What's in your CD player?

Ok, so I'm not totally with the times and don't own an Ipod or MP3 player (and am really not sure of the difference) but I am putting all of my CD's onto the hard drive of my computer. I've dumped them all into one rather large "Worship Music" playlist and now have over a day's worth of music at my disposal without having to change a CD. That, to me, is quite cool.

So, back to my question, what's in your CD/Ipod/MP3 player? What's your favourite house cleaning music, or just sit back and enjoy CD? Post them right here, just click on “comments” at the bottom of this post.

Here are a few of my favourites. I won't call them my TOP picks because there are so many I love for different reasons. Let's just say I'd take them with me if I knew I was going to be stranded on an island!

• Since Easter is just past, I have to include "The Majesty and the Glory of the Resurrection." From the album cover…“It blends the poetry of traditional hymns and the dignity of sacred classics with the inspiration of contemporary gospel songs and praise and worship choruses. From one glorious selection to the next, each complements the whole as choir and orchestra leas us in worship.” It is a powerful celebration of the redeeming, risen, reigning Lord. There is also one for Christmas and one of just hymns that are both equally great.
• “In Christ Alone” by Keith and Kristen Getty. My cousin Deb introduced me to this one after she attended a workshop with Keith at the Worship Symposium at Calvin College. It’s an album of contemporary hymns, with words that are meaningful and music that is beautiful and easy to sing along to. I haven’t been able to find it in Canada but you can order it from worshiptogether.com or gettymusic.com. (better have them ship it to a friend in the US though…or you may pay more for shipping than for the CD itself!)
• “See the Morning” Chris Tomlin. So many great songs and lyrics on this CD. “How can I keep from singing your praise…I know I am loved by the King and it makes my heart want to sing!”

Honey Garlic Meatballs

I often make these meatballs for potlucks and have had several requests for the recipe so I thought I'd just post it here for all to find and enjoy. They are both recipes that I got from elsewhere but I have revised them so much I don't think there should be any copyright violations any more!

(To save your writing hand you can copy directly from the blog screen and paste into your word processor...)

Bon Appetite!

First, the meatballs:
Mix together:
2 Tablespoons soya sauce
2 Tablespoons water
some (1/4-1/2 cup) chopped onion, very fine if you have fussy kids
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon powdered ginger

then add:
1 lb hamburger (the leaner the meat, the better the taste)
1/2 cup oatmeal

Roll into balls, place in single layer in a baking dish (I use a cake pan) and bake at 350F until done. (I have no idea how long...)

Then the sauce:

In a small sauce pan saute:
about 3 cloves of garlic, minced (I use a garlic press)
in 1Tablespoon of butter or margarine.

Add:
1 small can (sorry I don't have a can in the house right now to tell you the exact size) of tomatoe paste
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup soya sauce

Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes.

I put the cooked meatballs (along with any juices they've generated...unless you use very fatty hamburger) in my crock pot, top with the sauce and cook for as long as I have. You can also just simmer the meatballs in the sauce on top of the stove for 5-10 minutes until they're kind of glazed.

This proportion of sauce to meatballs gives us enough sauce to serve with rice for a family that likes lots of sauce on their rice.

If you want to use them as "appetizer meatballs" you can double the meat to 2 lbs and still have enough.

If you're serving a crowd use 1 1/2 sauce recipes for 4 lbs of meat.

In Loving Memory

We called her “Omoe.” (although I’m not really sure why, when all the other Dutch kids call their grandmothers “Oma”) She was a great storyteller, able to make any regular day occurrence an adventure. She made amazing “Mocha Tarte,” and grew beautiful flowers. As long as she was able, she turned any piece of yarn or thread into something useful (or snuggly).

When I last saw her, I told her that she should probably buy a new dress for her 100^th birthday. (She had just turned 95 in January.) But she would have no part of that. For the past few years her desires echoed these words from Chris Rice’s song “Smile”:

“My journey's here, but my heart is there, so I dream and wait, and keep the faith, while You prepare our destiny, till You come back for me. Oh, please make it soon! Cause I just wanna be with You, I just want this waiting to be over…”

Her waiting is over... on the first day of spring, the Lord answered her prayer.

At her funeral we recited the words to Q&A #1 from the Heidelberg Catechism. Words that summed up her life. Last year my family memorized these words and in the process of saying them day after day they began to sink in and change my perspective too. My prayer is that by God’s grace I may live them out with the certainty and sincerity that Omoe did.

What is your only comfort in life and in death?

That I am not my own, but belong, body and soul, in life and in death to my faithful Saviour, Jesus Christ. He has fully paid for all my sins with His precious blood, and set me free from the tyranny of the devil. He also watches over me in such a way that not a hair can fall from my head without the will of my Father in heaven: in fact, all things must work together for my salvation. Because I belong to Him, Christ by His Holy Spirit assures me of eternal life and makes me whole-heartedly willing and ready from now on to live for Him.