the "Man Cave"

We decided we needed to have a space for the men/boys in the house. My oldest had a workout bench set up in the basement but we decided to re-do the area. And the 'Man Cave' was created!

The workout bench still has a spot --- because it is a manly item and was allowed to stay.

We needed to purchase a new couch - the 'Man Cave' needed something for sitting on --- this one is a two seater - and both seats recline. There is a drink holder and a bin to store the remotes. Everything a man could desire!

This is the 'Man Cave'. We didn't have any other place to put the homeschooling bookshelves - but the men said it was okay if they stayed. Off to the right side - (you can only see the corner of the desk) is a computer desk table - where the 'men' can come and plug in their laptops. It is the computer station (because every 'man cave' needs a computer spot!)

And for all you women wondering - yes I am happy to have a 'Man Cave' where the boys can all go watch their sports, play the playstation and the Wii. Now I get my living room back and get to watch 'chick flicks' without complaint!

Blind Hope by Kim Meeder and Laurie Sacher

I discovered this book because a blog friend had it as a give away on her blog. Still, I guess I really didn't understand what it was about. I got the book from the local library - and since there was no financial commitment - I figured I would give a read.

My reservation was that I thought it was all about rescuing dogs.

Don't get me wrong - I am all for rescuing dogs. I am actually a sap about it. I have been banned by my husband to ever visit the dog pound because I am convinced they are all about to be put down and I must rescue them all - adopt them all and take them all home. I leave every time crying. The dog we now have is one we rescued from the pound! And we LOVE him. My problem is that I will leave with ALL the dogs. Each dog there grabs my heart and just tugs at it.

I was concerned this was all about that and pretty soon we would have more dogs in the house then the house can handle.

The book was fantastic. I loved it. It was not about rescuing dogs so much as rescuing the owner who had strayed from God. It is about how through rescuing the dog Laurie found that she was so much like her dog. Her dog had looked her in the eye and ran the other way --- and Laurie realized that so often we do that to God. God only wants the best for us and wants to care for us but we run the other way. And then get hurt.

There were such good analogies in this book and some fabulous quotes. I am going to share a few of them with you.

"Love is not a feeling but a choice." p. 38

"I am exactly like Mia. Just as her dog had run away from her, she had run away from God. Instead of running to God, she had spent her life running after everything but God. How could she follow a voice she had heard but never taken the time to actually know? How could she expect God to lead her life when she had repeatedly chosen not to follow him? Just like her dog's relationship with her, Laurie had not yet spent enough time in God's presence to truly know him either." p. 46

"God is with us, whether we are running away from him or to him." p. 51

"Every hardship we face is an opportunity to either break down or break through. We choose the outcome. For each difficulty we struggle with, we decide if it will make us weaker or stronger." p. 56

So are you intrigued --- doesn't it sound wonderful!!!

It is really a great book and I highly recommend it.

Time to declutter

I got the family involved and we decluttered the one of the rooms in the basement. (Thank you to the family - I was glad to have their help.) We have more to do but after looking at the pile of garbage I feel a sense of accomplishment! It is a wonderful feeling. The room is far more usable now. The kids love to go down there to play the Wii and the playstation. I would like to get a new couch for down there. The futon that is down there is very old and not in good shape. We are hoping to go shopping for a couch tomorrow. Hopefully, we will find something nice and not too expensive.

busted

It was discovered that a certain someone in our household ----had sprayed WD40 --- on the garage. And that certain someone got to go scrub his 'mistake'!

best thing about having teenagers?!

I no longer have to cut the grass - it is their job!

Totally awesome!

My Life as A Traitor by Zarah Ghahramani

This book is similar to Prisoner of Tehran. She writes about getting arrested and sent to Evin prison.

The book is written in a similar style --- there are flashbacks to her childhood and growing up in Tehran. She is older than the girl in Prisoner of Tehran --- but only by a few years. In Prisoner of Tehran, Marina is in high school when arrested. Zarah is in college when arrested.

This book is more detailed with the emotional torture that Zarah went through. She did talk about physical torture but also says it wasn't as bad as some had it. She never got taken to the secret room. It seemed that her interrogator was paid off to go lightly on her. They had different accommodations while in Evin - Marina was in a large room with many women. Zarah had a very small but private cell. Marina is a Christian; Zarah is not.

I really liked both books and after reading both I feel I have a better grasp on the political situation in Iran. One of the most interesting paragraphs from My Life as a Traitor is this:

"I'm still thinking in this foolish way, still judging these people, these regime people, these interrogators, torturers, as if they belonged to the same moral and ethical category as normal people. I can't seem to make it stick inside my head that they are not the same, they are above all laws, they are not required to account for things such as spying, eavesdropping, taking unauthorized pictures, blindfolding people, beating them, humiliating them. Why can't I make it stick? Why am I shocked at each new violation? Is it because I actually believe what the constitution of Iran says about the rights of its citizens? That no citizen can be snatched from the street, locked up, denied legal representation, compelled to make confessions? Because that is exactly what my country's constitution guarantees ---- freedom from arbitrary arrest and coercion. " p. 38

It is hard to read about the disregard for human rights that occurs in a country like Iran. It is hard to read about the lack of freedoms that women experience in this country. I feel badly for all women that have to live under such conditions and am outraged by it.

The birthday cake

Happy Birthday, JJ

The birthday ice cream cake turned out wonderful. It was completely dairy free. Amazing! There is one thing I would do different but still overall it was great! Even those of us that can have dairy liked it.

3 cups of graham crackers crumbs

2/3 cup butter melted

Combine and press mixture into 9-inch springform pan - coating the bottom and the sides.

Freeze solid (about 30 minutes)

Next it called for a layer of fudge but there is no fudge that is dairy free. I substituted by melting chocolate chips that have no dairy and spreading it on --- this created a very hard layer that was difficult to cut through. I recommend just using hersey's chocolate and drizzling a layer on top.

1 1/2 qts chocolate ice cream (I used Purely Decadent Dairy Free Chocolate Obsession - contains soy and coconut)

3/4 cup toasted almonds (I didn't use this as JJ didn't want it.)

1 cup mini marshmallows

Soften ice cream and mix together.

Spread over hersey's layer

Freeze until firm

Spread a layer of hersey's chocolate. Freeze

1 qt. vanilla ice cream. (I used Purely Decadent Dairy free Purely Vanilla)

Soften and spread on top of the last layer.

Freeze solid.

Then place oven rack 6 inches from broiler. Top cake with 1 1/2 cups marshmallows. Place under broiler 1 to 2 minutes until marshmallows are toasted. Then return to freezer. When firm, cover with plastic wrap and freeze for 5 hours or up to 3 days.