being beck

For those of you new to floobydust, see this post for an explanation.

Now that the last of the pie is gone, and we’re all regretting our over-stuffedness (is that a word?).  We pause a few minutes and are thankful for everyone in our lives and the fact that we all haven’t killed each other after 4 days in the house together …

For as Britney as I thought it would be, I must say that I’m a bit of a Facebook nut.  I think what I really enjoy is staying connected to people in just the right amount.  Not so much that you have to go to dinner with folks every week, but more than one or two emails a year.  I love seeing people doing life instead of just seeing a snapshot every now and then.  It tells me more and more that for all of our desires, the desire to connect may indeed be the strongest among them.

I’m also twittering a bit.  Professionally, it has been an godsend of a resource, because IT people that work at a church is a pretty weird niche, with its own set of unique challenges.  My “community” that I’ve found on Twitter has really grown on me. Tim O’Reilly, the ubiquitous technical media giant, probably explains it best in this post.  You can follow me at http://twitter.com/jarrodbeckman

Really enjoying hanging with this guy of late.  We’ve really connected in cool way, and he’s helped me tap into my curious, creative side that really hasn’t has much exposure since I stopped leading worship years ago.

Found my new “Storms in Africa”.   I’ve played this piece over and over and over this weekend.

We’re trying to decorate a tree this year.  This will be the first time in over ten years that I’ve even attempted Christmas decorating. I’m not sure why. I loved it as a child. The Christmas music, all the boxes of stuff, decorating the tree, etc. I think 3 years working retail at Best Buy when I was in college probably scarred me for life.

Are any of you old school typists having trouble dropping the extra space between sentences?  I sure am.

Gaby Kate drank from a normal cup this morning.  YESSS!

I got a ton of requests for this one.  Here is the recipe for Sweet and Spicy nuts:

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1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp of salt
1 1/2 tsp of chili powder
Half tsp cinnamon
Pinch of Cayenne (to taste, more for more spicy, but be careful)
1 egg white
2 cups pecan halves

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Spray Pam on a 13x9x2 pan.

Mix the sugar and spices together in a medium bowl.

In a larger bowl place the egg white and pecans and stir until coated.  Slowly add the sugar/spice mixture and stir until well coated.

Individually take each piece of pecan and place it on the coated pan.  You will be tempted to just dump it in, but resist.  We’re not making peanut brittle.  Discard any of the eggwhite spice mixture that is left.

Place in oven and bake for 30 minutes.  Take out and cool for 5 minutes or until you can touch them.  Pick them off of the pan and put them in a separate pan to cool.

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I recently became a Seth Godin fan.  Check out his blog.

For those of you who have asked, we’ve decided to hold off on moving for the time being.  The economy is not doing well, and we’d likely not get a very good price if we sold.  With our second child now delayed, we’ll re-assess next year.  I already miss my radio room though .

As much as I hate it sometimes, I’m beginning to embrace the ENFP that is me.  If you’re not familiar with Myers-Briggs Type Indicator or the typological theories of Carl Jung from which they are derived, you can read more about it (and take the test) here.

I’m struggling with whether or not to fully deploy Microsoft Office Sharepoint Server or go with a more open-source solution like Alfresco.  More to come…

Good article on Larry Osborne’s latest book called Sticky Church.

We will have pictures, etc, from the Christmas decorating later this evening.  I’m trying to talk myself into actually getting in there and getting the tree put together even as I type

I’ll leave you with this stirring commercial for the Marine Corps.  Besides the wonderful message and stunning visuals, the music is amazing.

GK at 10:30PM from kristi beckman on Vimeo.

GK last night.  She’s a party girl…

Posted from my good friend Erik Thornton, who appreciates this kind of thing at least as much as I do..  Watch it to at least 4:22….worth it…

I prepare this particular recipe about a dozen times a year, particularly in the winter.  My boss, Jimmy K, gave it to me about 2 years ago, and it is a rock solid, reliably good chili recipe.

Saute a medium size chopped onion and one jalapeno in a saute skillet.  I put a little pat of butter in there to caramelize it a bit.  I like mine a little crispier than most.  Add two pounds of ground turkey or lean ground beef (I use 93/7);  cook until brown.

Place all of the above in a large cooking pot and add the following:

1 can of tomato sauce (16oz)

1 small can of tomato paste

(yes, I’m an idiot and forgot the two above in the original post)

3 to 5 heaping tsp. of chili powder

2 to 3 heaping tsp. of cumin (I add more..  lots more)

1 to 2 heaping tsp. of garlic powder

I use salt free or organic versions of all of the above to reduce the salt content.  I also add tons of coarse ground black pepper, as always, to taste.

Add 3 12 oz. bottles of your favorite beer, and cook for an hour or so.   If you consume the last of the 6 pack you bought for the chili, it will be about right.  I’ve experimented with a variety of darks and lagers.  Shiner Blonde, if you can get it, works really well.

Serve with warm Mexican cornbread on a cold rainy evening….  mmm good…

Jarrod and I left the TV on last night as we fell asleep. This is something that happens more often than not around here. Normally, the price I pay is some form of slick infomercial invading my consciousness in the wee hours of the next morning until I fish around for the remote and silence the salesman.

This morning was different. My brain started waking up around 5:30 to a church choir singing. It was a nice change. No super-mops or exercise equipment, no life-changing skin care systems. 

Although my eyes were still closed, I was enjoying the peaceful sounds and began to wake up slightly. At the conclusion of the song, the pastor began speaking about All Saint’s Day. It was still too early for church, so I knew it had to be a  service from last Sunday morning. The church was First Methodist in Dallas.

In the United Methodist Church, All Saint’s Day is on the first Sunday in November. It is held to remember all those that have passed away from the local church congregation. A candle is lit as each person’s name is called out. Then, a liturgical prayer is offered for each soul in heaven.

Nearing the end of the list of names, he read the name  Mary Beth Summers, my great aunt who passed away earlier this year.  I watched as a candle was lit and remembered Aunt Mary.

I remembered all of the holidays that she made so special by opening up her home, the cards she faithfully sent for birthdays and anniversaries and sometimes "just because", and how she never missed a chance to give me a hug and a kiss and tell me how much she loved me.

As the holidays quickly approach this year, I am flooded with thankfulness for my family, my friends, and ultimately my God who sometimes lights a single candle on an early Sunday morning to wake me up.

A little reading before changing back into the ladybug costume

Enjoying the musical Little Mermaid card from KK, Janny, and Harrison

Dressed up and ready to go after a see-sawing session with Papa

  Heading out

Found a jack-o-lantern to kiss

Enjoying the spoils, a wonderful Kit Kat bar…This is one of my favorite pics because she’s got that look that she’s eating something she’s not supposed to be eating. I think I get that look when I have chocolate, too….

Balancing out the candy with a banana

One more book with Daddy before bedtime

After music class, we headed to Mamsie’s and Popsie’s house on Halloween.

Here is GK taking a stroll down memory lane and recalling the time when she was just a baby…..

And here she is reading her favorite of Mamsie’s books, called My Sister, My Friend. This was a gift to Mamsie from her sister, my Aunt Mary, and GK always wants to read it with Mamsie when we go over to visit.

My little model, striking a pose.

Gaby’s preschool had a Trunk or Treat last week. She didn’t quite understand what was going on at first, but had some assistance from a milk carton, princess, spaghetti and meatballs, and Elmo, among others.

Gaby’s music class also had dress-up day last week. Fun was had by all. Her friend Lillian was also a ladybug and Gabrielle and Gracie went as a fairy princess and Minnie Mouse. Very cute…..

As you can see, Gaby Kate enjoyed her time at the Pumpkin Patch last week. Here are some highlights.