Milk in the Mashed Potatoes

Today’s headline: Monkeys control robots with their minds
Tomorrow’s headline: Monkeys control the world

Meredith Andrews makes a worthy contribution to the world of Christian worship with The Invitation. While the musical style breaks no new ground, fans of Nichole Nordeman, Ginny Owens and a the like will find a kindred spirit with Andrews, who leads worship at Chicago’s large Harvest Bible Chapel church. Her passion for singing and worship are evident, but shine brightest when the production is stripped bare on songs “Draw Me Nearer” and the reprise of “You’re Not Alone.”

Boothe, a writer, is a mother of a newborn baby who was dying right around the same time that Madilyn was coming into the world. Her story touched me and continues to. She has shared it with Everyday Woman, the website I edit, and I highly recommend reading it.

Another article in the in-flight magazine was a food column about a quaint coffeehouse in North Carolina. The writer raves about their Blood Orange Cake and has posted the recipe online. Enjoy!

I took a quick trip to Charlotte, NC, yesterday and when the plane was taking off to come back home, it felt like it was a fat kid trying to pole vault. It seemed like it was really struggling to get in the air. Not a comforting feeling when you’re on a plane.

Anyway, the in-flight magazine made up for it. Surprisingly, it had a lot of fresh information that was well-written. Here’s an interesting column about how the Internet will potentially be used in the future. The columnist talks about an existing piece of technology — a desk clock-sized gadget called a Chumby — that logs onto your home Internet network and displays Web content through the use of widgets (bloggers will be familiar with that term).

For the writer, this triggered the possibility that “we’re entering an era where virtually every device in your home and in your pocket will live online” through the use of IP addresses. Appliances could be repaired virtually by repairman. Banks could use your IP address to verify your identity.

But, as always, what is used for good could also be used for evil. Nearly everything you use and how you use it could be logged and live on the Internet.

MarthaStewart.com has a ‘dreamers into doers‘ contest going on until July 11. Submit 250 words describing how you’ve turned a hobby into a business and you can win lovely cash and prizes.

So I’m 30. When I was younger, I never thought about what life would be like after 30. It seemed all the important things would happen in your 20s. It’s all downhill from there.

Well, I certainly hope that’s not the case, but my 20s were definitely packed full of wonderful milestones, including graduating from college, moving to a new city, meeting and marrying my husband, and having a beautiful daughter, who is more fulfilling than anything I’ve ever experienced.

What do I hope to see in my 30s? My relationships deepening and new ones forming, a sharpening and expansion of my skill set, an organized home and life, and a new season of spiritual growth — one that’s less fraught with the doubts and fears of my youth.

It’s a tall order, but I’ve got 10 years to work on it.