.
I figured it out today – fake Christmas songs are about the Christmas season and real Christmas songs are about the birth of Christ.
Alternative method: if it’s in our hymnal, it’s a real Christmas song.
I suppose you could use the terms “carol” and “song” to differentiate between real and fake. If that’s the case, then I’d like the radio stations to play more of the carols. And no, having 3 different versions of O Holy Night doesn’t count as 3 carols.
And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”
Luke 2:13-14
Dec
20
2011
I should have timed this post for last week, when the Tim Tebow topic was more prominent before the Patriots game. Oh well.
I see that Tim Tebow has lined up some endorsement deals. However, none of them really captures the spirit of his name. What inspired this post wasn’t an actual endorsement deal. Rather, it was a brewery that named a beer after Tim Tebow, kind of.
I don’t know if that’s the best choice, pairing a beer with a Baptist, but here are some other marketing deals that would be interesting:
Tim Tivo: This one should be obvious. Comes pre-loaded with footage of all the Broncos’ 4th-quarter comebacks.
Tim Teabow: Not as obvious as the Tivo, but still promising.
Lipton? No.
Celestial Seasonings? Close.
Snapple? Yes – if I have to explain the connection between football and the name “Snapple”, then you’re not going to get it anyway.
Types of Tea:
Tim T. Rowe (Price): financial management company. Not sure what it has to do with football though.
Tim Temow: lawn care company. I know the name’s shaky, but I’m running out of steam.
Tim Treebow: tree-cutting service. This one’s a stretch too, but it goes nicely with Temow.
I’d better stop there, as I am apparently out of ideas.
Any better match-ups out there?
Blessed are you when men hate you, and ostracize you, and insult you, and scorn your name as evil, for the sake of the Son of Man.
Luke 6:22
Dec
19
2011
Here is how things are in my house for most of the month of December:
Transcript:
Hey! There’s no chocolate in the house!
It’s the Christmas season. We need to have chocolate and cookies and stuff.
(make/obtain sweets)
These are yummy. It’s hard to stop eating them.
Oh good – they’re gone. Now I don’t have to worry about self-control anymore.
The righteous has enough to satisfy his appetite, But the stomach of the wicked is in need.
Proverbs 13:25
Dec
15
2011
Based on the popularity existence of last year’s article predicting bowl games in haiku form, I present to you this year’s all-haiku bowl game predictions. Still America’s only all-haiku college football bowl game predictions.
These are listed in order of date (earliest first). Some picks are whom I think will win, and some picks are whom I want to win. I’ll leave it to you, the reader, to decide which is which.
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Dec
13
2011
Children can be creative. It is my job as a parent to teach them to behave properly without squashing their spirit. It is a fine line between those two ideas sometimes.
Here are some Things Said Recently Around Here:
A joyful heart is good medicine, But a broken spirit dries up the bones.
Proverbs 17:22
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