Teaching computers

Funny thing - my lovely husband is the computer guy even does teaching over the phone about computers, and yet I am the one that is in a computer lab at the Y teaching my RAD students how to make a blog - nothing like a humbling experience to have 8 computers shining your homepage in a room.

Website

It turns out I'm a pretty decent web designer... In less than a month while working another full time job I will be finished with DOOR's new website. I got some hair-pulling moments but each time I fix a problem I learn more. I will link to DOOR's new website soon for now you can look at the old one here:

DOORNetwork.org

Mennonites in Mexico

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/hurricane/story/212302.html

Check this article out!
Krista

good luck teachers

I wrote this for the opening worship for the teachers at Chicago Mennonite Learning Center:

Psalm 46
Slightly adapted by Krista Dutt

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble – like when the aide and my co-teacher is out sick and the kid I hate to admit that I don’t like every much is working my last, my last nerve. Even then, God is my refuge and provides me another nerve of strength.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth or the schedule should change, though the mountains shake or I want to shake someone at the book club company for not sending one of the books that my 5th grader wanted so badly. Though its waters roar and foam or my co-worker looks like she is going to roar and foam, though the mountains tremble forget butterflies, those are mountains that are in my stomach when that one, you know the one, parent comes in to “talk”.
I know You can calm my fear.

There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High. That is totally better than the river of rainwater in the parking lot which is causing a week worth of inside recess. You reside in those extra moments with the kids, help me see that.

God is in the midst of this city and this school; it shall not be moved or swayed from its mission; God will help it when the morning dawns which is when the teachers arrive to the time the last 2nd grader is picked up.
Come, behold the works of the Lord through your hands and through the children’s minds and eyes; see what God has done through your dedication each day.
God makes wars cease to the end of the earth; so God can handle the 7th grader who is too smart for her own good. God breaks the bow, and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire. So God can take the homesick kindergartener and comfort him, help the 8th grader figure out her next steps, or help you explain the conflict resolution process to the 3rd graders.
“Be still, and know that I am God! I am exalted among the nations and CMLC, I am exalted in the earth.”
The Lord of hosts is with us as we start this new year; the God of Jacob is our refuge.

ring

While I was swimming today, the ring I designed for my licensing disappeared. I haven't worn it in weeks - and I put it on this morning, but I took it off (but not my wedding ring) to swim....

What is funny, is that while I am disappointed I am not crushed. In some ways, I have seen my licensing ring as important as my wedding band - a public sign of a commitment I made to the church - and yet since I am not pastoring currently I don't feel as connected to it. That might be good as I probably won't ever see it again.

The great thing is that my committment to the church doesn't go away just because my ring is off my finger or non-existant. And now, if I ever get ordained - I can get another ring!

K

New Blog of interest

Hi! A guy from the University of Illinois at Chicago (locally known as UIC)Agape House who I was introduced to a while ago by my co-worker in Miami (small world I live in) has started a blog that reminds me a lot of mine when I started so it is now in my links.

Weekend group

Brian, my assistant, gave me a huge gift this past weekend. He let me help lead a weekend group. Now, for those of you who haven't heard I have been doing less of the work with the groups and more planning stuff lately. That is great work - but I did miss doing the actual people work - so I got to take groups, talk about the city, and have a lot of fun. The other thing I realized is that I am out of practice and that it shows that I am I also having a good time doing what I am doing!

Whole Foods Visit Number 4

Yes, in less than a week I have been to the new whole foods 4 times. And this time was while my husband seems to have posted the wonderful news of the horrific merger proposal. However, I have several things to say about my visit.

1. I am in love with the carrot ginger soup but right now I am really keeping track of portions and calories. So, on my previous visits I have looked for that information around the store with no luck, went home and looked on the website, and so yesterday I finally asked at customer service. The woman did seem to understand why I expected Whole Foods to have that information, but her supervisor referred her to the website - where there is a carrot soup with ginger and spearmint - but it isn't the same ingredients (I knew that already). So, I think I need to go and write down all the ingredients and try to make it so I know what is in it. So, luckily Jim loves carrots - because it may take awhile to get it right.

2. I finally broke down and bought the keg of root beer that Jim has been eyeing. It was buy one get one free - and it was a good deal - but we are going to be drinking root beer until Christmas.

Whole Foods Fiasco

I like Whole Foods maybe not as much as Krista does but it's neat to find such a wide variety. Saying this I just found this article about what Whole Foods is doing to Wild Oats.

Click here

Seems someone slipped and let known that WF is closing a large percentage of WO stores once they would acquire them...

Jim is not missing

I just realized that I posted as Jim just a minute ago which made me realize that he hasn't posted in a bit. That is mainly because he is keeping himself busy as the DOOR webmaster who is redesigning the site right now.

For anyone who is in love with their work as well as a significant other, I have found this is a perfect way to combine the two. Get the SO to be hired with the agency - then nights can be filled with - both SOs being hooked in to a laptop working on the same thing as happened to us the other night.

Krista

whole foods - part two

So, after my bitter post on Wednesday...I went to Whole Foods for lunch and I snapped out of my ethical problem (maybe not a good thing) fast. It is way cool set up - and actually used more space for their prepared food than the two or so rows of not prepared food. I had the carrot ginger soup with a salad on Wednesday and I just arrived back from going today for lunch - and had tomato basil soup with a salad. Plus, I found out they had free Wi-Fi. Lord, thank you that you put us in the budgeting class starting last night so that I don't blow our small savings on Whole Foods at lunch time.

Oh, being ethical

So, I was planning to post about something big in my life today--something that has been on my calendar for awhile....so big that my husband as made a verb out of my excitement. Example: You know, that person ______ ______ed it. (Meaning of great excitement)

A Whole Foods Market has opened within a short hike distance from our apartment. So in prep for this blog post I went to their website to get a link to the new store and instead found lots of disheartening news about several misdeeds of the CEO, John Mackey. So now, I am not sure my mind can go pick up my husband and have lunch there this opening day.

You see, beyond being a foodie or as my husband has said a kitchen geek (I finally used my new pastry cutter the other day, but that is another post)I try to pay attention to economic justice. Whole Foods has paid a living wage - which is my main bench mark for a good business and their CEO has a limit of 7 x the lowest wage earner of what he can make. Yes, this makes costs go up, and yes this means I can't buy everything there to fit my budget - but at one time I was pretty close at doing all my shopping there.

Apparently, I need to work on keeping up with these matters and with Whole Foods and Wild Oats joining and becoming a bigger force in the market I fear their committment to the things I like them for while go by the wayside.

I am still going today - but without the joy that I felt only an hour ago.

new food

I tried the plumcot for lunch today after seeing it in the store last night while grocery shopping.

The Plumcot is a hybrid between an apricot and a plum. The fruit has the smell of an apricot and the flavour of a plum. The plumcot has a very smooth green outside and a bright red inside. The fruit can be eaten fresh or used in to make jam. The plumcot was created by Luther Burbank by crossing an apricot and a plum. Similar hybrid fruit are marketed today under the name pluot. (wikipedia)

I wasn't that impressed - actually. I like plum and I love apricots and it didn't taste anything like an apricot at all. Oh, well they were on sale....

libraries rock

A friend was telling me (Nadia or Melissa) that you can download audiobooks to your computer/ipod on the Chicago public Library website but I completely forgot until I was there today. What a great idea!!!

Go to chipublib.org to do this. Directions are on the home page; but only if you have a chicago public library card. But hey, check it out at your own library!