The Scribe's Chronicles

My feet are finally up...

2009-05-15T20:45:00.000-05:00

Hello Everybody!!
Well I hope you all are doing good.
.... I just wanted to let you all know that I'm putting this Blog on hiatus officially. I haven't run out of things to say, but I have lost the time to put them together.
La'Chiam!!

It's that Time of Year!!

2009-04-22T08:00:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday Susie!!!

I had too much fun remembering so....

there's a lot of photos :)

Answer

2009-04-21T08:00:00.002-05:00

From 1776- 1783, Thomas Paine authored a series of pamphelts that are now, collectivelty, know as "The American Crisis"
-WIKIPEDIA says is best :

The first of the pamphlets was released during a time when the Revolution still looked an unsteady prospect. Its opening sentence was adopted as the watchword of the movement to Trenton. The famous opening lines are:^[2]

These are the times that try men's souls: The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman.

The pamphlet, read aloud to the Continental army the night before the Battle of Trenton, attempted to bolster morale and resistance among patriots, as well as shame neutrals and loyalists toward the cause:

Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph.

Paine maintains a positive view overall, hoping that this American crisis can be quickly resolved; "For though the flame of liberty may sometimes cease to shine, the embers can never expire."

SUSIE WINS!!!!! And she receives....something nice. I don't know. Any idea? What should I give her?

For fun....the three other authors mentioned have famous sayings as well. What are they? Or there is more then one in some cases.....Googling is allowed :)

You know the drill. NO GOOGLIING (or anything else) ALLOWED!!!!

2009-04-19T19:06:00.000-05:00

"These are the Times that try Men's souls"

was written by what famous author?

A.) Charles Dickens
B.) Victor Hugo
C.) Thomas Paine
D.) Patrick Henry

Thoughts from History....

2009-04-18T08:00:00.000-05:00

GOD, give us men! A time like this demands: Strong minds, great hearts, true faith and ready hands;; Men whom the lust of office does not kill;
Men whom the spoils of office can not buy;: Men who possess opinions and a will;
Men who have honor; men who will not lie;
Men who can stand before a demagogue: And damn his treacherous flatteries without winking!
Tall men, sun-crowned, who live above the fog: In public duty, and in private thinking;
For while the rabble, with their thumb-worn creeds,
Their large professions and their little deeds,
Mingle in selfish strife, lo! Freedom weeps,
Wrong rules the land and waiting Justice sleeps.: -Josiah Gilbert Holland; The AMERICAN CRISIS......by Thomas Paine; December 23, 1776
THESE are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as FREEDOM should not be highly rated. Britain, with an army to enforce her tyranny, has declared that she has a right (not only to TAX) but "to BIND us in ALL CASES WHATSOEVER" and if being bound in that manner, is not slavery, then is there not such a thing as slavery upon earth. Even the expression is impious; for so unlimited a power can belong only to God.; ........; This is our situation, and who will may know it. By perseverance and fortitude we have the prospect of a glorious issue; by cowardice and submission, the sad choice of a variety of evils — a ravaged country — a depopulated city — habitations without safety, and slavery without hope — our homes turned into barracks and bawdy-houses for Hessians, and a future race to provide for, whose fathers we shall doubt of. Look on this picture and weep over it! and if there yet remains one thoughtless wretch who believes it not, let him suffer it unlamented."; I edited this broadside but the whole content was given to Washington's soldiers right before the Battle of Trenton. That's right, the Victory that saved the Revolution from collapse.

Britian's GOT talent!

2009-04-15T18:48:00.003-05:00

Had to share these with you. You may have already seen all of them but they are worth another look.

The Next video won't let me post it here so here's the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1k08yxu57NA

and this last one just happened on Saturday. Credit to Lydia for showing me this, "But Lydia's the sort of person that knows"

Bother...I can't embed this one either...Oh Well.
She's a little....Silly at the beginning. Sorry
Follow the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxPZh4AnWyk&feature=related

Two posts in two days...don't get spoiled I doubt this will be a common occurrence.

2009-04-14T22:23:00.000-05:00

The Brewers are playing awfully so I'm going to talk to you all instead.

There is so much to talk about so I'm having a bit of trouble actually coming up with one main thought so this is going to be rambling instead..hope you don't mind but it's all i can offer at the moment.

Lil' sis got a dress for senior banquet today. Hard to believe that her first year was my last, and not this is her last. Meaning I've been graduated from High School for three years. So weird...I sometimes think that I feel just as naive as I did when I was 14 and starting High School. But now my naivete is tempered with experience. Strange sentence...moving on....

Guess what I did today?
I shut myself up in a display case and taped black paper on the inside!! and then I arranged some Military related mentoes of WWI, WWII, Korea, and Vietnam.... I felt very artistic and ingenuous at the end of the day.
Today was a good day at work. Nothing hectic happened and work was actually accomplished. I was given a new assignment...cause I finished up my old one (I made a map of Downtown P-ville with a guide as to where Restaurants and shopping and main areas of attraction are. That was fun)

so this new assigment, Kathy gave me a paper that was originally written in 1958 or there abouts. And it's full of information, facts about P-ville. That are 50 yrs old. They make a point of saying that it has a MODERN sewage and water systems. The Police department has two-way radios! The two colleges in town...aren't in town anymore :) There's a lot more people, more churches, more banks, the town is larger. But it's still the same in some ways.... The ATTITUDE of the town is described as "the citizens are friendly and willing to help. You are never a stranger for long"....I like my town....

I went to Wal-mart this afternoon....and as i was waiting to check out I noticed the Farmers' Almanc . Have you seen one recently? Front Page says this:
well I went looking for an image of the front page but I couldn't find the right one maybe it wasn't the Almanc, I'm not sure now but..so I'll just have to tell you what it said... FARMERS' ALMANC, The year of our Lord 2009.

Isn't that great??? I love old traditional wording like that :) Reminds me of the Scarlet Pimpernel :)

We've been watching Little Dorritt as it airs on the PBS channel every Sunday. This Sunday was the third episode and there are two more. It's very captivating at the moment, and I'm very worried about a few of the characters. The heroine is an interesting character or I think I mean her CIRCUMSTANCES are. She is born in a debtor's prison. And it would take too long to explain the whole thing here so I will spare you all the details and the spoiling of the story should you ever wish to watch it. I've already pre-ordered it from Amazon. It's worth it. I think it and sense & sensibility BBC are my two new favorite movies...

Well now it's late...and I'm tired. Waking up at 6:30 is not my idea of....wellllll I won't go there. good attitude and all that.

Anyone read any good books recently? The O'malley Series by Dee Henderson is my latest best books find. I added them to my collection...which is starting to out grow the bookshelf and a half I have it on.

Well, there you go. A post. Comment if you can make sense of me....I'm wondering if keeping this up is worth the occasional posts you can get out of me...and I'm so pressed for time I really can't give it the thought I think it should have. So if you think rambling is ok, I'll do it. I haven't the brain power to make logical, consice sentances at the moment...

2009-03-13T08:00:00.002-05:00

I got Tagged...

2009-02-22T19:34:00.002-06:00

1. What is your name?: Debi
2. A 4 letter word: Deep
3. A boy's name: Dan
4. A girl's name: Dvora
5. An occupation: There are several good ones in Wikipedia so here's my favs :

Dancer, Deputy, Dentist, Detective, DICTATOR :), Diplomat, Dispatcher, Doctor of a lot of different things, Dog breeder, dog Catcher, dog walker, dressmaker, and dustman (the last two are reviving pleasant memories of Our Mutual Friend :) )
6. A color: Denim
7. Something you wear: Docs
8. A Food: Dill Pickles
9. Something found in the bathroom: Dirt
10. A place: Denver
11. A reason for being late: Distractions
12. Something you shout: Down! Get Down!!
13. A movie title: Durango
14. Something you drink: Dr Pepper - I prefer Root Beer
15. An animal: Dachund
16. A song title: Do you hear the people sing?
17. A verb: Danced, dodged,

Living Arrangments...

2009-02-12T08:00:00.004-06:00

There are many places I dream of living.... the city is not one of them...nasty, smelly place that it is (sorry to any city dwellers)
~
~
On the sea.....

~
~
In the mountains....
Colorado...

the sky is so expansive...and Blue! Brilliant Blue from one horizon to another...

the Smokey mountains....

we drove through these...oh about 5 or 6 years back. Yeah I could definitetly live there....

Georgia....
who doesn't like Southern Hospitality?

Texas...I know so many nice texans.....never been to the state yet...but I will !

But I have been to Nebraska! And Nebraska will always be special to me...
Nebraska to me is Summer laughs...warm nights...and farm week :)
Who doesn't like small town Nebraska?

But Wisconsin.....I willingly live in Wisconsin....
the Beauty....

the community....i love living in a farm community. Good work ethic :)

and the cold Winters....

that make you love the Spring even more.

A finished project...

2009-02-10T20:12:00.000-06:00

So I moved into a new room.....more than a year ago. And I've kinda always wanted to make it mine...not my stuff in my sister's room. So about a month ago I asked Susie to use her artistic brain and help me figure out a 'theme' for my room and she did :) So we painted, and stored all the wrong colored nick-nacks in my closet, and bought a new comforter...and I finally hung the last pictures last week in honor of my best friend coming :)So I thought I'd post pictures!

Without further ado....
~
My absolutely GORGEOUS hope chest made by my Grandpa.
It was one of the inspiring pieces for the theme in my room...it was my 'Victorian' influence.
~

My Books!! I love my books...I just got a copy of Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens. Guess what I've been reading??
So that was an influence Susie considered...
~
And there on the wall you see my 'Howdy' twisted out of barbed wire.
Susie classified it as my 'Ranch' influence.
~
This is my Jerusalem Wall.
My grandpa's the artist of the Jerusalem Skyline and the Wailing Wall.
~

I call this "My Family Tree" and Dad calls my wall color "Burnt Rose".

That's a cot in front of my bookself. It's waiting for my friend to come use it again.
See my night stand Kristi? The fabric and ribbon works great I think....

so that's it. my project. my room....I feel accomplished. I actually finished something artistic :)

2009-01-25T08:00:00.000-06:00

What Kind of Reader Are You? Your Result: Literate Good Citizen You read to inform or entertain yourself, but you're not nerdy about it. You've read most major classics (in school) and you have a favorite genre or two.
Dedicated Reader
Obsessive-Compulsive Bookworm
Book Snob
Fad Reader
Non-Reader
What Kind of Reader Are You? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

A Week of Love...The Challenge

2009-01-23T08:00:00.000-06:00

"I have always found in my life that the more I truly know a person, the more I have been priviliged to share in their deepest pain and joy, the more there was for me to love of that person. Underneath each of our well groomed images there lives a very lovable person who finds this hard to believe. That person is you and me. A majestic unique creation of our Heavenly Father, whose intrinsic value and worth lies in the fact that He loves us and accepts us as imperfect people.

'I have nothing to offer anyone....except myself.

Me, such a forgettable figure...of nothing;

Which runs through life laughing...at the wrong time,

Who cannot convey a serious thought...without sounding false,

Who is really afraid of people...not taking her seriously.

A person searching for another...who understands,

What she is like and...wants her, inspite of herself.

A person who will be brave enough to LOVE HER...

.. when she cannot love herself.'

The Father's love for is was so completly overwhelming that He sent His Son into this world too die for us and rise again for our justifciation. Now, because He lives, we live also. But only because He lives!

Galatians 2:20 " I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." This is the secret of our new power. We are closest to the heart of our Lord Jesus and His Kingdom of Grace when we realize that we too have been crucified with Him and now live our life in the flesh as one who is free to love nad give himself for others. And in this self-giving of our love to others, we fulfill His new Commandment to love one another as He has loved us.

Someone is out there waiting for you today.

Waiting for you to love them as you have been loved and

as you have been now commanded to love.

The Love in Your Heart

Wasn't put there to stay

Love isn't Love, Till You Give It Away

Do you Love Me?

You Told Me Once.

But I Forgot.

A Week of Love...a poem

2009-01-22T08:00:00.000-06:00

" Be reckless, free and open with your love. Our two children need more love than either I or my wife are able to give. They also need your love to be whole in life. Let me illustrate this by telling you a story from the life of Toyohiko Kagawa, the late Japanese Christian who made so many important contributions to religious education in Japan. On one occasion, in the slums of Japan, he found a baby who had been thrown away. It was customary then to throw babies away when parents couldn't take care of them. When he saw this little baby girl in the filth of the gutter, he picked her up and took her to his home. He called her, for lack of knowing her real name, Little Ishi (It means Rock or Stone--Debi) He knew the child was dying, she was cold and struggled for each breath. He held the little child in his arms and wept. And as his warm tears of love fell upon the child's face, they shocked her back to life. He then sat down and wrote this poem.

'I am sodden with sleep
But I wake with my starling's fretful cries.
Thin dirty little baby
Wailing with pain all the while.
She is ill, Little Ishi-
Life has abused her so.
Safe from the one who meant to kill,
Fever has made her low.
Through the night I laboured to save her.
We two are all alone.
Sharp in the fearful stillness,
The neighbor's clock struck one.
Why is the world so cruel?
Seen with Ishi's eyes,
The earth and all the things in it
Is a mountain pile of ice.
Oh, to be taught what to do.
Men are consoled by their women,
But this scrap in my heart lies shriveled-
Dull from the junk heap.
And the strong man who holds her cries.
Why are you quiet, Ishi?
Why are your eyes shut? Why?
Wait, oh wait, little sick one.
It is too soon for you to die.
Cry again, Little Ishi.
Cry once more, once more.
What will it take to make you wake?
For I cannot let you go.
I call but you do not hear me.
I clasp you, but you do not move.
It is not to pain I would bring you again.
There is love in the world. There is love
Will she not cry?
Here in my close embrace, I kiss her wan lips-
growning grayer. My drawn face touches her face.
Fast are my frightened tears falling,
Falling on Ishi's eyes.
With her cold, still tears, they are mingled
Oh, God! At Last! She cries.'

Because of the love of this one man, the little child lived. Someone has said, and rightly so, that the only problem with all our love is that it has been either too late or too small. Now is the time as the committed people of our Lord Jesus to correct our smallness to match His Bigness.

A Week of Love....What's in A Name?

2009-01-21T08:00:00.000-06:00

The Name of the Pamphlet that these passages are being taken from has such an interesting title that I'm giving it it's very own post.

"All the walls were covered with white paper. The patients could write or draw anything they wanted on the paper draped walls. On this day as my eyes scanned the writing and pictures, I was struck with an inner terror when I read these words.

'I REACHED OUT

NO ONE

WAS THERE
I CRIED'

"These words didn't originate from the lines of a poem or a book of neatly filled illustrations. They were formed by a broken heart crying out the only way it knew how. These lines were written by one who had crashed through the threshold of unknown personal terror and pain to etch their inner emptiness upon impersonal walls.

I imagined a person desperately reaching out for anyone who would allow his presence with a reasonable amount of dignity. The depth of the human isolation expressed in these words was enough to make me sit to calm my own mounting rage of anger. Who was "No One?" And why wasn't "no one" there? Do you mean to tell me that a world which daily faces a spiraling population crisis, could not produce one person with the necessary compassion to love this abandoned refugee from the human race. There words are a sad commentary to a shallow depth at which we continue to live our lives. "

A Week of Love...Making the Time

2009-01-20T08:00:00.000-06:00

'Part of our problem is that we just don't have time anymore. Time to be there when we are needed. If we are forever reluctant to make time for those who cry out in need, who will be there when the tears are from our eyes? On one of our youth retreats a teenage girl wrote this story about growing up in a world which has lost the true value of time. She titled this little episode: There Wasn't Time '

"Time. It hangs heavy for the bored, eludes the busy, flies by for the young and runs out for the aged.

Time. We talk about it like it's a manufactured commodity that some can afford, others can't.

We waste it, crave it, abuse it, curse it, and kill it. Is it our friend or our enemy?

I suspect we know very little about it. To know it all and its potential, perhaps we should review it through a child's eyes.

When I was young, Daddy was going to throw me up in the air and catch me and I would giggle until I couldn't giggle anymore, but Daddy had to change the furnace filter - AND THERE WASN'T TIME.

When I was young, Mama was going to read me a story and I was going to turn the pages and pretend I could read, but she had to wax the bathroom floor- AND THERE WASN'T TIME.

When I was young, Daddy was going to come to school and watch me in a play. I was the fourth Wiseman, (in case one of the three got sick), but he had an appointment to have his car tuned up and it took longer than he thought- AND THERE WASN'T TIME.

When I was young, Grandma and Grandpa were going to come for Christmas to see the expression on my face when I got my first bike, but Grandma didn't know who she could get to feed the dogs and Grandpa didn't like the cold weather and besides- THEY DIDN'T HAVE TIME.

When I was young, mama was going to listen to me read my essay on 'What I Want to be When I Grow Up.'; but she was in the middle of the Monday night movie and Gregory Peck was always one of her favorites- AND THERE WASN'T TIME.

When I was older Dad and I were going fishing one weekend, just the two of us and we were going to pitch a tent and anf fry fish with the heads on them like they do in the flashlight ads, but at the last minute he had to fertalize the grass - AND THERE WASN'T TIME.

When I was older, the whole family was always going to pose together for our Christmas card picture, but my brother had ball practice, my sister had her hair up, Dad was watching the Colts and Mom had to wax the bathroom - AGAIN THERE WASN'T TIME.

When I grew up and left home to be married, I was going to sit down with Mom and Dad and tell them I loved them and I would miss them. But Hank (he's our Bestman and a real clown), was honking the horn in front of the house, - SO THERE WASN'T TIME.

So if you need a Fireproof fix...

2009-01-19T10:23:00.002-06:00

The producers of Fireproof have edited the whole story into 60 seconds :)
Follow Me!

A Week of Love...a quote

2009-01-19T08:00:00.000-06:00

"You soon forget the one you laugh with, but never the one you cry with."

-Norwegian Proverbs

A Week of Love...Loving the Loveless

2009-01-18T08:00:00.001-06:00

          "Another day as I was walking down the dreary corridors of the state hospital with the familiar odors of urine and sweat penatrating every nook and cranny, I heard the familar sound of dragging feet. I had the distinct feeling that I was being followed. So I stepped up my pace to see if the one who I thought was following me would do the same. He did. The message was clear; whoever it was wanted to catch up with me. So I gave him the chance by slowing my pace.
          In a matter of seconds someone reached out and took hold of my hand. That's what the chase was was all about, someone just wanted to hold my hand. But when I turned and saw who or what it was that was holding my hand, my first response was to snap my hand from his tenacious grip. Here was perhaps one of the ugliest portions of humanity I have ever seen. From the top of his bald head to the bottom of his bare feet, there stood a lad about 15 years old, covered from head to foot with enourmous welts the smallest being the size of a half dollar. He was so disfigured I could hardly stand to look at him. It took all the strength I had in my body to just let him hold my hand.
          He made no other demands, he couldn't he was mute. He just wanted to hold someone's hand, and, at that moment, that someone was me. Then I thought to myself, "Yes, how easy it is to love the beautiful, the talented, the handsome, the dexterous athlete, the popular person, or the pleasing person- but how difficult and almost impossible- to love those who need it the most, such as the ugly, the untalented, the shy, the slow learner, and the disfigured." How cheap and unreal our love has become, because for the most part we have continued to give it to those who really don't need it, and likewise we have withheld our love from those who have reached out to us in quiet desperation, hoping and praying with an inner rage that we would be the one who would hold their hand.
         Let me illustrate this with a story. A man recently visited a home where there were five children. He was supposed to be a kind of godfather to them and was trying to get involved with them on their level. He asked one of the little girls about her doll collection: " Which one is your favorite?" She answered, "Promise you won't laugh if I tell you." "No I won't laugh," he said. She went into the next room and brought back a doll that was the most tattered, dilapidated, worn-out doll he had ever seen. A real refugee from the trash heap. All the hair was missing, and the nose was broken off and an arm was cracked. He didn't laugh, but he couldn't cover his surprise. He said to her, "Why do you love this one the most?" The little girl replied, "Because she needs it most. If I din't love her, nobody would."
          Jesus said that God is like that. God is loving us most when we need it most. So we ought to take a lesson from this and enrich our love by loving those who need it the most, instead of loving those who in someway please us the most.

A Week of Love...The Mission

2009-01-17T08:00:00.000-06:00

"A new Commandment I give to you,

that you love one another;

even as I have loved you,

that you also love one another.

By this all men will know that you are my disciples,

if you have love for one another."

-John 13:34-35-

A Week of Love...Introduction

2009-01-16T08:00:00.000-06:00

Two years ago, possibly three, My parents and I attended a dedication of a little miracle child.
There we met a friend of the family who was a devoted man of God.....

~
A year later or so, Dad and Mom attend the man's funeral.

~
There they picked up a pamphlet- a collection of certain parts of the man's sermons dealing with Love.
Specifically, the love we are supposed to give to one another following the example of Christ.

~
It's a powerful 16 page set of papers.
I read it when it first came to my house, and several things have stayed with me over that past year.

~
So in the next week..I'm going to be posting selections from the selections :)

2009-01-15T08:00:00.000-06:00

Snow in Madrid
by Joy Davidman

Softly, so casual,
Lovely, so light, so light,
The cruel sky lets fall
Something one does not fight.
How tenderly to crown
The brutal year
The clouds send something down
That one need not fear.
Men before perishing
See with unwounded eye
For once a gentle thing
Fall from the sky.

A Week of Quotes....Tuesday

2009-01-13T08:00:00.000-06:00

" A vision without a task is but a dream,

A task without a vision is drudgery,

But a Vision and a Task is the hope of the World."

-Carved on a Church in England

A Week of Quotes...Monday

2009-01-12T08:00:00.000-06:00

"The amazing thing about Miracles...

...is that they Happen."

-C.S. Lewis

A week of Quotes....Sunday

2009-01-11T08:00:00.000-06:00

"We have all of eternity to celebrate the victories

and only a few short hours before Sunset to win them."

-Amy Carmichael

A Week of Quotes....Saturday

2009-01-10T08:00:00.000-06:00

"Far better is it to dare mighty things,

to win glorious triumphs,

even though checkered by failure,

than to rank with those poor Spirits

who neither enjoy much or suffer much,

because they live in the gray twilight

that knows not victory or defeat."

-Theodore Roosevelt

A week of Quotes...Friday

2009-01-09T08:00:00.000-06:00

"Let those be thy choicest Companions...

who have made Christ their Chief Companion."

- Thomas Brooks

A Week of Quotes....Thursday

2009-01-08T08:00:00.000-06:00

"It is easier to serve God without a vision,

Easier to work for God without a call,

Because then you are not bothered by what God requires;

Common Sense is your guide,

veneered over with Christian Sentiment.

You will be more prosperous and successful,

More leisure-hearted, if you never realize the Call of God.

But if once you realize a commission from Jesus Christ,

the memory of what God wants will always come like a goad;

You will no longer be able to work for Him,

on a common sense basis."

-Oswald Chambers

A week of Quotes....Wednesday

2009-01-07T08:00:00.001-06:00

"Unless there is an element of risk in your exploits for God,

there is no need for Faith."

-Hudson Taylor

So....Dad reminded me that I have a blog

2009-01-05T10:05:00.004-06:00

So I'm taking a few seconds to update it :)
I'm afraid I haven't anything interesting to write, I haven't had the time to put thought it to it.

This is pretty much what I've been doing this past week:
Click to Enlarge

And Seriously I've been doing it almost 8 hrs a day. I've done over 40 lessons in my math book since last Monday.

Interesting things....it's 2009. 2008 flew by, but I really feel like it was a year of changing and growing. I'm definitely not the person I was 12 months ago. Not so much change on the outside, I'm still 5'5" (I always thought that I would give Katie a run for her money as the tallest in the family. No such Luck...Joe's passed me up now.)

Last Books I read:
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Anointed for Burial by Todd and DeAnn Burke.

Next on my List:
Nicholas Nickelby by Dickens
The Hiding Place (I read this book probably twice a year...and It's just great...each time)

Oh and I LOVE MY JOB!!!! I don't think you all know about my job....well, that's too long a story for now so...another post...soon I promise :)

Do Good and Avoid Evil :)
Go with God,
-Debi

Definition of "A NICE PERSON"

2008-12-19T20:13:00.000-06:00

A nice person is neither too tall nor too short, looks clean and cheerful, has no prominent feature, makes no difficulties, is never misplaced, sits bodkin, is never foolishly affronted, and is void of affectations.
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A nice person helps you well at dinner, understands you, is always gratefully received by young and old, Whig and Tory, grave and happy.
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There is something in the very air of a nice person which inspires you with confidence, makes you talk, and talk without fear of malicious misrepresentation; you feel that you are reposing upon a nature which God has made kind, and created for the benefit and happiness of society. It has the effect upon the mind which soft air and a fine climate has upon the body.
-
A nice person is clear of little, trumpery passions, acknowledges superiority, delights in talent, shelters humility, pardons adversity, forgives deficiency, respects all men's rights, never stops the bottle, is never long and never wrong, always knows the day of the month, the name of every body at table, and never gives pain to any human being.
-
If any body is wanted for a party, a nice person is the first thought of; when the child is christened, when the daughter is married--all the joys of life are communicated to nice people; the hand of the dying man is always held out to a nice person.
-
A nice person never knocks over wine or melted butter, does not tread upon the dog's foot, or molest the family cat, eats soup without noise, laughs in the right place, and has a watchful and attentive eye.
-
-Syndney Smith

Just for Laughs :)

2008-12-11T08:00:00.000-06:00

This is fun! Enjoy!
Question 1:
How do you put a giraffe into the refrigerator?
* * *
Answer to Question 1:
Open the refrigerator, put the giraffe in, close the door.
Evaluation: This question tests whether you tend to do simple
things in
an overly complicated manner.
Question 2:
How do
you put an elephant in the refrigerator?
* * *
Answer to Question 2:
If you answered, 'Open the refrigerator, put in the elephant, close
the
door,' your answer was incorrect. The correct answer is - Open the
refrigerator, take out the giraffe, put the elephant in and close the
door.
Evaluation: This question tests your ability to think through the
repercussions of your previous actions.
Question 3:
The Lion King is hosting an animal convention. All the animals are
there
except one. Which animal does not attend?
* * *
Answer to Question 3:
The elephant. Didn't you just put him in the refrigerator?
Evaluation: This question tests your memory.
How are you doing so far? Okay, even if you did not answer the
first
three questions correctly, you still have one more chance to redeem
yourself...
Question 4:
There is a river you must cross, but crocodiles and alligators live
in
it. There is no bridge and you don't have a boat. How do you get
across?
* * *
Answer to Question 4:
You jump in and swim across. Haven't you been listening? All the
crocodiles and alligators are attending the animal convention!
Evaluation:This tests whether you learn quickly from your mistakes.
According to Anderson Consulting - approx. 90% of the professionals
they
tested got all four answers wrong. On the other hand, when they tested
pre-schoolers, more than half got the answers right.
The conclusion of this testing? This test disproves that most
professionals have the brains of a four-year-old.

Best Explanation of Rights I've ever Heard....

2008-12-10T12:28:00.002-06:00

"My right to punch you..

ends where your nose begins."

-Bill O'Reilly

The Good Book....

2008-12-08T10:28:00.002-06:00

In regard to this Great Book, I have but to say,

I believe the Bible is the best gift God has given to man. 

All the good Savior gave to the world was communicated through this Book. But for this Book we could not know right from wrong. All things most desirable for man's welfare, here and hereafter, are to be found portrayed in it.

~Abraham Lincoln 

~

~

"It is impossible to rightly govern the world 

without God and the Bible." 

~George Washington

~

~

"That book accounts for the supremacy of England." 

~Queen Victoria

"It is impossible to enslave mentally or socially a Bible-reading people. The principles of the Bible are the groundwork of human freedom."

~Horace Greeley

"The New Testament is the very best book that ever was or ever will be known in the world." 

~Charles Dickens

~

~

"In all my perplexities and distresses, the Bible has never failed to give me light and strength." 

~Robert E. Lee

~

~

'The Bible is worth all other books which have ever been printed." 

~Patrick Henry

~

~

"Most people are bothered by those passages of Scripture they do not understand, but the passages that bother me are those I do understand."

~Mark Twain

~

~

"Another century and there will not be a Bible on earth!" 

~Voltaire

~

~

"Voltaire expected that within fifty years of his lifetime there would not be one Bible in the world. His house is now a distribution center for Bibles in many languages."

~Corrie Ten Boom

~

~

"A thorough understanding of the Bible is better than a college education.” ~Theodore Roosevelt

2008-12-05T11:40:00.002-06:00

So...we watched Amazing Grace recently and the story is so good I thought I'd share the best quotes with you all :)

"We're too young to realize that certain thing s are in possible....

...which is why we'll do them anyway."

-William Pitt-

"God sometimes does his work in a gentle drizzle, not storms."

-John Newton-

"Am I not a Man?

Whose soul is drawn to Heaven from the dark well that is Africa?"

-Equiano-

"How is it that you only feel the thorns in your feet when you stop running?"

"Is that some deep metiphorical advice for me?"

"Yes, I suppose it is."

-Pitt-

-Wilberforce-

"Also Barbara and I have discovered that we're both impatient and prone to rash decisions.

But she wants to tell you about it herself."

-Wilberforce-

"Though I have lost my memory, I remember two thing clearly.

I am a great sinner and Christ is a great Saviour."

"I once was blind but now I see. Did I write that?

Well, now at last it's true."

-Newton-

"When people speak of great men, they think of men like Napoleon - men of violence. Rarely do they think of peaceful men. But contrast the reception they will receive when they return home from their battles. Napoleon will arrive in pomp and in power, a man who's achieved the very summit of earthly ambition. And yet his dreams will be haunted by the oppressions of war. William Wilberforce, however, will return to his family, lay his head on his pillow and remember: the slave trade is no more. "

-Charles Fox-

Giselle!!

2008-12-01T08:00:00.000-06:00

I sit beside the fire....

2008-11-28T15:40:00.001-06:00

I sit beside the fire and think

of all that I have seen,

of meadow-flowers and butterflies

in summers that have been;

of Yellow and gossamer

in autumns that there were,

with morning mist and sliver sun

and wind upon my hair.

I sit beside the fire and think

of how the world will be

when winter comes without a spring

that I shall never see.

For still there are so many things

that I have never seen:

in every wood in every spring

there is a different green.

I sit beside the fire and think

of people long ago,

and people who will see a world

that I shall never know.

But all the while I sit and think

of times that were before,

I listen for returning feet

and voices at the door.

-Bilbo Baggins

Fellowship of the Ring

by J.R.R. Tolkien

Gettysburg Address...145 years ago...Today

2008-11-19T08:00:00.000-06:00

Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

November 19, 1863

************

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent,

a new nation, conceived in Liberty,

and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation,

or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure.

We are met on a great battle-field of that war.

We have come to dedicate a portion of that field,

as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live.

It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate --

we can not consecrate -- we can not hallow -- this ground.

The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here,

have consecrated it,

far above our poor power to add or detract.

The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here,

but it can never forget what they did here.

It is for us the living, rather,

to be dedicated here to the unfinished work

which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced.

It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us --

that from these honored dead we take increased devotion

to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion --

that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain --

that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom --

and that government of the people,

by the people,

for the people,

shall not perish from the earth.

(The following is a paper written by me for Forensics class nearly 4 years ago now)

‘Four score and seven years ago’ begins the well known quote. But how many of us know the story behind it?

In June of 1863, the Civil War had dragged on for two years, eradicating the hopes of both Southerners and Northerners that the war would be only a ‘breakfast spell’. Confederate General Robert E. Lee conceived a bold plan to crush the Union hopes and demoralize the support of the war by making the northern people feel that it was to big a price to pay. The Plan? He would march north into Pennsylvania, drawing the Union Army of the Potomac after him to destroy it. After which a peace treaty would be offered to Federal President Abraham Lincoln, who without an army, would be at the mercy of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia. The Union and Confederate armies, the former under the command of George Meade and the latter under Robert E. Lee, meet at a little crossroads town. The fighting lasted three days. The climax came on the last day, when the Confederates sent 15,000 men, under the command of George Pickett, across open fields to assault entrenched Union soldiers at the top of Cemetery Ridge. This attack, known to history as Pickett’s Charge, failed to take the Ridge and left 10,000 men dead on the field. The Battle of Gettysburg, ending with the culmination of Pickett’s Charge was the turning point of the Civil War. The Confederacy was weakened and they never regained the supremacy they had lost. But only those of us who see the Civil War in retrospect realize the consequences that this battle had on the Confederacy and the Union. To the grieving families in the North and South, they only knew that, because of this battle, 51,000 of their fathers, their husbands, their sons and brothers were gone. On November 19, a cemetery for these dead was consecrated, on the land for which they had fought. It was at this consecration that Abraham Lincoln delivered his speech. He asked the remaining soldiers and people of the North to be dedicated to the unfinished work of the fallen soldiers,-that, in his own words, ‘these dead shall not have died in vain-that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom,- and that Government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish for the earth.’

Reflections.....

2008-11-16T08:00:00.000-06:00

"Sometimes I wonder about my life. I lead a small life. Valuable, but small. And sometimes I wonder, do I do it because I like it, or because I haven't been brave? So much of what I see reminds me of something I read in a book, when shouldn't it be the other way around?
I don't really know if I want an answer. I just want to send this cosmic question out into the void. So goodnight, dear void."

-You Got Mail

I wish I could write great books.....with great thoughts in them...

2008-11-14T10:17:00.000-06:00

"Because for some of us, books are as important as almost anything else on earth. What a miracle it is that out of theses small, flat, rigid squares of paper unfolds world after world after world, worlds that sing to you, comfort and quiet or excite you. Books help us understand who we are and how we are to behave. They show us what community and friendship mean; they show us how to live and die. They are full of all the things you don't get in real life--wonderful, lyrical language, for instance, right off the bat. And quality of attention: we may notice amazing details during the course of a day but we rarely let ourselves stop and really pay attention. An author makes you notice, makes you pay attention, and this is a great gift."

~Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird, p. 15

Visitors Corner

2008-11-12T11:59:00.002-06:00

We've been having so many varied visitors these past two months, I thought I would share our experiences and fun.
-
Let's see:
At the beginning, Brett Farve and Albert Pujols showed up alot for lunch...
Farve I could understand because he was retired...but Pujols was liking our cooking so well, he showed up all through the regular season!!
-

Then the Pevensies and company showed up at lunch one day and we were pleased to see them so much they hung around for Dinner,when Aslan came home from his hard day at work. Lucy especially was pleased to see him :) They stayed several days...
-
Then the next week, after the kids were left with me for the night and I let them watch a certain movie, Robin Hood, Maid Marian and the gang showed up. They proceeded to run around our house, protecting us and calling for each other VERY loudly...you think the gang would have learned about a little thing called stealth by now.-
And again....King Richard the LION-hearted came for Supper after he was done with Work...I believe Marian specially invited him.
-
So many visitors, right? Fortunently when a new group shows up, the last group leaves quite quickly.
-
This past week, Winnie the Pooh and his Friends showed up. They sing songs and eat honey, and talk about the Blustery Day.

-
-
One odd thing about these adventures we've had.
-
Many of these characters bear a striking resemblance to these two:
-
Betcha ya didn't know that Lucy and Peter were so cute, did you?

Faith...

2008-11-12T10:18:00.000-06:00

“In the last resort faith is an act of will, inspired by love. Our love may be chilled and our will eroded by the spectacle of the shortcomings, folly, and even sins of the Church and its ministers, but I do not think that one who has once had faith goes back over the line for these reasons…If He is a fraud and the Gospels fraudulent—that is: garbled accounts of a demented megalomaniac (which is the only alternative), then of course the spectacle exhibited by the Church…in history and today is simply evidence of a gigantic fraud. If not, however, then this spectacle is alas! only what was to be expected: it began before the first Easter, and it does not affect faith at all—except that we may and should be deeply grieved“It takes a fantastic will to unbelief to suppose that Jesus never really ‘happened’, and more to suppose that he did not say the things recorded of him—so incapable of being ‘invented’ by anyone in the world at that time…”

(The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, Letter 250, p. 337)

A Short History of Veterans Day.

2008-11-11T09:23:00.001-06:00

Veterans Day began as Armistice Day. On November 12, 1919, a year and a day after the Armistice was signed (at the eleventh hour, on the eleventh day of the eleventh month) President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed a holiday to celebrate the end of the 'War to End All Wars'.
-

In 1926, Congress resolved to observe November 11 with respect. Two years later an act was passed to have a legal holiday that was "dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be thereafter celebrated and known as 'Armistice Day' " And so that tradition contiuned for 15 years.
-

And then in 1953,a shoe store owner in Emporia, Kanses requested that Armistice Day be used to celebrate "All Veterans" not just those that had served in WWI....

On November 8, 1954, Congress passed the act that officailly changed the name to Veterans Day, and it has celebrated all of the veterans of the American Wars ever since.
-

~~~~~~~~

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia

~~~~~~~~

Joseph Ambrose, an 86-year-old World War I veteran,

attends the dedication day parade for the

Vietnam Veterans Memorial in 1982,

holding the flag that covered the casket of his son,

who had been killed in the Korean War.

~~~~~~

Some statistics:

Emiliano Mercado del Toro of Puerto Rico (21 August 1891–24 January 2007), who died aged 115, is the oldest authenticated veteran, from any conflict, to have ever lived.
-

There are currently 10 WWI verified veterans still living...two Americans, two Australians, two French and

four Brits.
-

And if you are ever in Washington.....this is a place you HAVE to see :

World War Two Memorial
-

Please pardon any spelling errors I might have missed...I can't find the spell check button

Had some questions.....

2008-11-09T08:00:00.001-06:00

so I thought it would be fun to come up with a quiz :)

3 Favorite memories:
1.)Washington D.C.
2.)Farm Camp at the Wood's House
3.)Camp 06, 07

3 Proud moments:
(Don't get a big head, I'm just wondering what accomplishment/praises you've ever got)
1.) Exiting the stage after my first scene as Phil and hearing the audience cheer :)
2.) Getting a job at the Chamber
3.) Can't think of anything else.....

How did you meet two of your friends?
1.) When I met the one I thought she was an Angel :) Pretty dress, blond hair...wouldn't you?
2.) I don't remember any other meetings...I've known most of them for forever...

What do you do to relax?
I read a book

What is something that annoys you?
Writing a book- a historical book, but putting modern thoughts and actions in them

Laptop or desk top computer?
I like laptops...

how do you drink coffee?
With LOTS of creamer

and now to test your brain :)
Can you name the person that said this with out googling or IMDBing?
"Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God!"
Do you know what E-WIT's stands for?

Post your answers in the Comments!!!! :)

My Orders...

2008-11-08T10:27:00.000-06:00

My Orders

My orders are to fight;

Then if I bleed, or fail,

Or strongly win, what matters it?

God only doth prevail.

The servant craveth naught

Except to serve with might.

I was not told to win or lose,–

My orders are to fight.

~~ Ethelwyn Wetherald

Thoughts in the quotes...

2008-11-06T18:03:00.002-06:00

“Apathy is the glove into which Evil slips its hand.”

"Man must come to his fullness, and fail....

...and then God Moves."

'The incredible thing about Miracles....

...is that they Happen.'

Luke and Sarah tidbits...

2008-11-04T10:51:00.002-06:00

They are just being so cute I have to write about them!

Sarah has two teddy bears that she sleeps with. Their names?
Wesley (except it's pronounced "Wesaly") and Peanut Butter Cup :)

Today Sarah voted for Sarah Elisabeth Palin. That's how she says her name, "My name is Sarah Elisabeth S------...but Becca calls me Shorty"
So when we told her that Mrs. Palin's name was Sarah, she added the Elisabeth part out of habit. :)

Susie and I got up early and sailed through the voting line in about 10 minutes flat. There was a line out the door but that was for district 1. Fortunately we live in District 4 :)
Luke met us at the door with "Who did you vote for?"
"McCain"
"Yes! We have two votes for McCain!"

It's been great to see an election through the eyes of a two and a six/seven year old.

Oh and I got to vote for President the first time!!!!!!

....and though I never got to vote for him....I'll miss President Bush.

Vigil in the Night...

2008-10-29T21:19:00.002-05:00

The familiar shades of black and white...
A hospital...
at night...
in the isolation wing....
a young nurse fights to keep life in a small pox victim.
The victim is a boy, possibly 7 more likely 5....
Other children watch the drama...
the fight for life...
There are 20 children in all...
but the nineteen lives saved will seem insignificant if there is one fatality.
The Thermometer reads 102*...
She changes the icy cold cloths....
104*.....
She enjects him with medicine...
106*....
she heads for another cloth...
and the boy's chest stills.....
She will not lose this child...
the oxygen tanks are deplated from saving other lives that day...
so she uses her own breathe to force life back into the boy....
...and when the sun rises she carries a living boy to the window to wave at his anguished parents.

Watch this Movie!!!!

2008-10-27T12:18:00.003-05:00

COME WHAT MAY....I just finished it and I cried!! It's powerful and sweet and encouraging! Hurry, it's only available till Wednesday, but it's worth it

I'm definetly getting the DVD!

Readability :)

2008-10-23T09:25:00.003-05:00

Well, I tried it and It told me I had an elementary level blog but it wouldn't show up for the post so I tried again and this is what it tells me know. :)

Movie Reviews

100th post!!!!!!!!!! Yahoo!

I think....therefore I am

2008-10-21T23:06:00.000-05:00

I am: Thinking

I know: nothing

I have: a headache

I wish: for direction

I hate: headaches

I miss: childhood

I fear: the future

I feel: pensive

I hear: Sarah B

I smell: Air

I crave: good bread with butter

I search: Buzz Lane (which Google found for me !)

I wonder: about my excuses

I regret: making excuses

I love: reading about other worlds

I am not: perfect

I believe: in Miracles

I dance: The waltz

I sing: Loch Lamond

I cry: over sad books

I don't always: remember things

I fight: for what is right

I write: Sporadically

I win: history quizes

I lose: Culture Quizes

I never: smoke

I always: drink water

I confuse: myself

I listen: music Twila Paris and Sara Groves are the Favs at the moment

I can usually be found: in my room

I need: talk to my mom

I am happy about: having the day off tomorrow

I imagine: a perfect future

The Weight of a Presidency

2008-10-20T17:30:00.004-05:00

Lincoln- June, 1861
He had been President for 4 months
and his country had been at war for 3 of them

Lincoln- April 11, 1965
4 years, 620,00 deaths
and one Emancipation later....

Lyndon Johnson- July 31, 1968
After listening to a tape
about the situation in Vietnam

Well Senators? Do you still want the Job?

You are a Child of God!

2008-10-11T14:33:00.002-05:00

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
-by Marianne Williamson

By-the-by, my mouth is sore but I'm feeling quite well....:)

and I don't personally know this girl and her brother but pray for them if you think of it.....please.

Friday....An adventure is Waiting

2008-10-08T14:30:00.006-05:00

So on Friday- I can't eat...

Then I'm going to get poked with a needle which I've never liked as it is....

Then I'm going to get all my wisdom removed...

after which I will surely feel groggy....ill.....tired

but hopefully I will stay awake long enough to get a pain reliever in me,

and hopefully my mouth will not decided it doesn't want stitches holding it together.

Well, we will see what happens-

So, do all the variables define an Adventure....or Life?

20-Something Reasons to Live at Home

2008-09-27T10:20:00.000-05:00

Here's another good article I read through a link on IDD...

I think it's a good view of the 'living at home' issue.

Also I thought the point she made about living with family keeps you from living self centeredly is very true.

20-Something Reasons to Live at Home
by Rachel Starr Thomson

"So Rachel," my new friend said, joking in that not-so-subtle way that meant she wasn't joking at all. "Want to move out and get an apartment with me next fall?"
I chuckled slightly and said, "Nope. I'm pretty happy at home."
"But you could be so independent!" she insisted. "Living on your own is so great. You'd have your own space; the ability to do whatever you want; your own bills to pay. It really makes an adult of you."
I stuck to my guns. When she got to know me a little better, my friend changed her mind. Instead of asking me to move out, she expressed a desire to live close to my family. She saw something in our home that she wanted to tap into.
I'm newly 25 and still living at home. I'm the oldest of 12 kids. The other young adults in the family — ages 23, 22, 20, and nearly 18 — are also at home. We're not here because our parents are control freaks (they're not). We're not here because we're scared of the real world, lack ambition, or just can't make it out there. Rather, we've discovered that living at home is an excellent way to lay a foundation for the rest of our lives. We're doing our best to take advantage of it.
Over the years, I've realized five key benefits of living at home as a young adult — whether with my own family or with another. Family life offers many blessings for the stay-at-home single adult, provided that we use this stage to actively and responsibly build a future. Living at home is especially helpful for single women, but guys can benefit from it as well.

Training
Recently, a good friend of mine moved out of the apartment she'd been sharing with her mother into a new one with a roommate. After a few months, the roommate moved home to England, and my friend was on her own.
Before she'd been in that apartment a year, she was forced to move again. This time, she decided to move in with an older couple who had just sent their daughter off to university in Toronto. They had two empty bedrooms and hearts that were very willing to take in another "daughter."
Shortly after she made this decision, she and I had an interesting conversation. She expressed how much she had enjoyed having her way — her tea and a book before bed, her quiet, her music, her habits and preferences. I pointed out that this wasn't necessarily a good thing. In just a few months, my friend was losing her flexibility and ability to flow with others. We both saw that the coming change was the best thing for her.
After she moved back into a family home, the change in her was remarkable. In no time, she was back to her old self — more cheerful, flexible and fun to be around.
Living alone, or even with other singles, promotes independence in ways that are not always good. In practice, "independence" often translates to "self-centeredness." This is bad training for life. It's bad training for marriage especially, when we'll need to deal with the intrusions of others, look out for them, and handle changing circumstances with grace.
Living at home has provided me with excellent training for the future. Much of this training comes disguised as annoyance and inconvenience, but it truly is a blessing! It keeps me pliable, so I'm not going to shatter if life drops me into a hard situation. When we embrace family life and keep ourselves open to correction and change, life at home will prepare us to be happy, others-centered people.

Protection
In her article "Single Female Seeking Home Ownership, Part 1," Candace Watters pointed out that living with a family affords great protection to single women. She wrote that in the past, parents "understood that their daughters needed protection from men who would certainly take liberties if given the opportunity that living alone provides."
The same friend who asked me to get an apartment with her has often expressed feelings of intense insecurity and fear as a single woman living on her own. Many women, including students whose living arrangements aren't exactly ideal, go home every night worrying about who might hiding in the alley. Living with my family gives me a straightforward physical protection that I don't take for granted! I go home to a house that's lit up and very populated. My father is usually in the dining room. Someone is always near the phone. If I don't come home when I'm supposed to, somebody knows it.
This defensive force extends to the well-meaning as well as the unscrupulous. It goes beyond just making sure no one's following me home to helping me make wise choices. As Candace wrote, "When you don't have parents or parental figures limiting the time you spend with your sweetheart (as well as supervising how you spend that time), you're likely to spend too much time with too little (commitment) in return."
When it comes to finding a mate, both guys and girls can benefit from the community protection of a family home. I may be blinded by some guy's charm, but my father isn't likely to be. My brothers may flip over a vain beauty, but my mother will see right through her. Because we care about each other and know one another well, my family provides amazing accountability and protection in this area. In fact, the unworthy may not even bother to approach a girl who is still at home with an involved father and an aware mother.
The family you rely on for protection doesn't have to be your own. I encourage single girls who are far from home or who don't have intact, involved families of their own to explore the possibility of living with a Christian family. The accountability and physical protection involved are huge benefits. Single guys can also benefit from connecting with families that will help keep them grounded, responsible, and aware of their own future families.
As with anything, protection is enhanced or embattled depending on our own attitudes. If we're foolish or unwilling to be held accountable, we will severely limit the blessing of protection in our lives. Simply being at home is good; deliberately working with home's protective forces is even better!

Finances
When she first brought up the subject of getting an apartment, my friend pointed out that living away from home would give me "my own bills to pay" and help me mature financially. However, living at home has allowed me far more financial freedom and flexibility than I could possibly have on my own.
A few years ago, I decided to take the road less traveled and become a freelance editor and writer. I knew it would take me a while to build up my clientele to the point where I could become self-supporting, but that was OK. Because I lived at home, I was free from pressure, debt, and the need to work several jobs while overloading on stress.
Once again, this benefit is best experienced when we actively use it to build for the future. I'm not advocating mooching off your parents! When I started editing, I didn't have a computer. I spend several hours every day working on my dad's dinosaur of a machine, tucked away in a decrepit hole in the basement. (Centipedes kept crawling out of cracks in the wall. Seriously.) Within a few months, I had earned enough to buy myself a laptop and move my workspace into my own room, with a lot more sunshine and a lot fewer centipedes.
When I started freelancing, I gave my parents a small percentage of my earnings. Now, I voluntarily pay them as much as I would to live on my own. I also have a credit card and several monthly financial commitments. By next summer I will have saved enough to buy a minivan outright (my prime choice for a first vehicle, as I hope to regularly cart people around!) — no car payments.
If I had moved out when I turned 18 or 21, I would not have reached this level of freedom. I would have been forced into doing work that had nothing to do with my future career direction just so I could pay the bills. To get to that work, a car would have been necessary — and since it takes a while to save enough to buy such a thing, I would have needed a loan.
This pattern has extended to the rest of my finances as well. I'm deliberately using my time at home to build habits and enter commitments that allow me to function on an adult level while avoiding debt and undue financial pressure.
Those who pursue higher education can also benefit from living at home. Because the cost of living can be so much lower when you share a home with parents and siblings, students can pay off school debts faster, find more time to concentrate on study, and even eat healthy, normal meals!
Depending on someone else to provide while we take an instant-gratification approach to money is a terrible way to build a future. However, living at home does not equal mooching unless we let it. It can give us the freedom and flexibility to lay foundations and start building on them without falling into the financial traps that bog down so many around us.

Community
Recently, I came home from an evening out. Laughter greeted my ears as I pushed the door open. Three of my younger siblings were sitting around the kitchen table, joking and teasing each other. Dad was playing music at his computer, while Mom and "the big girls" were drinking tea in the living room.
The older I get, the more I thank God for the community of family. At 25, I still have people who make hot meals and bring me tea and cookies. I can come in from a long day and be asked how my day was, if my driving evaluation went well, or if I've heard back from that freelance job yet. I also have the opportunity to be actively involved in the lives of others: asking questions, spending time together, doing small acts of service, and working toward common goals.
Community is not limited to my family alone. We've drawn a circle of friends and extended family around us. There's something powerful about being with people who care about the same things you do, who are excited when your cousin's going to have a baby, who cry when your friend's mother dies. Proverbs 27:10 says, "Do not forsake your friend and your father’s friend." Because my siblings and I all live at home, we're able to build cross-generational friendships with deep roots — a community that will always be part of our lives.
Men and women were not designed to live alone. God's first commandment to the human race was "Be fruitful and multiply." By staying at home, we're able to live within the blessings of that multiplication — trading a cold, empty living room at the end of the day for a household full of warmth. This is healthy, good, and right.

Service
Finally, living at home allows me to do what every Christian is called to do: serve. I don't have to fight to preserve my independence, so I can focus on the needs of others. Living at home makes me aware of needs under my own roof, in the lives of friends and relatives, and in the community around me. It also gives me the personal flexibility to meet them. My family provides accountability and prayer when I'm considering a big commitment. With lighter financial pressure than many people my age, I have more ability to give, to take time off work, or even to make a major lifestyle change if I need to.
All Christians are called to service, and no matter where we live, we should look for ways to fulfill that calling. However, a quick perusal of Paul's letters to the early church will reveal that most of his lifestyle instructions related to life within community. Community gives us a context for service and rich resources on which to draw. Living at home is an excellent way to tap into this.
To date, I've lived away from home for only seven months. During that time, I lived with another large Christian family. If the Lord were to lead me away from home again, I would seek out a similar situation.
As Christians, it behooves us to question the independent lifestyle and ask ourselves if that's really where want to go. It's just possible that living at home can move us much more effectively toward our goals than life on our own ever could.

Why Do We Fight?

2008-09-24T21:04:00.005-05:00

"Refusing them would be fatal to all of us...

but to join them...would be unthinkable."

-Capt. Von Trapp

What a position to be in. What a decision to face. The Captain had the fate of his children in his hands. On the one hand was their physical well being....but on the other was their spiritual. What example would he be to them by joining those that were trampling the lives of Jews and special children under their boots? That were following a man who required that they call black, white and to live in the grey area? He was a Patriot and you could not call him a coward....the man had spent years in the service of his country and had Captained submarines when they were still experimental warships. But the country that he had fought for was no more. The name perhaps had been kept but the rules had changed.

You can run...as he did. With just the clothes on his backs, his treasures left to the plunder of the enemy....but his children would grow up knowing right from wrong, with the strengths to make these decisions, and God could welcome him with a "Well done, thou good and faithful servant. Enter thou into the Joy of the Lord."

You can do as the Ten Booms did...they opened their door to any that might knock, and it was a fatal decision...but the decisions gave Corrie a platform that no other suffering could give her. "We will teach them that Love is stronger than Hate."

Cross-Posts

2008-09-22T09:53:00.003-05:00

Well, when you run out of things of interest you borrow others.... :)

First, we have a smart post. It's not paranoid to be aware of things like this, It's responsibilty. I had to close up the Building where I work the other day....It was after dark, it's close to a bar, and there were a lot of people I didn't know there. I wasn't Scared, but I stayed aware of what everyone was doing and where I was.....I know most of us don't leave in big cities. Thanks to Books, Bones, Bricks and Bullets and his sister Olde_fashioned for the list.

Everyone should take 5 minutes to read this. It may save your life or a loved one's life.

Crucial because of recent abductions. In daylight hours, refresh yourself of these things to do in an emergency situation...

This is for you, And for you to share with everyone you know. After reading these 9 crucial tips, forward them to someone you care about.

It never hurts to be careful In this crazy world we live in.

1. Tip from Tae Kwon Do :

The elbow is the strongest point on your body.

If you are close enough to use it, DO!

2. Learned this from a tourist guide.

If a robber asks for your wallet and/or purse,

DO NOT HAND IT TO HIM.

Toss it away from you...

Chances are that he is more interested in your wallet and/or purse than you, and he will go for the wallet/purse.

THEN RUN LIKE MAD IN ANY OTHER DIRECTION!

3. If you are ever thrown into the trunk of a car, kick out the back tail lights and stick your arm out the hole and start waving like crazy. The driver won't see you, but everybody else will.

This has saved lives.

4. Women have a tendency to get into their cars after shopping, eating, working, etc., and just sit (doing their checkbook, or making a list, etc.

(DON'T DO THIS!)

The predator will be watching you, and this is the perfect opportunity for him to get in on the passenger side, put a gun to your head, and tell you where to go.

AS SOON AS YOU GET INTO YOUR CAR, LOCK THE DOORS AND LEAVE.

If someone is in the car with a gun to your head

DO NOT DRIVE OFF.

Repeat:

DO NOT DRIVE OFF!

Instead gun the engine and speed into anything, wrecking the car. Your air bag will save you. If the person is in the back seat, they will get the worst of it. As soon as the car crashes, bail out and run. It is better than having them find your body in a remote location.

5. A few notes about getting Into your car in a parking lot, or parking garage:

A.) Be aware:

Look around you, look into your car, at the passenger side floor, in the back seat AND under the car.

B.) If you are parked next to a big van, enter your car from the passenger door. Most serial killers attack their victims by pulling them into their vans while the women are attempting to get into their cars.

C.) Look at the car Parked on the driver's side of your vehicle, and the passenger side... If a male is sitting alone in the seat nearest your car, you should walk back into the mall, or work, and get a guard/policeman to walk you back out.

IT IS ALWAYS BETTER TO BE SAFE THAN SORRY.

(And better paranoid than dead.)

6. ALWAYS take the elevator instead of the stairs. Stairwells are horrible places to be alone And the perfect crime spot. This is especially true at NIGHT!

7. If the predator has a gun and you are not under his control, ALWAYS RUN! The predator will only hit you (a running target) 4 in 100 times; and even then, it most likely WILL NOT be a vital organ. RUN, Preferably in a zig -zag pattern!

8. As women, we are always trying to be sympathetic.

STOP.

It may get you raped, or killed.

Ted Bundy, the serial killer, was a good-looking, well educated man, who ALWAYS playe on the sympathies of unsuspecting women. He walked with a cane, or a limp, and often asked 'for help' into his vehicle or with his vehicle, which is when he abducted his next victim.

9. Another Safety Point:

Someone just told me that her friend heard a crying baby on her porch the night before last, and she called the police because it was late and she thought it was weird. The police told her, "Whatever you do, DO NOT Open the door." The lady then said that it sounded like the baby had crawled near a window, and she was worried that it would crawl to the street and get run over. The policeman said, "We already have a unit on the way, whatever you do, DO NOT open the door." He told her that they think a serial killer has a baby's cry recorded and uses it to coax women out of their homes thinking that someone dropped off a baby. He said they have not verified it, but have had several calls by women saying that they hear baby's cries outside their doors when they're home alone at night.

10. Water scam!

If you wake up in the middle of the night to hear all your taps outside running or what you think is a burst pipe, DO NOT GO OUT TO INVESTIGATE! These people turn on all your outside taps full ball so that you will go out to investigate and then attack.

Stay alert, keep safe, and look out for your neighbors!

------------------

One thing that my mom taught me, that I would add to this list, is to carry your car or housekeys as a weapon while you're walking. Place a key between each finger and make a fist, so that it is "spiked" with keys, and if attacked this will make a punch much more painful than a bare woman's hand.

Second, a wishful post.... but I'll just post a link cause Life of a Dreamer says it so well.

My Thankful Thursday.....

2008-09-18T22:29:00.002-05:00

Today I am thankful that God is Good.
So this evening during youth night, (I WAS paying attention, I promise) I was thinking of times that have been a trial to me, but I was also seeing certain things that happened within the larger circumstance that I believe was God's hand in it, protecting me or preparing me or strengthening me.....

I spent my 20th birthday in M_____ this year....Birthdays are special at my house, we all have a meal together, open presents together, watch a movie together...and I treasure those times. Well through different circumstances, for my last five birthdays or so, I haven't been able to have ALL of my family with me. Either they were in M_____ or across the ocean, or I was in Nebraska (Which is a special birthday in my memory :) ) So I'll admit it bothered me, that I couldn't seem to have the perfect birthday that I wanted...selfish of me..I know..Sorry :(

But do you know that my sister, Stephanie has Never had my 'perfect' birthday on her birthday? We're always at a convention so we celebrate just days or sometimes weeks later. One year we had to work hard just to make sure we had it in the same month (Did I mention her birthday's on the 4th?)

So this year..I had no family...and I was missing them and bummed out...but trying not to be. Morning of my birthday dawned bright and clear and I woke up to P____ and her cute baby boy singing happy birthday to me and giving me flowers. Special, huh? And then I walked to the A____'s and the girls gave me a present that my sister Jane sent me in the mail and gave me hugs...wished me happy birthday...Dad and Mom called me and wished me Happy Birthday....Katie, Stepi and Joe did the same....and then I got a bouquet of flowers from my peeps..well it took me all of those happy things to work through my glum and decided that,
First: It was my Birthday, Hurrah! I could be happy.
Second: I never got to celebrate with the M_____ people before! This was special!
Third: It was more than time to get out of my glum and make other people happy :)

So....thank you, God.... the A____'s and I had a wonderful, fun, happy birthday... I got to spend some special time with the girls...I guess the long and short of it, is that I have some really good memories of that morning of my 20th birthday...........
and then the ground dropped out from under my feet.
We were still eating lunch when my cell phone rang. I had been getting happy birthday calls all day so I answered with little trepidation (More on that later) and my Mom tells me that my great-grandma is gone...She's dead, just like that. She had had an appointment the day before and the doctors had said she was in the best of health. This grandma was barely ever ill. She was a spry young lady :) and in the last two years I had gotten to know her a little better, and I was looking forward to talking with her again. It was hard...really. I didn't want to think about it so I cleaned all the floors and bathroom I could find, then I went home and sobbed on the phone to Mom. I wanted to go home...but that didn't work out..so I stayed. I didn't get to say Good-bye. I went home the next weekend, and went to Grandma's house...and it was all messed up. They were boxing things up, throwing things out, cleaning out drawers. -STOP! This is Grandma's House! But at least then I could cry on Mom's shoulder...

Did you know that God even prepared me mentally for losing someone while I was in M_____?
I was preparing myself to spend two months away from my family....and thoughts about 'What would happen if I never saw them again?' spun in my head. Then after I was there, I had a dream, I was in the fields...My hands were dirty...and my cell phone rang...It was Dad..There was something wrong...But he won't tell me what it was till a friend he had called got to me....He didn't want me to be alone when he told me 'the news'...The implications was the my mom was hurt or gone....I was scared so bad I woke myself up crying....next day I was in the fields, the dream had bothered me so I stuck my cell phone is my pocket....I was weeding...my hands were dirty ...my cell phone rang....
....and I heard my beloved Mother's voice telling me "Hello, Pretty Girl!" She just wanted to hear my voice and tell me that she loved me.....

I have to think things through...look at them from every angle...God let me think about losing some one close to me for almost two months before it happened so I could deal with it. A phone call i think is the hardest way to learn something like that. I couldn't see my mother, and she couldn't give me a hug....
But Allie did though.. the rest of the day she kept hugging me and telling me she was sorry that I had lost my grandma. She was such a comfort :)

Today God was opening my eyes and showing me all the ways he had been preparing me to deal with the hard trial I had to go through that week. I thought spending a birthday away from family was bad. It seems so trivial now. Losing a Grandma is ten times worse. But even in that he encouraged me to have a good attitude in the morning and now I have happy memories to treasure of that day, not focus solely on the tragedy that happened.

So I guess I'm just happy tonight....God takes care of me and prepares me...The Lord giveth and the Lord Taketh away....Blessed be his name.
This was supposed to be a happy, encouraging post...I'm not sure quite how it's turned out

The Song that they sang at my Grandma's Funeral:
Come to Jesus By Chris Rice

Pop Quiz!!!

2008-09-12T09:55:00.003-05:00

Can you match all the fifty Capitals with the right state???

CAPITALS:
St. Paul
Cheyenne
Jackson
Releigh
Columbus
Jefferson City
Lincoln
Bismark
Nashville
Richmond
Charleston
Columbia
Pierre
Madison
Hartford
Dover
Montgomery
Springfiled
Phoenix
Denver
Juneau
Augusta
Annapolis
Little Rock
Indianapolos
Santa Fe
Boise
Sacremento
Boston
Trenton
Tallahasse
Des Moines
Oklahoma City
Helena
Honolulu
Concord
Albany
Atlanta
Topeka
Austin
Carson City
Salem
Providence
Harrisburg
Frankfurt
Lansing
Salt Lake City
Olympia
Monteplier
Baton Rouge

STATES:
Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming

I'll post the answers in the first comment, so don't peek till you've tried...nd even if you don't get them all right, tell me how many you did.

I got 48 correct..... :)

NO GOOGLING/WIKEPEDIAING ALLOWED!!!!!

9-11

2008-09-11T09:48:00.002-05:00

It's been 7 years.......

Seven years. So much has happened.

I'm not sure what to write, what to say, to honor this day...

But when you have a friend who is blessed with a writing ability.....

sometimes you have to rely on them.

September Eleventh

My back is Wack....

2008-09-10T11:28:00.003-05:00

I was told that that would be a good title for this post :)

On Saturday, we had a busy, fun time at the Platteville Dairy Days, and to enjoy it to the most, Joe, Lyds and I did a several carnival rides...well let me clarify...I rode the same ride three times....
hey what can I say I was having fun with my siblings! :p
But in that fun process I managed to put my neck out of joint and strain the muscles in my lower back..I spent most of Sunday in a lot of pain. :(
It was finally feeling better yesterday...but I had a major headache. So I got a chiropractic appointment this morning...and now it's in pain again but I think it's the good kind.

Haveing someone crack your neck is not something I would classify as fun, but if it's the price I have to pay to have a fun time with my precious bro and sis, I'll take the bill.

On a different note, my first day on the job was yesterday....

There is ALOT to learn how to do......I was on overload most of the day till Barb told me that there was a cleaning list that if I could manage it, shoudl be done everyday. Cleaning? Now that's something I CAN do :)

...and now I'm going to finish cleaning my room.... :)

I'm Back.......With a boring bang...........maybe...

2008-09-03T21:21:00.005-05:00

Remember me? Little bit on the short side, curly girl hair, usually has a nose in a book and doesn't mind cleaning the house.

Well...I'm a bit different now...I think. I'll leave it up to you whether or not I'm different.....

Let's see what's new with me:
Well First thing that popped into my head was I've been spelling my name a bit diferent and it seems as if every one is commenting on it so I thought I should explain it a bite here where everyone could see. Debbie--that's how I've always had my name shortened, but when I was little it bothered me that I had to use to b's in my name.. I thought one ''b'' would get the sound across, but just one "b" with the "ie" on the end looks odd...so I left it alone for years. Then...writing E-mails became a norm for me and dashing off fast replies to numerous sisters:) I typed my name once and hitting the keys quickly, I came up with Debi...and I liked it. So now, Ya'll can call me Debi :)

Oh and I got a job yesterday :) You're reading the blog of the newest recepionist at the Chamber of Commerce! Mom helped me get my resume together last week, I submited it on Thursday and I was hired on Tuesday. I think I will like my job. I'll be answering phones, oraganizing broucheres, and directing people around P------...I think I might need Rebecca to teach me some pointers on the last one :)

So here I am.....back home again..listening to Governor Palin's speech to the RNC....

so I'll just mindlessly sit here and fill out this fun quiz :)

Can you successfully blow up and tie a balloon?
You betcha!!

What was your last purchase?
Bobby pins for a wedding and contact solution for a sister

Does anyone like you?
I leave that for history to decide.....

Have you made anyone laugh while they were crying lately?
No one that I can think of lately....I can do it with Sarah...oh Chloe...I did it with Chloe over the weekend

Are you easily amused?
Tell me a joke and I'll see...

Do you sleep on your side, stomach, or back?
All of them.....

Have you ever liked somebody and never told them?
Who hasn't?

What did you do Saturday?
Cleaned house, talked with Friends.....it was a fun day.

Do you trust all of your friends?
I have a small circle of trusty friends...

Morning or night person?
At the Moment, I'm more of a night person...but I enjoy early morning

Are you taller than 5'5''?
I think I'm right on the dot with that one..right Shan?

Would you rather have love or money?
Love with Money wouldn't be a bad thing....Amy March anyone??

Do you have a best friend that knows you inside and out?
Yupe

Last person you watched movies with?
Dad, Mom, Sue, Lyds, and Joe... the last Foyle's War :(

Do you hide your emotions?
Who doesn't?

Do you prefer to take showers at night or in the morning?
Afternoon actually is what I prefer.

If you could either float on the moon, or snorkel in the ocean, which?
Snorkel!!! Think of all the pretty coral down there!!!

Do you think you'll be married in 5 years?
I can dream can't I?
I'm a realist and an incurable romantic all rolled into one :p

Third text in your inbox? from who?
three years ago from Lissa Lux :)

Have you been to New York City?
I've seen it from across the water...."Hello Ben. Welcome to New Jersey"

Who was the last person you talked to on the phone?
Ummmm....Dad I think or a friend of Aunt Alice I can't remember for sure......

Do you need to say anything to anyone?
"I love you, Mommy." :) You can never tell her enough times.....

What were you doing at 7am?
Sleep.....sweet sleep

What do you think of your number 3 on your top friends?
I love everybody equally!!!!!!

Can you legally drink?
Not yet:) I'm a dino...but Not "over age."

When is the last time you saw your mom?
Five seconds ago when she went to bed...she gave me a kiss :)

Do you prefer shoes, socks, or bare feet?
Bare feet all the way!!!

Have you ever been in an ambulance?
Yeah...at a fire safety day

Do you hold grudges?
I ain't People!

Do you sing obnoxiously in the car?
I think I sing obnoxiously EVERYWHERE....

When was the last time you had butterflies in your stomach?
When I had to turn my resume in...

Are you watching TV?
Yeah...Fox News' analysis of Palin's speech and now I'm going to bed!!!!

And GOD BLESS AMERICA!!!!!

I thought this summed up my feelings at the moment pretty well....

2008-08-04T09:21:00.001-05:00

"To think that this is my twentieth birthday, and that I've left my teens behind me forever," said Anne, who was curled up on the hearth-rug with Rusty in her lap, to Aunt Jamesina who was reading in her pet chair.

"I suppose you feel kind of, sorry" said Aunt Jamesina. "The teens are such a nice part of life. I'm glad I've never gone out of them myself."

Anne laughed.

"You never will, Aunty. You'll be eighteen when you should be a hundred. Yes, I'm sorry, and a little dissatisfied as well. Miss Stacy told me long ago that by the time I was twenty my character would be formed, for good or evil. I don't feel that it's what it should be. It's full of flaws."

"So's everybody's," said Aunt Jamesina cheerfully. "Mine's cracked in a hundred places. Your Miss Stacy likely meant that when you are twenty your character would have got its permanent bent in one direction or 'tother, and would go on developing in that line. Don't worry over it, Anne. Do your duty by God and your neighbor and yourself, and have a good time. That's my philosophy and it's always worked pretty well.

I know.......... first post in months and not too interesting :)

2008-07-09T09:17:00.003-05:00

You Are Pretty Charming

While you're not a natural charmer, you can be charming when you want to be.

And lucky for those around you, you usually feel like turning on the charm.

You project a happy, calm image - even when you're feeling the exact opposite.

You make people feel great about being around you... though you're not always up for putting in the effort.

Are You Charming?

What Your Front Door Says

You are traditional and conventional.

You aim for the best in life, and you're not going to risk not getting it.

You are naturally stylish and sophisticated.

You feel like you are blending in with the crowd, but your good taste makes you stand out.

The Front Door Test

You Are an Ice Cream Cake

Surprising, unique, and high maintenance.

You're one of a kind, and you don't want anyone to forget it.

You're fun in small doses, but it's easy for people to overdose on you!

What Kind of Cake Are You?

You Are a Winter Person

You are calm, serious, and focused.

You're the type of person who appreciates the quiet and calm.

Winter is the perfect time for you to get cozy and work on a hobby.

Summer is a bit too hectic for you. You like the dead of winter... preferably with a roaring fire inside.

Are You a Winter Person or a Summer Person?

What Your Workspace Says About You

You are generally fairly organized, but you have occasional slip ups. You find keeping organized challenging.

You are hardworking and driven. You have an excellent work ethic.

You feel like you neglect your family and friends when you're working. You may work a bit too much.

You don't switch careers often, and you intend to stay at your current job for a long time.

At work, you tend to be an extrovert. You enjoy working with other people and drawing people into your work space.

What Does Your Work Space Say About You?

What Your Fridge Says About You

You aren't greedy, but you don't really deprive yourself either. You strike a good balance with the stuff you buy.

You tend to be a fairly thrifty person. You splurge occasionally, but you're mostly a saver.

You are a very adventurous person. You love to try new things, and you get bored very easily.

You are responsible, together, and mature. You act like an adult, even when you don't feel like it.

You are likely single - and spending many nights alone at home.

What Do the Contents of Your Refrigerator Say About You?

Your Vocabulary Score: B

You have a zealous love for the English language, and many find your vocabulary edifying.

Don't fret that you didn't get every word right, your vocabulary can be easily ameliorated!

How's Your Vocabulary?

Indiania Jones theme song is running in my head

2008-06-14T12:23:00.004-05:00

Short post to let everyone know who've asked what's going on with me :)

I am leaving in about 40 minutes to head down to Illinois, to spend two months with Tyson, Shannon, Chloe and Allie! I'm going to be taking care of kids, helping Shannon with the-yet-to-be-born baby (Yippee!), doing flowers at the Farm, and helping another good friend!

I'm excited to be going but it's the longest I've been away from family so I'm a little trepidatious.
But Tyson and Shannon are like family so I'm sure I"ll be fine :)

I'll post when I can!

I believe in Doorsteps as firmly as I believe in Aslan himself

2008-06-10T11:31:00.002-05:00

Again another article...but I REALLY like this one :) A girl I know wrote it...it's more about waiting for your Dear Young Man...but as I'm not quite at that age yet it spoke to me more about life and waiting on God for your ministry. I want to do great things for the Lord, but right now I’m moving in a rather small group of people…but I have the hope that God has a plan for me and that as I work to the best of my ability here in my circle of influence, that he will have an even greater circle or task for me. :)

Some of you might already know what I mean by that, particularly those who were there when it was coined. I'm afraid I can't take credit for the saying and I can't remember who was the first to start saying it, but among a small group of single girls that phrase is significant.

I believe in doorsteps. I believe that God can create miracles in a place that is barren. I believe that God is powerful and if it is His will, the right man could show up on my doorstep.

So many times I have heard people admonishing singles to get out! Get looking! Stop sitting around and waiting!

And I agree, to an extent.

We shouldn’t just sit around, twiddling our thumbs. We should do what we can with what we have, where we are, whether it be folding laundry and helping out at home, working in an office, or going to school. Neither should we turn up our noses at opportunities to make friends with guys or avoid social events where young men might be. However, to be quite honest, I have to say that I believe it to be a rare few girls who actually do that.

Some of us are living in places where there are no eligible young men. Maybe all the good ones are taken. Maybe none share the same convictions as we do. Maybe none are old enough or ready for marriage. And maybe some are just not paying attention to all the young women who are waiting to be asked.

It's hard during a dry period, where you feel hemmed in and without hope on the horizon. It's hard to hear people tell you that if you just did A, B, and/or C, you'll meet a guy, because that doesn't always happen and sometimes A, B, and C aren't possible. It's hard to hang onto hope.

And that's where believing in doorsteps comes in.

Believing in doorsteps means opening the door – to hope. God is a God of hope and miracles and He would never have us lose hope. He would never have us doubt His abilities, never believe that anything is too impossible for Him. Even granting a single girl a husband, when she has been waiting so long.

I don’t expect my Dym – as I have begun to call that man who I have yet to meet, but hope to marry someday – to necessarily show up on my doorstep. I don’t expect a husband to fall into my living room while I wait in my own little corner.

I live life. I work. I laugh. I dance. I sing. I live. I don’t pin my hopes on every man that crosses my path because…I believe in doorsteps. I believe that God is in control and He knows which man may be my Dym. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to wait twiddling my thumbs or go out on an epic mission searching for a man. God has the master plan and that’s enough for me.

And so, I hope. I hope, I live, I work, I pray, I wait…and believe in doorsteps.

-Krista from IDD

Clancy S--------?

2008-06-07T14:38:00.000-05:00

It's rather long but worth it!!

Written by Lee Coppola

"Ever wonder what happens when a pet takes on a persona? Ashley could have told you, if he could have talked. Ashley was the family mutt, an SPCA special, part beagle and part spaniel. For years, most of them after he died, he also served as the family's representative in the local telephone book. He was picked for it quite haphazardly one day when I tried to keep my number out of the book to avoid getting business calls at home. When I balked at the $60 a yr fee, the cherry telephone company representative suggested I list the number in one of my children's names. I was munching a sandwich at the time and Ashley followed me around the kitchen waiting for a crumb to fall.

"Can I put the phone in any name?" I asked the rep as I sidestepped Ashley.

"Certainly", she answered and therein gave birth to 10 yrs of telephone calls and mail to a dog.

"A remarkable new book about the Coppolas since the Civil War is about to make history and you,- Ashley Coppola- are in it." touted one letter asking Ashley to send $10 right away for this "One time offer".

Ashley received hundreds of pieces of mail, the bulk soliciting his money. The most ironic pitches for cash were from SPCA and the Buffalo Zoo, a kind of animal-helping-animal scenario. and we wondered how the Chief executive of the local cemetery might react if he knew he was asking a canine to buy a plot to give his family "Peace of Mind". Or a local lawn service's thought about asking a dog who daily messed the grass. "Is your lawn as attractive as it could be?"

Then there was the letter offering Ashley "reliable electronic security to protect your home." One of the kids asked if that wasn't Ashley's job.

The Kids soon got into the swing of having their dog receive mail and telephone calls.

'He's sleeping under the dining room table,' was a favorite response.

My wife would have nothing of that frivolity, preferring to simply reply, "He's deceased."

But that tack backfired on her one day when our youngest child took an almost pleading call from a survey-company employee looking for Ashley. "I'm Ashley". The 17-yr-old politely replied, taking pity on the caller. He dutifully gave his age and answered a few questions before he realized he was late for an appointment and hurriedly cut short the conversation. "Can I call again?" the surveyor asked. "OK." our son said as he hung up. Sure enough the surveyor called again the next day and asked for Ashley. But this time Mom answered and gave her standard reply. "Oh my!" exclaimed the Caller. "I'm so, so sorry!" The surveyor's horrified grief puzzled my wife until our son explained how he had been a healthy teenage Ashley the day before.

Did I mention credit cards? Ashley paid his bills on time judging, from the $5,000 lines-of-credit for which he 'automatically' qualified. Made us wonder about the scrutiny of the nations credit card industry"

June 6, 1944

2008-06-06T09:24:00.003-05:00

Today is the 64 anniversary of D-Day.

Some of my favorite quotes of that era:

"If you're going through hell, keep going." - Winston Churchill

"Never in the field of human conflict, has so much, been owed by so many, to so few!"Winston Churchill - September 1940 (Have you ever read about what the British people and the RAF went through in the Battle of Britain? Wow! Do some research on that one.)

"We shall not flag nor fail. We shall go on to the end. We shall fight in France and on the seas and oceans; we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air. We shall defend our island whatever the cost may be; we shall fight on beaches, landing grounds, in fields, in streets and on the hills. We shall never surrender and even if, which I do not for the moment believe, this island or a large part of it were subjugated and starving, then our empire beyond the seas, armed and guarded by the British Fleet, will carry on the struggle until in God's good time the New World with all its power and might, sets forth to the liberation and rescue of the Old." - Winston Churchill

A little side note here:
Getting ready for Operation Overlord (Code name for D-Day) required a lot of men and equipment to be on the coast of Britain. The British knew the Germans would notice so they decided to pull wool over the German's eyes.

The High Command assigned General George Patton to the 1st U.S. Army Group, - he was one a well know General, he took command of it at it's base near the British coast, and- through the appropriate channels- the High Command let the German spies know that General Patton would have the honor of leading the invasion of Europe through Calais.

(If you've ever read the Scarlet Pimpernel you probably know where this is...if not it's directly across from Dover, England. It's the shortest breadth of the English Channel)

In response to this info, the Germans moved nineteen divisions from the Normandy Coastline into and around Calais.....
and Checked out the 1st U.S. Army Group's base from the air. There was indeed a large build up of Tanks and Men...but from the air, what the pilots couldn't tell was that the Men were dummies and the tanks were made of plywood!! It was a completely Fictitious army. General Patton was there to lend credibility and there were guards, but no actual soldiers to speak of.

Left in peace, General Eisenhower got his REAL army together in the Southampton/Isle of Wright area of Britain.

The best meteorologists in England were put on the task of finding the perfect weather conditions for the landing. A full moon was needed for navigation, so only a few days a month was a possible date for the invasion. Tentatively the date was set for June 5, but on June 4 the weather was HIGHLY unsuitable. A storm was making the channel nearly impassible and clouds were shutting out the moon.

The Germans took note of this and took a holiday, believing an invasion was impossible for this month at least. The Commander in Chief of the West went back to Germany for his wife's birthday, and a 'War Game' drew most of the rest of the high Command away from their posts.

A lieutentant on HMS Grindall predicted that there was a high pressure area coming in that would improve the weather for 24 hrs. On that prediction, Generals Eisenhower and Montgomery gave the command, and in 24 hours through the Omaha, Utah and Juno beache landings, the Allies had a foothold on French soil and on August 25, they liberated Paris.

“ You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you. The hopes and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with you. In company with our brave Allies and brothers-in-arms on other Fronts, you will bring about the destruction of the German war machine, the elimination of Nazi tyranny over the oppressed peoples of Europe, and security for ourselves in a free world. ”
—Eisenhower, Letter to U.S. Army, June 5

(Ok so the Side note is longer than the actually post but...it's interesting! -Hopefully)

If You Comment I will...

2008-05-29T17:25:00.001-05:00

1. Tell you why I friended you. (This was originally an LJ thing...)

2. Associate you with something - a song, a color, a photo, a word etc.

3. Tell you something I like about you.

4. Tell you a memory I have of you.

5. Ask something I've always wanted to know about you.

6. In return, you must post this in your LJ/Blog.

Interesting, Huh?? I can't wait to try my brain powers of memory and association :)

Our Mutual Friends

2008-05-27T21:53:00.002-05:00

After watching Cranford and Foyle's war recently, Susie, Lyd and I were talking about how it seems that the BBC costume actors just switch characters and put on a new movie. So I decided to do that 'Connect Actors through their movies' mind test while cleaning house today. The Goal I set for myself was this:

Sophie Thompson to Emma Thompson.

For those of you who don't have an IMDB quoting sister, Sophie and Emma are sisters.

Here is what I came up with:

Sophie was Mary in Persuasion.
Ciran Hinds (Wentworth) was in Persuasion and Amazing Grace. (Tarlton)
Bill Paterson (Scottish MP) Amazing Grace and Wives and Daughters (Mr. Gibson)
Barbara Flynn (Miss Browning) Wives & Daughters and Cranford (genteel lady)
Greg Wise (Sir John) Cranford and Sense and Sensibility (Willoughby)
Emma was Elinor in Sense & Sensibility.

Also I Decided to link Our Mutual Friend to Our Mutual Friend!! (Hey, I had three hours)
I got:
Lizzie/ Cynthia .....Roger/Milner (Foyle's War)....Sarah/Jane.....Bingley/Dr. Harrison(Cranford)...Jessie Brown/Maria Mason (Horatio's Wife).....Bush/Eugene Wrayburn (that's the short cut that I just thought of) and this is the original
Jessie Brown/Maria Mason...Horatio Hornblower/William Wilberfore (Amazing Grace)....Scottish MP/Dr. Gibson (Wives & Daughters)....Miss Browning/Mrs Ridd (Lorna Doone)....Leader of the Doones/ Mr. Boffin!!!

It's rather fun :) Want to try it? Comment and tell me what you come up with :)

The Society

2008-05-26T11:36:00.002-05:00

One of my favorite things about reading a new book, is a finding a passage or a sentence that I like/ agree with.

Newest Book: The Mysterious Benedict Society

Favorite Passage:

" Family is often born of blood, but It doesn't depend on blood. Nor is it exclusive of friendship. Family members can be your best friends, you know. And best friends, whether or not they are related to you, can be your family."I'll bet that if I showed these pictures to strangers that wouldn't be able to pick out my blood-relations from amongst my friends. (Not that I would show pictures of us dress to the 1900's to strangers, but you get the point)

:)

And the answer is.....

2008-05-23T13:22:00.001-05:00

*Drumroll please*

B!

Follow this link to learn more about The Edict of Nantes.
It's quite the fascinating piece of history :)

No Googling/Wikipediaing/Yahoo or any other search form allowed!!!

2008-05-21T10:17:00.002-05:00

A quiz to test the knowledge you have at this very moment!

What was the Edict of Nantes?
a.) Treaty between the French and English after the battle of Waterloo
b.) Religious Freedom extended to Huguenots
c.) Freedom given to the Dutch Republic from Spain
d.) French-American Alliance during the American Revolution

Comment and let me know what your guess is and in a few days I'll post the answer :)

My New Favorite Show!!!

2008-05-20T16:29:00.001-05:00

The Countdown is over...

2008-05-16T09:46:00.004-05:00

Last night at nine o'clock, My family and entered the darkened theater and sat down for the next installment of C.S. Lewis' the CHRONICLES OF NARNIA.

I've been following the production for more than a year. I remember being happy last May 16 because I knew in a year's time I would see it. I got excited last august when I saw the first video blog featuring Ben Barnes as Prince Caspian (I am Prince Kesspian), my family and I were out East in a hotel room reloading the page to pick out everything we could. So it's been a fun ride to look forward to something so long and finally see it and to have it exceed your expectations is something that is so fulfilling...enough about me! On to my thoughts of the movie. I shall attempt not to spoil anything....I shall attempt at least, let's see how long it last. :)I'm not a critic so I'll talk about what I know and what I think..."I think you'll find Narnia a more savage place than you remember." Definently! There was none of the other-worldly, magical feel surrounding this movie. This Narnia was tough and hopeless.

The Pevensie children have developed into a formidable four some. In the first film, they bickered amongst themselves, ignored each other, and betrayed each other (how much worse can you get?), but in Narnia they discovered each other's qualities and how to work with each other for the good of a whole country. I enjoyed watching their family dynamics so much in this film. Su and Peter are still looking out for Lucy on every occasion, but Ed has now become "Pete's" right hand man. Rebecca mentioned this at the theater, and I know I said I'd only say my thoughts but she formulated her thoughts before I could:) "It's so nice to see Ed being a nice guy."
And it was! He saves the day, stands up to Miraz, watches Peter's back and leaves his torch in Narnia. :) What more could a book-lover ask of the screen writers?
(Bye the bye, the jokes were MUCH better this time, and I was amazed at how many lines from the book were incorporated into the script. It was so fun to hear them, like meeting an old friend)
Lucy is ecstatic to be back in Narnia, having never lost her faith that someday they would return. She gets a rude awakening when animals are wild, her friends-the trees- are in a deep sleep and Aslan doesn't come roaring in and frighten her enemies away like the last time.
Su.....there was so much controversy surrounding Susan. Susan knows she will have to leave Narnia, she can't say there forever, so she is excited to be there, but dreads leaving it again, which I can understand...and perhaps that is reason enough for Aslan not to call them back from their own world again.
I'll talk about this because it's been known for weeks so hopefully I'm not spoiling any one. SPOILERS AHEAD!! Susan fighting. Queen Susan the Gentle? the One who stays behind at Cair Paravel in Horses and His Boy? The best argument I've heard against this plot point was that fighting was not in Susan's nature, she disliked it. Lucy was the valiant, she would go to battle to heal and to fight among the archers. In the books, Susan is good at Archery and Swimming. Archery, but she doesn't shoot to kill. I thought it would bother me, a girl fight 'just as good as the boys' or what-not. But that wasn't the way Su fought, at least not in the last battle. She has to protect Lucy, I won't tell you why :) But She sends Lucy out and stays to fight to make sure her sister gets through. Remember the family love I was talking about? I had no problem with that I was cheering for her...and then as the Telmarine Army attacks Aslan's How, Su fights alongside the rest, but at that time there is no Hope. Aslan and Lucy haven't come, the How is being bombarded, and they are fighting for their lives. This is not the time and place to stay behind and guard the castle. So..I liked her, I liked her character, I understood her desicions, and I cheered for her as she defended her sister. [END SPOILERS!] (I think)
Peter...because of what I'd heard I was expecting to be annoyed with Peter for 3/4s of the movie. He was stubborn, and proud but the whole time he seems to be aware that, try as he will, he's NOT High King Peter the Magnificent anymore. He puts on a show almost. But when he realizes that the show isn't helping a thing, THAT'S when he becomes the King Peter of the Legends. He fights Miraz (THE BEST SWORD FIGHT I HAVE EVER SEEN!!!), has a camaraderie with Caspian and remembers to lean on his siblings abilities.
The Structure of the plot changed so that the movie was easier to follow...nothing about that bothered me...
Reepicheep was...himself! It was funny to watch his heroics and hear his famous lines "Your Majesty, I shall take eleven mice through that door at once!"
Trumpkin...was great!! Liked him a lot:)
Oh Caspian..he-he forgot the Main Character:) he...was Caspian. I totally excepted Ben Barnes as Caspian. Not exactly what I imagined him as when I first read the books but I like this interpratation just as well. The Sorcery and Sudden Vengence scene I thought was very well acted, as well as the Castle raid when He learns the truth of his father's death.But especially the last parts when he is putting his life on the line for Narnia, and realizes that he really can't rule Narnia yet. At the End, I was very willing to leave my beloved Narnia in the hands of the New King.
Glenstorm the Centaur. Great character, and a mighty adversary. The Night raid is what I remember about him most. They wait in the woods for Ed's signal and then he rears up and charges the gate. Great cinematic moment. Then in the retreat, he rides through the courtyard and grabs Susan. I was cheering (Inside) for that scene.So that's enough...I'm written out :) GO SEE IT!! It's worth it!! You'll be cheering (hopefully inside)

Oh and HAPPY ANNIVERSARY to my Mommy and Daddy!!! 27 years today!!

I was browsing my photobucket....

2008-04-25T18:58:00.002-05:00

and thought the loyal readers of my blog might be interested in what my unique family does for fun.

Prince Caspain Quiz

2008-04-25T11:52:00.002-05:00

Personality Quiz

61 - 80
You are Prince Caspian, who became the rightful heir of Narnia. You have a sharp eye for injustice and a humble heart to improve the world around you. You never quite rely on yourself to make changes; instead, you believe only teamwork can achieve them. As you grow in wisdom, you will learn to trust yourself.

Comment and let me know who you all get :)

Rebecca borrowed my quiz, So I'm borrowing hers!

2008-04-15T12:38:00.010-05:00

1. Name someone who made you smile today?

The Girls on IDD, The KISA and KDID are a hoot!!

2. What were you doing at 8:00 this morning?

Getting ready to go to the Doctor

~
3. What were you doing 30 minutes ago?

Checking my email...which says it couldn't deliver a letter to Audrey for two days,

so could someone of that household ask Aud if she's gotten an email from me recently?

~
4. Name something that happened to you in 1992?

I was four....details are a little sketchy...

~
5. When is your birthday?

The sixth day of the eighth month.

~
6. Four words to explain why you last threw up?

Food Poisoning- NOT FUN!!!

7. What color is your hairbrush?

I don't have a hair brush.....the Sacred Monastery of the Curly Girl

forbids the use of Hairbrushes.

8. What was the last thing you bought?

A summer dress for 2 bucks!

9.Where do you keep your money?

In a Bank? Or did you mean in a wallet in my purse?

~
10. What was the weather like today?

Beautiful!!!

11. Where did your last hug take place?

Yesterday? I think....

12. What are you excited about?

1 month till Prince Caspain!! and Aud is graduating on the 3rd!

13. Do you want to cut your hair?

nope

14. Are you over the age of 25?

Polite manners dictate that you never ask a lady her AGE, weight or bank account number.

15. Do you talk a lot?

You'd have to ask my sisters that one.

16. Do you watch The O.C.?

No..

17. Does your screen name have an "x" in it?

No..

18. Do you know anyone named Kelsey?

I know of someone...

19. Do you make up your own words?

I can't Pronounce the words I want to say

20. Are you ticklish?

I think I outgrew that...

21. Are you typically a jealous person?

I don't think so

22. Name a friend whose name starts with the letter "C":

I was going to say no but then I remembered Katie's name is Catherine so that counts :)

23. Who's the last person to call you?

On the Telephone? Katie

24. Do you chew on your straws?

Nope

25. Do you have curly hair?

Yes..

26. What is the next concert you're going to?

Joe's! On Sunday!

27.Where did you go today?

The Eye Doctor

28. What is something you say allot?

Sarah Beth! Come back here (and As I am typing this Mom is saying it to Sarah :)

29. Have you seen the movie 'Donnie Darko'?

Definite no on that one

30. Do you have to work tomorrow?

I get to go and talk with Grandma Rita

31. Who was the last person you said "I love you" to?

Mom

32. What should you be doing right now?

Days:)

33. Do you have a nickname?

I think everybody does...

34. Are you a heavy sleeper?

Not really

35. What are you listening to?

The Wind...

36. What is the best movie you've seen in the past two weeks?

We were watching the Chariot race in Ben-Hur last night.

37. Is there anyone you like right now?

I like Marcellus, Demetrius and Diana!

They are my favorite heros/heroines right now.

38. When was the last time you did the dishes?

Yesterday morning (with Aussie accent...except it was really last night)

39. Did you cry today?

Ummm,

if you count my eyes watering because the Doctor put yellow eye drops in my eyes to numb them, then yeah I did...:)

Can you say I'm a bookworm?

2008-04-11T05:28:00.000-05:00

Well I found this on a blog and thought I'd have fun filling it out :)

1. Which book do you irrationally cringe away from reading, despite seeing only positive reviews?

Hmmmm.... I know I have an answer to this...let me think...

Harry Potter I'm definitely not interested in reading so I think that series tops my list....oh the Poe novel..the one about the clock and pendulum or hole or something like that :)

2. Borrowing shamelessly from the Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde, you are told you can't die until you read the most boring novel on the planet. While this immortality is great for a while, eventually you realize it’s past time to die. Which book would you expect to get you a nice grave?
Odd question, I've never read that book.....Should I go with the Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire, girls? Oh no wait it's supposed to be a novel. War and Peace?

3. Which book have you pretended, or at least hinted, that you’ve read, when in fact you’ve been nowhere near it?
"Lies of every sort are my abhorrence." I don't talk about books I haven't read because...I haven't read them :)

4. You’re interviewing for the post of Official Book Adviser to some VIP (who’s not a big reader). What’s the first book you’d recommend and why?

The person I got the questions from said it depended on the person but she'd recommend Robinson Crusoe, which my Dad has read but I have not so....First book would probably be Pride and Prejudice cause it's an easy read, but also manages to introduce you to the writing of the Old Classics and from there we'd dive into Dickens, Scott and Bronte.

5.A good fairy comes and grants you one wish: you will have perfect reading comprehension in the foreign language of your choice. Which language do you go with?
Hmmmm...on the one hand, ancient langauges are pretty cool, but reading German would be great as well. I could read Schiller in his original language!!

6. A mischievous fairy comes and says that you must choose one book that you will reread once a year for the rest of your life (you can read other books as well). Which book would you pick?
Hmmm.... The Chestry Oak? A great book if you haven't read it :) Currently I'm re-reading The Robe. It might become an annual favorite.

7. That good fairy is back for one final visit. Now, she’s granting you your dream library! Describe it. Is everything leather-bound? Is it full of first edition hard covers? Pristine trade paperbacks? Perhaps a few favourite authors have inscribed their works? Go ahead – let your imagination run free.
(Can someone please tell me where to find one of these fairies?!?? I want one!!)
Ditto!

Floor to ceiling bookshelves, huge arm chairs, nice blankets, fire place, huge windows to let in the light, in a smaller room. I'd rather it be more cozy than enormous. I really like the international collectors edition of several of my favorite classics so I'd like to have the rest of the classics form that edition. My dream library isn't so much a ton of books as it being all books that I have read and enjoyed...and there would of course have to be more empty bookshelves for me to fill with new books :)

So that was fun!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ready to cry?

2008-04-10T13:11:00.002-05:00

Well, maybe not :)
But here is a video about Beth March, combining music from the musical and footage from the '94 movie version.

I am...

2008-04-08T13:51:00.001-05:00

Who are you in Anne's Circle of Friends?

The King's Message to the Empire

2008-03-25T01:39:00.000-05:00

"And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year,
Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown'
And he replied:. Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the Hand
Of God. That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way'
So I went forth, and finding the Hand of God, trod gladly into the night."

~ Written by Minnie Louise Haskins in 1908.
Quoted by King George VI in the first Christmas message to the nation after the beginning of World War 2.

River dance

2008-03-15T17:45:00.002-05:00

Ok this isn't exactly riding a horse with no reins like on Merrill's blog, which if you haven't seen you MUST!!! Or the rip-roaring fun posted on Moriah's Blog . This is amazing, wished-I-Could-have-seen-it, how-do-they-do-that fun :)
Enjoy!

Blog? I have a blog?

2008-03-05T23:16:00.006-06:00

My apologies to any readers who have been faithfully checking my blog to see if I had anything to reward them...sorry I don't think there's going to be anything interesting in this post either :)
Recently, It has been emphasized a little more to me that I lead a very retired life, not very exciting. I don't want to say it boring, because that would imply that it's bad or wrong or I'm bored with it, but it is quiet....I miss my sisters. They have been gone for several months now and I am really realizing how much I depended on them for 'outside' talk. I think I have a tendency to hibernate in a shell...I don't even think about coming out..Mom has to ask if I need to go out, she tells me to call my friends. We've been watching Robin Hood by the BBC. Mom says they turned Robin into a 'Superhero'. She's right :) He flies through the air (with the help of his bow and a rope), fires multiple arrows at the same time, does a back-flip off a roof and lands on his feet...you get the point. You know you read all these adventure books, you see all the movie..but how often is it that you actually have one? Not fighting exactly, but at least having to choose a course, decide between right and wrong. I've been re-reading Lord of the Rings. Did anybody know I read those? I did. And they intrigued me. The Characters did, and the choices that they were faced with and the examples of what one choice can lead to, to good or bad alike. Boy this is quite the doozy post...I leave you all for a while and come back and give you this jumble of thoughts.....if you can actually sort this out, you have my congratulations, but I'm going to leave you with one more thing. A poem that I enjoyed:

I sit beside the fire and think
of all that I have seen,
of meadow-flowers and butterflies
in summers that have been;
~

of Yellow and gossamer
in autumns that there were,
with morning mist and sliver sun
and wind upon my hair.
~

I sit beside the fire and think
of how the world will be
when winter comes without a spring
that I shall never see.

For still there are so many things
that I have never seen:
in every wood in every spring
there is a different green.
~

I sit beside the fire and think
of people long ago,
and people who will see a world
that I shall never know.

But all the while I sit and think
of times that were before,
I listen for returning feet
and voices at the door.

-Bilbo Baggins
Fellowship of the Ring
by J.R.R. Tolkien

Have Fun!!

2008-02-27T11:11:00.001-06:00

Dress Up a Regency Doll!!

You can change her hair, the dresses, the accessories...just something fun I found for the Austen lovers who read my blog :)

Fun Picture

2008-02-20T12:39:00.000-06:00

Just something to post..I had the best time in Nebraska last Spring!!

I've been Tagged....

2008-02-14T18:19:00.002-06:00

and let everyone breathe a sigh of relief I will not be tagging anyone else. I've a very limited circle of friends and I don't want this tag bouncing around among us for the next six weeks!

Here's The Culprit- I believe that's what they are called:

http://thisoldfashionedgirl.blogspot.com/
I don't think she'll be doing any tagging for a while.....

Here are the rules:
: Link to the person that tagged you.:

: Post the rules on your blog.:

: Share six non-important things/habits/quirks about yourself.:

: Tag six random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs.:

: Let each random person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their website.

1. I secretly dream of directing/have a starring role in a play-a musical is the biggest dream, but I'm not THAT deceived about my voice quality :P

2. I'm nineteen and I still bite my nails (Hides)

3. I got a Valentine Present today and I didn't get the gift-giver ANYTHING!!! It's that aweful???

4. I've taken the NarniaWeb character quiz about 10 times and I Always get Lucy!! But we sisters take it for each other (susie takes it and answer how she thinks I am and I do the same for her - We get Aslan! ) We think highly of each other i guess :)

5. I think most of my heros/heroines are fictional or legendary

6. I have a Civil War calender

I tag...Sarah Beth!

In honor of Spring Training.....

2008-02-14T17:58:00.001-06:00

How Many Countries Can you Name in Five Minutes?

2008-02-09T11:23:00.000-06:00

want to try it? WARNING: the time counting starts immediately and you have to know how to SPELL all of the countries....it's fun though!

The Book of Remembrance

2008-02-07T09:25:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I was reading a book and it mentioned 'The book of Remembrance that was written before the LORD'. I'd never ever heard of that before so I checked the reference it gave. It's an interesting verse:

Mal 3:14 -16 Ye have said, It is vain to serve God:
and what profit is it that we have kept his ordinance,
and that we have walked mournfully before the LORD of hosts?
And now we call the proud happy;
yea, they that work wickedness are set up;
yea, they that tempt God are even delivered.
Then they that feared the LORD spoke often one to another:
and the LORD hearkened, and heard it,
and a book of remembrance was written
before him for them that feared the LORD,
and that thought upon his name.

I'd always wondered about the Books that are mentioned in Revelation 20:11-12

Rev 20:11-12
And I saw a great white throne,
and him that sat on it,
from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away;
and there was found no place for them.
And I saw the dead, small and great,
stand before God; and the books were opened:
and another book was opened, which is the book of life:
and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books,
according to their works.

I've only known the name of one of those books, so I guess now I know another one :)
We were reading in 2nd Thessalonians and it said that it was "A righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you.' In all of the Thessalonican letters, Paul was talking to them about the tribulations that they were going through so I think it must not have been a very easy place to be a Christian, but God knew the trials and troubles that they endured and he was going to recompense the evil-doers according to their evil- and reward them for the faithfulness.
Just something I've discovered...another aspect of God's Character...

The Footsteps Die out Forever....

2008-02-04T12:07:00.000-06:00

Charles Dickens.

There seem to be a only a few authors who are able to involve me in a story so much that I want to cry and laugh right along with the characters.

Dickens does that to me with his books, Nicholas Nickleby and A Tale of Two Cities.

I could give you big long passages taken from the Novel in hope that you would enjoy the story the same as I do, but I have come to realize that- without a doubt- the story builds upon itself so the simple words don't hold the same significane to you as they do to me -unless you have also read the whole story.

The last sentance is:

"It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known."

That's a famous quote.

You can probably also quote the beginining of the book, I'll give you a hint:

"It was the best of times...."

Can you finish the sentance?

Probably...

you might even know the geist of what happens in between those two sentences.

I wish I could do the same things with my words,

make characters and places so clear to a person that they can remember them

with affection

or with tears.

But until I can do that I'll have to be content with Charles Dicken's world of characters

Math that even I can understand

2008-01-14T17:21:00.000-06:00

101%
From a strictly mathematical viewpoint:

What Equals 100%? What does it mean to give MORE than 100%?

Ever wonder about those people who say they are giving more than 100%?

We have all been in situations where someone wants you to GIVE OVER 100%.

How about ACHIEVING 101%?

What equals 100% in life?

Here's a little mathematical formula that might help answer these questions:

If:

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Is represented as:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26.

If:

H-A-R-D-W-O-R- K

8+1+18+4+23+15+18+11 = 98%

And:

K-N-O-W-L-E-D-G-E

11+14+15+23+12 +5+4+7+5 = 96%

But

A-T-T-I-T-U-D-E

1+20+20+9+20+21+4+5 = 100%

THEN, look how far the love of God will take you:

L-O-V-E-O-F-G-O-D

12+15+22+5+15+6+7+15+4 = 101%

Therefore, one can conclude with mathematical certainty that:

While Hard Work and Knowledge will get you close,
and Attitude will get you there,
It's the Love of God that will put you over the top!

and as requested: A picture
of what our new car looks like,
only it's a light silver,
not orange....

Pictures...and other tid-bits

2008-01-06T21:59:00.001-06:00

Here's a Picture of the Trotters and I on my last day there. Melissa was kind enough to take a picture and send it to me because I hadn't thought to bring a camera with me, Oops..

(L to R) Anna- 10 and she's doing VERY well, she was walking with a walker the first two weeks but the last week, she started doing excersies and then she didn't need the walker any more!!! and her hair is starting to grow again...

Caroline turned 8 on the 21st

Me!

Timothy Abraham Trotter was almost three weeks old in this picture.

Asher is four and a Sweetheart.

and Jonathan is 6 and an all-around boy!!

Well, in other news, I'm HOME!!!!!
and Very excited to be here....

I've started CollegePlus! which I'm very excited about.....

Susie and I bought a car...

so Yupe I've been busy, busy.....

Your Perfect Day

2007-12-29T21:02:00.000-06:00

I had to fill out a questionaire and that question was on there. I kinda go, 'oh brother, how am I supposed to answer that?' So I set the paper aside but contiuned to think about it. Well, I didn't come up with any criteria for a perfect day, but I do remember some days in the past year that I remember as being rather perfect.

The day I got to spend with Audrey, Rachel, and Susie is Lincoln. We went Shopping, we went out for Lunch and visited an enormous library. What could be better?

The Sunday after Thanksgiving when we had Thanksgiving all over again- with twenty minutes to prepare for it. Wonderful cooking, rolling biscuit dough with Rachel, snuggling with Audrey, enjoying the conversations with the Buckmasters, Trotters, Woods, and Schnieders, remebering the meetings and the hopeful messages shared in them.

The Three days We spent in Washington D.C. and Gettysburg this summer- Seeing History.

The Day out East that Sisters and I laid around the Hotel room all morning, eat lunch at Applebee's, and wander around the Barnes and Nobles for the rest of the Afternoon...and went to the Bourne ultiminuim (as Joe was calling it) in the Evening.

The First Night of Anne of Avonlea, esp. after my first scene when the Audience started clapping for me (well, at least I could really my sisters and Tyson who were in the front row). That was the perfect moment after all the hard work. People liked my character!! Yippie!! (Oh wait that was last year...oh well)

Getting snowed in with Dave, Kristi, Joshua and Elisa. We sang songs in the toasty warm living room.

The Fridays when it's just Mom and Susie and I at home and we sit and talk, about everything and nothing

oh and hugs, every perfect day has hugs in it...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You Might Be Interested to Learn...

2007-12-28T20:20:00.000-06:00

That I am recovering from a short stay in the hospital- well, I'm not sure as to the exact length of time. It was long enough for my arm to heal- but then my foot broke, was bandaged and healed- and then I somehow managed to break everyone of my fingers so they had to be all bandaged up individually, - but again I assure you I have completely recovered.

I was attended by two competent caregivers, Nurse Caroline and Doctor Anna.

Anna was a tireless attendent on me- always working on my IV, drawing my blood, flushing my line and taking great delight to rubbing cold alcohol all over my hand.

Caroline was very faithful in all the bandaging I required. She also kept me entertained with funny stories of previous patients that she was acquainted with, but most importantly she was so kind as to be my Guinea Pig in my discovery of the fact that even with three Fingers bandaged you can still produce a satisfying Tickle Treatment.

All in all, it was a very enjoyable hospital experience, full of TLC, and TT and the smell of rubbing alcohol and sticky bandages....

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

By Anna, Caroline, and Jonathan Trotter....and later Asher too!

2007-12-12T16:25:00.000-06:00

Hi, Everybody! This is the Trotter children

and we wanted to say 'Hi' to everybody,

especially Sarah Beth!

We are staying here at

Grandma and Grandpa Wickboldt's house,

because......

MOMMY'S

HAVING

BABY!!!

Miss Debbie and Grandpa came and got us this morning,

and we came here and did school

-and we were VERY good for Miss Debbie about school-

and then we watched Dr. Dino

and now we want to say 'Hi' to all of you.

Luke, Jonathan wants you to know that he had fun with you this weekend.

Sarah B, Anna wants to say 'Hi' to you especially.

We get to stay overnight at Grandpa and Grandma's House!!

Asher- who just got up from his nap-

wants to say 'Hi' to Elisa

and so does Jonathan!

And Caroline wants to say 'Hi' to Joshua...

Please comment and say 'hi' back to us!

Well the big news is.....

2007-12-11T21:11:00.000-06:00

no Baby yet.....

We go to bed and say

"See you in the morning,

Or Sooner"

We have a Labor Day plan.

We have beds blown up for the children,

toys are ready to entertain them,

Grandma-to-be has a bag sitting by the door,

I'm leaving clothes where I can grab them.....

Now all we need

is a Baby boy to annouce

his intention of leaving his nest....

A favorite book....

2007-12-06T11:52:00.000-06:00

I love reading classics for history,

it is definatly the best thing that ever happened

to me in School :)

You see I have a rather bad habit
of skipping around in a book,
especially if what is happening
isn't terribly interesting.

Well,
in reading a book for school,
you have to read only so many chapters a day,
no matter if they're boring or VERY interesting.
I followed the rules-
although I sometimes read ahead-
and I really enjoyed all my books,
AND understood them,
much better than similar books

I had read early on my own.

A favorite of mine is:
THE TALISMAN
by Sir Walter Scott.

It's a 'Romanticized' account of
The Third Crusade with Richard the Lion-heart,
Phillip of France and Count Leopold of Austria.
There are many different characters:
a loyal dog who is saved from death and then revels a traitor,
a dwarf who is everywhere he's not supposed to be,
a hermit who is doing penance for a sin and pops in and out of the story,
either clearing things up or muddling them more,

a pretty Queen who likes to be entertained,

a knight with a secret,

a lady with proud honor....

[the last is not a contradiction:)]

Anyway, it's a very intertaining book,

it's not like Ivanhoe,

where the hero is ill or wounded

for 3/4ths of the book,

and has almost NO character development.

So if you're looking for a book to read, try it :)

And let me know what you think....

Oh, addition to a previous post:
Dad got to LEVEL 11 on his first try of
"Do You Know Your World?"

Prince Caspian Trailer!

2007-12-05T11:00:00.000-06:00

Yippee! They've just released the first Trailer for Prince Caspian.
Go HERE to see it!!

Do you Know your World?

2007-12-01T21:33:00.000-06:00

Follow the Link and tell me what Level you get to...

I can't get past 3. There's twelve....

http://minijuegos.com/juegos/html/index.php?id=5974

The Scribe's Chronicles

My feet are finally up...

It's that Time of Year!!

Answer

You know the drill. NO GOOGLIING (or anything else) ALLOWED!!!!

Thoughts from History....

December 23, 1776

Britian's GOT talent!

I got Tagged...

Living Arrangments...

A finished project...

A Week of Love...The Challenge

A Week of Love...a poem

A Week of Love....What's in A Name?

A Week of Love...Making the Time

So if you need a Fireproof fix...

A Week of Love...a quote

A Week of Love...Loving the Loveless

A Week of Love...The Mission

A Week of Love...Introduction

A Week of Quotes....Tuesday

A Week of Quotes...Monday

A week of Quotes....Sunday

A Week of Quotes....Saturday

A week of Quotes...Friday

A Week of Quotes....Thursday

A week of Quotes....Wednesday

So....Dad reminded me that I have a blog

Definition of "A NICE PERSON"

Just for Laughs :)

Best Explanation of Rights I've ever Heard....

The Good Book....

Giselle!!

I sit beside the fire....

Gettysburg Address...145 years ago...Today

Reflections.....

I wish I could write great books.....with great thoughts in them...

Visitors Corner

Faith...

A Short History of Veterans Day.

Had some questions.....

My Orders...

Thoughts in the quotes...

Luke and Sarah tidbits...

Vigil in the Night...

Watch this Movie!!!!

Readability :)

I think....therefore I am

The Weight of a Presidency

You are a Child of God!

-by Marianne Williamson

Friday....An adventure is Waiting

20-Something Reasons to Live at Home

Why Do We Fight?

Cross-Posts

My Thankful Thursday.....

Pop Quiz!!!

9-11

My back is Wack....

I'm Back.......With a boring bang...........maybe...

I thought this summed up my feelings at the moment pretty well....

I know.......... first post in months and not too interesting :)

*Indiania Jones theme song is running in my head*

I believe in Doorsteps as firmly as I believe in Aslan himself

Clancy S--------?

June 6, 1944

If You Comment I will...

Our Mutual Friends

The Society

And the answer is.....

No Googling/Wikipediaing/Yahoo or any other search form allowed!!!

My New Favorite Show!!!

The Countdown is over...

I was browsing my photobucket....

Prince Caspain Quiz

Rebecca borrowed my quiz, So I'm borrowing hers!

Can you say I'm a bookworm?

Ready to cry?

I am...

The King's Message to the Empire

Indiania Jones theme song is running in my head