Philosophical Reflections

Israel Trip - Day 4

2012-01-04T21:44:00.006-07:00

Music: "Rad Haliala" by The Burning Bush, 1999, and "Shalom Aleichem" by Andy Statman, 1995

Israel Trip - Day 3

2011-11-25T12:20:00.000-07:00

Music: "Dere Rabbe" by Andy Statman, 1995

Israel Trip - Day 1 & 2

2011-11-15T21:32:00.000-07:00

Music: "Ozi V'zimrat Ya" by The Burning Bush, 1999

Blossoms and Bloomers

2011-09-16T14:52:00.005-06:00

Everyone needs to have this cute little baby jumper pattern in their collection! It only took me one afternoon to make, and it was so fun and easy I want to make about a million more!

Of course, the set wouldn't be complete without bloomers!

Pattern: "Blossoms and Bloomers" by Favorite Things Pattern Designs
Fabrics: "Curio" by Basic Grey for Moda Fabrics

Traveling!

2011-08-24T19:58:00.003-06:00

Hi, everyone! I have some wonderful news. I’m going to Israel!

Juicy details: Our old pastor, Pastor John, is organizing and leading the trip. (When I say “our old pastor” I don’t mean he's old, I mean he used to be our pastor. He retired last year.) (Maybe that means he’s old after all.) My daddy and I and everyone else who signed up (about 40 people) will be leaving at the end of October and touring all over Israel for 10 days!

Ever since Dad took my brother on a trip to Israel with Pastor John seven years ago, I have wanted to go. I am so excited! I will get to see the places where Jesus lived, walked, and taught. I will experience first-hand the culture and traditions of the Israeli people. The nation of Israel and the Jewish people are very close to my heart, and I am thrilled to have the opportunity of seeing their monuments and observing their way of life. While we will not be able to witness to them on our tour, I can hope that our love and support of their country will be an example of the Christian walk that Jesus the Messiah taught.

Expect to see plenty of pictures on my blog – hopefully I will be able to post them daily while I’m there! Your prayers are appreciated as October draws closer. There are so many things to prepare for, it’s easy to get caught up in worry. Plus, this is my first ever overseas trip! If any seasoned travelers out there have suggestions, I’d be happy to hear them!

I rejoiced with those who said to me,
"Let us go to the house of the Lord."
Our feet are standing
in your gates, O Jerusalem.

Jerusalem is built like a city
that is closely compacted together.
That is where the tribes go up,
the tribes of the Lord,
to praise the name of the Lord
according to the statute given to Israel.
There the thrones for judgement stand,
the thrones of the house of David.

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
"May those who love you be secure.
May there be peace within your walls
and security within your citadels."
For the sake of my brothers and friends,
I will say "Peace be within you."
For the sake of the house of the Lord our God,
I will seek your prosperity.

-Psalm 122

New Blog Look?

2011-08-11T21:50:00.002-06:00

Once again I've changed my blog theme! This time I'm not entirely sure I like it, so I need your help. Vote on the poll and give me your opinion!

Like the new blog look?

I very much appreciate your input - if you have suggestions please leave them as a comment below!

If I Had a Borg...

2011-08-04T18:54:00.002-06:00

Don’t you wonder what you would do if you suddenly had your very own Borg, to keep? Well, I wondered. I decided I would most likely teach him how to quilt. This would introduce him to the world of color and pattern, and awaken his inner creativity. This awareness of creativity would develop his sense of individuality and he would become a better person because of it. I’m sure this is a wonderful solution, but I wondered what suggestions other people might come up with. And since I had just discovered Polldaddy, it was the perfect opportunity to try out the “submit your own answer” feature. That was two months ago. And only nine people voted. How pathetic is that?

Nevertheless, here are the results to the poll “If I Had a Borg, I’d…”:

…teach him how to quilt. – 2

…name him Hugh. – 2

…make him do all my work for me. – 2

…send him away. – 0

Other answers – 3
...“Recycle him for his parts and then burn leftovers.”
...“Ask him who on earth named him.”
...“Kill it.”

This last violent approach intrigued me, especially since whoever submitted it referred to said Borg as “it” instead of “him”.

In general it seems as if the population is divided. Half would want to improve their Borg by introducing it to creativity or by naming it, while the other half would want to exploit the Borg by salvaging its parts or enslaving it, or by asking it confusing question in order to overload its programming and therefore destroy it, or by simply destroying it immediately. I therefore conclude that it would be in the Borgs’ best interest not to send any of their kind to us for safekeeping.

Now that I have analyzed and submitted the last poll’s results, you should go vote on the new poll! (Can we please get more than nine people this time?)

(What in the world is a Borg???)

Philosophy XIV

2011-08-02T10:39:00.003-06:00

"You really don't get a second chance to make a good first impression."
-Ira Fishman

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Do you agree or disagree with this philosophy? Do you think it is important?

How Could I Say There Is No God?

2011-07-15T10:46:00.005-06:00

George Makes Another Comeback

2011-06-30T08:57:00.012-06:00

George wanted to visit his cow friends one evening, but the farm was closed.

Oh well -- there were lots of other things to do!

George went exploring...

... and rock climbing. (Be careful, George!!)

The flower didn't smell. George was disappointed.

This would be a fun place to hide a geocache!

Oh look -- there's one now!

George was even a F.T.F.! (Whatever that means.)

The Return of George

2011-06-27T20:51:00.006-06:00

George was enjoying the view at City Park one day when he got an alert on his BlackBerry.
Someone has placed a new Geocache, and it was really close!

George had to find it! He searched high and low...

... and finally found it!

George was curious. What could be inside?

George likes looking at his picture.

Fishing -- what a great idea!

Chewbie

2011-06-16T11:22:00.005-06:00

See more dog and puppy pictures.

If that didn't make you laugh, I offer free humor counseling sessions.

Allyson's Baby Quilt - Pattern

2011-06-05T10:57:00.003-06:00

Allyson's Baby Quilt
Finished Size: 30" x 40"

Note: This pattern assumes the use of 44-inch wide cotton fabric and a ¼-inch seam allowance, unless otherwise stated. There is enough fabric figured in yardage for pre-washing shrinkage. If you are unsure, or not confident in your cutting accuracy, purchase extra fabric. These yardages include binding.

YOU WILL NEED:
• ⅓ yard Main Fabric #1 (red)
• ⅓ yard Main Fabric #2 (blue)
• ⅓ yard Main Fabric #3 (green)
• ⅓ yard Main Fabric #4 (yellow)
• ⅔ yard Background Fabric (light purple)
• 1 yard Backing (yellow flannel)
• 36-inch x 46-inch piece of Batting

BLOCKS:
• Out of each Main Fabric, cut three 4½-inch x 5¾-inch rectangles, and three 4½-inch x 3¼-inch rectangles. This makes for a total of 12 large rectangles and 12 small rectangles.
• Match each large rectangle with a different color small rectangle. For instance, match each small Main Fabric #3 rectangle with a #1, #2, and #4 large rectangle, respectively. This will ensure that the blocks will be different from one another, which adds interest to the quilt. There will be a total of 12 rectangle sets.
• Line up the 4½-inch wide edges of the small and large rectangles right sides together, and stitch.

Repeat for remaining 11 rectangle sets. Press seam allowance to one side. You will now have twelve 4½-inch x 8½-inch rectangles.
• Match each rectangle to another different rectangle. Make sure each of the four fabrics appears once in each block. Arrange each rectangle set so the small rectangle is in an opposite corner from the other set’s small rectangle.

• Line up the 8½-inch edges of the corresponding rectangle sets right sides together, and stitch. Repeat for the remaining 5 rectangle sets. Press seam allowance towards one side. You will have a total of six 8½-inch x 8½-inch pieced blocks.
• Arrange the blocks two across by three down, turning the upper-left block, the middle-right block, and the lower-left block sideways.

SASHING:
• Out of Background Fabric, cut nine 2½-inch x 8½-inch sashing rectangles, and four 2½-inch x 22½-inch sashing strips.
• Arrange the sashing rectangles in between and on either side of the six blocks to make a row.

Stitch sashing rectangles to blocks with right sides together, and press seam allowances to one side. Repeat for remaining two rows, making sure the blocks stay properly arranged as you lay them out.
• Arrange sashing strips between and on either end of the three rows.

Stitch the long edge of sashing strips to long edge of rows, right sides together, and press seam allowances to one side. Repeat for remaining rows and strips.

INNER BORDER:
• Out of each Main Fabric cut three 1½-inch x 10¼-inch strips. This makes for a total of 12 strips.
• Sew short ends of strips right sides together, arranging them so the same fabric is never right next to itself. For instance, sew Main Fabric #1 to #2, sew #2 to #3, sew #3 to #4, and sew #4 to #1. You should have a 1½-inch x 117-inch strip.
• Starting at one end, stitch the long edge of strip to right side of quilt, right sides together. Trim the strip off once you reach the bottom edge of quilt edge, and press seam allowance toward the outside. With the same end of the strip you left off with, stitch to bottom edge of quilt, and trim the strip off once you reach the edge of the left side. Press seam allowance to the outside. Repeat this with the remaining two sides. The colors should appear to be continuous around the edge of the quilt.

OUTER BORDER:
• Out of Background Fabric, cut two 3½-inch x 34½-inch strips.
• Sew long edges of border strips to left and ride edges of quilt, right sides together. Press seam allowance to the outside.
• Out of Background Fabric, cut two 3½-inch x 30½-inch strips.
• Sew long edges of border strips to top and bottom edges of quilt, right sides together. Press seam allowances to the outside. Your Background will now border the quilt evenly.

QUILTING:
• Layer quilt top, batting, and backing fabric, baste or pin, and quilt as desired. In the example, there are small scallops around each block and inside of inner border, large scallops on inside and outside edges of outer border, and simple horse shapes in the centers of each block.
• Trim batting and backing to line up with edges of quilt top

BINDING:
• Out of each Main Fabric, cut four 2½-inch x 9¾-inch strips. This makes a total of 16 strips.
• Sew short ends of strips right sides together, arranging them so the same fabric is never right next to itself, as you did with the Inner Border strips. You should have a 2½-inch x 148-inch strip.
• Fold and press the strip in half with long edges together, WRONG SIDES together. Line raw edges of binding up with raw edges of quilt and pin, mitering the corners as you go.
• Sew ⅓ of an inch around edge of quilt. Use a walking foot if you have one; this helps keep the layers from shifting.
• Fold binding over edges of quilt and pin to the back of quilt. Hand stitch edge of binding to the back.

LABEL (Optional):
• If desired, make a label with names, dates, or a special message, and hand-appliqué it to the back of quilt.

Philosophy XIII

2011-06-02T08:35:00.002-06:00

"Life is short. Eat dessert only."
-A.E.Powell, 2011 A.D.

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Do you agree or disagree with this philosophy? Why or why not?

Oh, and if I haven't mentioned it yet, go vote on this cool poll! This poll is special -- you can type in your own answer. So go say something creative!

A Worship Offering

2011-05-20T19:07:00.011-06:00

Last Friday, a group of ladies and I danced to the hymn “My Jesus I Love Thee”. I have been dancing with the most amazing worship dance ministry I have ever encountered, Celebration Ministry of Arts, for about 4 years. I may not be the most talented dancer in the world, but it is an incredible experience to be able to express my worship in a beautiful, humble, and modest way. The adult class I am in spends three months not only learning the choreography to a song, but also studying different areas of our walks with God as part of our weekly Bible Study. I am so privileged to be a part of this group of women, and I was honored to dance with them Friday night. It was our prayer that our dance would bless those who watched it, and I extend that prayer to you as you watch it here on my blog.

This song was recorded by Selah (you may have seen my previous post with the lyrics to this hymn a few months ago). Many thanks to Mr. Kranz for filming it, and to his wife Mrs. Kranz, who was also in the dance, for sharing it!

Philosophy XII

2011-05-12T09:55:00.001-06:00

Something strange that came out of my mouth yesterday:

"Usually I think everything you think is funny is funny."

-A.E.Powell, 2011 A.D.

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What do you think this philosophy means? Do you know anyone whom you could say this to?

Winner Announced!

2011-05-07T09:58:00.002-06:00

Thanks to all who helped name my guitar! I couldn’t have done it without you. It is with great pleasure I announce the winner of the Guitar-Naming Contest! The results are as follows:

Robert - 0
Justin - 0
Jason - 0
Emmett - 1
Pulitzer -0
Golden Boy - 2
Peanut - 1
Washington - 0
Woody Fink - 0
Reginald Heplin - 0
Wilson Smarts - 0
Plankton Erving - 0
Erwin Rommel - 1
Beavis Spinly - 1
Edgar Washington - 2
Peter Blanchette - 0
Franklin Nickelby - 0
Archie - 0
Ricardo - 3
Felix - 1
Zadok – 1

And the winner is... Ricardo! Congratulations, Ricardo! You have a name now!

As usual, please comment and tell me what you voted for and why. Not that anyone will actually do that, but I like saying it. It makes my post feel more complete.

The Ginger Ale Song

2011-04-29T08:39:00.004-06:00

(By Rebeka Fry and Andrea Powell)

I don't wanna eat whale!
I don't wanna eat kale!
I just wanna drink ginger ale!

I don't wanna jump on a hay bale!
I don't wanna sit in a jail!
I just wanna drink ginger ale!

I don't wanna go over hill and dale!
I don't wanna check my email!
I just wanna drink ginger ale!

I don't want it to hail!
I don't want it to blow a gale!
I just wanna drink ginger ale!

I don't wanna graduate from Yale!
I don't wanna hammer another nail!
I just wanna drink ginger ale!

I don't wanna carry a pail!
I don't wanna shoot a quail!
I just wanna drink ginger ale!

I don't care if I hit my head on a rail!
I don't care if I look pale!
I just wanna drink ginger ale!

I don't wanna jump on a ship and sail!
I don't wanna name my kid Gail!
I just wanna drink ginger ale!

I don’t care if I fail!
I don’t wanna hit the trail!
I just wanna drink ginger ale!

Commence Voting

2011-04-22T09:50:00.003-06:00

At last, all the guitar name suggestions have been compiled and integrated into a poll (at right) and are ready to be voted on! Included are suggestions from Ashley, Carissa, Rebeka, and myself. Vote for your favorite name and your pick might just be the winner! The poll closes on May 7th. Don’t delay – vote today!

Guitar-Naming Contest

2011-04-12T08:14:00.004-06:00

Here's my very own guitar! You can see his new guitar stand, and new capo, and if you look close, his new pick. Isn't he impressive with all his cool new gear?

I need help though! So far I've named my computer, and my drill, and my sewing machine, and my car. My guitar feels left out. What should his name be? I need your help, so please post your suggestions in a comment, and when I have collected enough we can all vote! This is your big chance, people! My guitar could forever bear the name you come up with!

The little hairball sitting next to the guitar is Rhino. He wishes he could participate in the guitar-naming contest, but he isn't old enough.

Dreaming of Weekends....

2011-03-30T21:55:00.005-06:00

Things I’m going to do when I get a weekend off:

-Go on a hike. A long hike. A long, dusty, thirsty, tiring, beautiful hike.

-Eat lunch for longer than half an hour.

-Wash my car in the driveway and get soaking wet.

-Go somewhere I don’t have to.

-Read a book I’ve never read before.

-Write a poem and post it on my blog.

-Learn to play “Malaguena” even though I can’t even read the tabs.

-Talk to Sarah on the phone for 2 hours.

-Sew at least half a dozen different purses and totes.

-Finish knitting my pair of socks.

Hmmm.... I’m thinking I’ll be needing more than one weekend off.

My Jesus I Love Thee

2011-03-29T08:59:00.005-06:00

My Jesus I love Thee, I know Thou art mine
For Thee all the follies of sin I resign
My gracious Redeemer, my Savior art Thou
If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus ‘tis now

I love Thee because Thou hast first loved me
And purchased my pardon on Calvary’s tree
I love Thee for wearing the thorns upon Thy brow
If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus ‘tis now

In mansions of glory and endless delight
I’ll ever adore Thee in heaven so bright
I’ll sing with the glittering crown upon my brow
If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus ‘tis now

Music by William Featherston, 1864

I'm Ba-aaack!

2011-03-18T17:29:00.005-06:00

Hi, everyone! Missed me?

I know you have, even though you haven’t commented to tell me so….

After the apple crisp, I had what you might call “blogger’s block”. It was very distressing.

“But,” you say, “how could you have had blogger’s block right after you planned an entire series of posts?”

“You must not know,” I reply, “how exasperating it is to conduct research on dial-up internet.” It is exasperating. Just ask Evilnet.

Speaking of Evilnet, not to worry. He has been squelched, permanently. Which brings me to the climax of this post – I am now the proud patron of high-speed internet!

I received the following message from Evilnet yesterday:

Andrea,
Congratulations. My wrath towards you and your efforts is allayed, thanks to the recent installation of DSL in your system. You may think you have prevailed over me. Do not be deceived. It is my greatest triumph to see that hideous, defective disease called “dial-up” removed and replaced.
If you do not wish to hear from me again, be careful not to insult me by using infuriating, superseded devices and programs (like a trackball mouse).
-Evilnet

Until next time, I encourage you to comment. I like comments. I really do. It is a great comfort knowing there really are other people out there. Tell me what you like about my blog, and what you dislike (keep it polite, though). Tell me how proud you are of me for getting high-speed. Tell me what you had for breakfast.

So long for now!

A Nice Thing to Bake

2011-02-10T10:34:00.007-07:00

Tomorrow I have a meeting to attend, and I volunteered to bring some kind of dessert. What, I asked myself, can I make that is quick and easy, needs very little cleanup, and can be eaten on paper plates? Ah! thought I, my new favorite recipe exactly matches those requirements! Dear readers, I present to you:

Apple Crisp

Peel, core, and slice:

8 apples

and layer them in the bottom of a 9x9 glass baking dish. Combine:

¾ cup flour

¾ cup sugar

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon nutmeg

Cut into the dry ingredients:

8 tablespoons cold butter.
Scatter the topping over the apple slices. Bake at 375° for 50 minutes, or until juices are bubbling and topping is golden brown.

Once you make this crisp, you'll see why it's currently my favorite recipe! Keep it in mind next summer when the peaches are ripe. Simply subsitute 6 peaches for the 8 apples and you'll produce the perfect picnic dessert (because it can be eaten on paper plates).

Why I Love Being Feminine

2011-01-27T09:02:00.004-07:00

I would like to extend a warm welcome to Rebeka Fry, a dear friend of mine and the author of the blog "Redefining Femininity". Rebeka recently posted the following on her blog, so I begged and was granted permission to share it with you!

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It's wonderful being a girl. So many times it's the little, seemingly-insignificant things that delight the feminine class. Perhaps this post may seem a bit rambled, but here are some of my favorite and enjoyable side effects to being feminine.

- The graceful movement of tucking a stray piece of hair behind my ear while I type on my laptop in a cafe'.

- The mystery of having a smile teasing my lips as I shop for romaine lettuce and bell peppers.

- The dignified feeling that comes when I stand with my shoulders back and head slightly tilted upwards.

- Enjoying a spontaneous skip or hop every once in a while - no matter who sees.

- The soft scent of powder makeup.

- Wearing ribbon in my hair that was salvaged from the wrapping of the gift from my valentine.

- The swish of my skirt as I sit down in the car.

- The prim sound of heels clipping against the pavement.

- Knowing that a flower can immediately transform any hair catastrophe.

- The light reflected from sparkly jewelry.

- Walking through the fabric store and picking out my wedding colors.

- The ability to "brain laugh" when a boy gawks at my brightly colored rain boots.

- Ruffled necklines.

- The domestic feeling that surges through me when I put on an apron.

- Adding curlicues and swirlygigs to my writing.

- Silently reveling in the "please-clarify" look of the young man who takes my complicated order at Starbucks.

- The distinguished air that only women can hold.

I know there are more perks to being feminine out there - what are yours?

Fernando's Heroism

2011-01-09T13:08:00.005-07:00

Fernando the Super-Volvo scaled the summit of Buckhorn Mountain!

Didn't he do it well?

Seymour's Adventures

2010-12-31T09:57:00.007-07:00

Seymour (the world's cutest frog ever) went on a field trip to the quilt store.

He was very excited, because he never gets to have adventures. His mommy, Lisa, always leaves him at home.

At first we were afraid he couldn't go on this adventure either, because he has meningitis. Thankfully he didn't have it that particular morning, so he was able to go after all.

Seymour met some new friends....

One friend was more special than the others (Seym thought so anyway).

Seym went exploring after that. He pretended to be a tree frog, and climbed a tree.

He found a pair of green scissors (his favorite color!!) and a green tape measure, too.

We tried to stop him, but he discovered the Seym Ripper! Oh no! Now he will have nightmares....

Seym played in the baskets on top of the shelves. He isn't afraid of heights like some people.

He picked out all his favorite fabrics, and wanted us to buy them.

When we told him he could not have them all, he had a tantrum and had to be sent to the corner.

He was grumpy because he hadn't gotten a cookie in his lunch and besides, he was all worn out from his big day, so he took a nap on the green Minkee (it was soft).

Seymour had lots of fun, and now he wants to go on more field trips all the time! (He hopes next time he will be more appropriately dressed.)

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-26T10:46:00.004-07:00

"For to us a Child is born,
to us a Son is given,
and the government will be on His shoulders.
And He will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

"Of the increase of His government and peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on David's throne
and over His kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.

"The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this."

-Isaiah 9:6-7

The Truth About Phone Syndrome

2010-12-16T10:13:00.003-07:00

Our latest poll resulted in a most interesting conclusion. Many modern-day scholars and philosophers have wondered, “Exactly how attached are people to their phones?” I have great hopes of being helpful to the hopelessly intelligent theorists of the world with my practical application of this much debated subject. This survey answered the question, “Where is your phone right now?” From the myriad of answers we received (a total of 10, actually) we are able to discern the depth of America’s obsession with phones. Our conclusions are as follows:

In my hand – 4
In my pocket – 0
In the same room – 2
In another room – 2
On the wall – 0
I don’t know – 1
Other – 1

We can deduce from these findings that the majority of the world’s population, while loving their phones, are not completely overcome with passionate ardor as we have so long supposed. Indeed, we see that 10% of the population does not even know where their phone is! While 40% seems to be unable to unhand their precious phones, 20% are fine with it being several feet away from them, and another 20% are fine with it being in another room even! While I can’t imagine what other place a phone could be, 10% of the population’s phones are there.

I think we can also conclude that wall phones are officially obsolete.

Philosophy XI

2010-12-14T10:45:00.001-07:00

“Coffee makes us severe, and grave, and philosophical.”
–Jonathan Swift

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Do you think this is a philosophy? If so, do you agree or disagree with it? Do you think it a worthwhile philosophy to live by?

Everyone's Biography

2010-12-03T14:46:00.005-07:00

1st Day: Conception - Of the 200,000,000 sperm that try to penetrate the mother’s egg cell, only one succeeds. At that very moment, a new and unique individual is formed. All of the inherited features of this new person are already determined.

18-20 Days: The foundations of the brain, spinal cord, and nervous system are laid.

21 Days: The heart begins to beat. A day later the eyes begin to develop. The earliest stages of the ears are now present.

28-32 Days: Two tiny arms make their appearance and budding legs follow two days later. The beginnings of the mouth take shape. The nose starts to
develop.

42 Days: The brain is now divided into 3 parts – one to experience emotion and understand language, one for hearing and one for seeing.

44 Days: Facial muscles develop. 99% of muscles are present.

7 Weeks: Spontaneous movement begins. The baby then develops a whole collection of moves over the next 4 weeks including hiccupping, frowning, squinting, furrowing the brow, and sucking.

8 Weeks: The baby is now well-proportioned, and about the size of a thumb. Every organ is present. The liver is making blood, the kidneys function, and the heart beats steadily.

10 Weeks: The number of connections between nerves and muscles has tripled since last week. Baby's feet are about this size:

12 Weeks: The baby swallows and responds to skin stimulation.

4 Months: The baby can grip with hands, make a fist, swim, and turn somersaults.

7 Months: The eyelids begin to reopen, preparing to see the outside world.

9 1/2 Months: The child triggers labor and birth occurs, an average of 264-270 days after conception.

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Information gathered from HeritageHouse.com. (Click here for more information.)

A Message From Evilnet

2010-11-23T09:43:00.002-07:00

To the readers of Andrea’s blog, greetings.

I am Evilnet.

I am not allowing Andrea online every Thursday anymore. She may get online once per week, but on no given day.

Followers of Andrea, be warned. This is the result of the crime of having dial-up internet. Take heed and do not offend me.

End of line.

The Marvelous Weather Forecast, and What It Forecasted

2010-11-11T10:21:00.005-07:00

Weather reporters get lots of attention, but give very little accuracy. I’ve never given them much notice, except to wonder if their predictions are right or wrong, and to hope accordingly.

Yesterday I was hoping with all my might that their predictions were right. The weather reporters claimed that they guessed it might possibly maybe snow (that’s as much of a forecast as you’ll get in Colorado).

And it did!

Last night:

This morning:

Ain’t it lovely though?

Evilnet

2010-11-04T12:03:00.001-06:00

My lack of posting is, I am sure, causing much despondency among my followers. But no one could be more saddened than myself, for it is not by my own free will that I withhold my genius from you, but by the will of Evilnet.

The great and powerful and very evil Evilnet has chosen my internet connection as its daily victim. Day after day, week after week, my computer and I endeavor to break through his villainous clutches and get online, but to no avail. (Except on Thursdays.)

Why am I so unjustly targeted by Evilnet? It could be simply by chance, or it could be because Evilnet hates nothing more than primitive technology loose in society. And nothing is more primitive in Evilnet’s mind than dial-up internet, a grossly archaic form of technology which I unhappily base my entire internet career off of.

My computer and I implore your help! How can we defeat the very evil Evilnet? Your suggestions and reassurance are most appreciated.

Funny Puppy

2010-10-28T09:40:00.002-06:00

This picture was too cute not to share....

Philosophy X

2010-10-24T10:19:00.002-06:00

"Why say 'stomach' when you can say 'tummy'?"
-A.E.Powell, 2010 A.D.

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What do you think this philosophy means? Do you agree or disagree with it? How do you think you could apply this philosophy?

Mean What You Say (Speaking with Authority)

2010-10-19T11:25:00.001-06:00

(Continued from Part 1 – Say What You Mean)

“These, then, are the things you should teach. Encourage and rebuke with all authority. Do not let anyone despise you.” (Titus 2:15)

I have been in situations when I know exactly what I want to say, but in the end it comes out sounding feeble and uncertain. Words I intend to be impressive and persuasive turn out inadequate and unsatisfactory.

My replies end up this way when they are not in accordance with what God wants me to say. I’ve found that when I ask God to give me the right words, He prompts me to do one of two things – either He gives me words of authority to speak or He tells me not say anything at all. It is when I ignore His prompting to be silent that my answers sound diluted and unconvincing.

“To man belong the plans of the heart, but from the Lord comes the reply of the tongue.”(Proverbs 16:1)

You can be sure that when God wants something said, He’ll give you the words to say it. Jesus promised his disciples, “On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.” (Matthew 10:18-20)

As disciples and children of the Lord, we have been given the power to speak with authority on His behalf. Everything we say will have an impact, whether for good or for bad.

“But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.” (1 Peter 3:15-16)

Who can argue a response that is both courageous and kind? Who can reject an answer that is spoken with authority yet at the same time with consideration?

When we learn to speak the Lord’s words with gentleness and conviction, we make a positive impact for the Kingdom of God and we bring His name glory. Listen for His voice – He will give you the words to say.

Say What You Mean (Speaking with Assurance)

2010-10-09T11:19:00.005-06:00

“Prefer the specific to the general, the definite to the vague, the concrete to the abstract.” –The Elements of Style

This writing principle from has come to my mind several times in the past few weeks, and not necessarily when I am writing. Often in every day conversation I find myself defending my convictions by beating around the bush with excuses, instead of boldly giving my reasons. For instance, when I explain to people why I don’t go to college, I say “I don’t feel that college is a healthy environment.” This is a credible excuse, but it is still just an excuse – and a weak one at that. Why do I say how I feel instead of saying what I know? And more importantly, why do I use this excuse to replace the foremost reason I do not go to college – namely, because God told me not to?

It boils down to cowardice. I’m afraid if I say “God told me not to,” I’ll have to answer all kinds of theological questions – “How do you know God told you?” or “Does it say ‘don’t go to college’ in the Bible?” or “Isn’t that legalistic?” I don’t have tidy, one-sentence answers for these questions. And I’m afraid to get caught in the middle of a discussion like that, having to represent my Lord and Savior in the words that I speak.

Paul felt that way at times. He wrote at the end of his letter to the Ephesians, “Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.” (Ephesians 6:19-20)

Moses, another of the Lord’s representatives, was also afraid he wouldn’t have all the right words.

“Moses said to the Lord, ‘O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.’” (Exodus 4:10)

If Moses was anything like me, he probably would have told Pharaoh, “You know, I don’t think these people should be your slaves. If it’s all right with you, we’d like you to let them go home.” But God knew Pharaoh needed to hear something more definite.

“The Lord said to him, ‘Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go; I will help you speak and teach you what to say.’” (Exodus 4:11-12)

Sadly, Moses backed down and asked the Lord to get someone else to do the talking. In letting his brother Aaron speak for him, Moses missed out on an opportunity to show off God’s power through his speech. Am I, an inexperienced, sheltered girl, missing out on opportunities to show off God’s power through my own speech?

Your convictions don’t need to be excused. Don’t apologize to the world for not being like it. Don’t say, “I’d really rather not,” when you mean, “God told me not to." Stand up for the Word of God - you are His ambassador.

Philosophy IX

2010-10-05T10:06:00.004-06:00

"Your actions are speaking so loudly I can't hear what you're saying."
-Author Unknown, Submitted by Rebeka Fry, 2010 A.D.

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Do you think this is a philosophy? If so, do you agree or disagree with it? Do you think it a worthwhile philosophy to live by?

What Makes Something Beautiful?

2010-09-30T10:33:00.003-06:00

Please help me welcome Carissa Mann once again to my blog! She posted an outstanding essay on her own blog (which you really must go look at -- it has a new autumn leaves theme and everything!). I thought her post was so thought-provoking I wanted to share it with as many people as I could. So here it is. Thank you for the gracious permission, Carissa.

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"Awhile ago, as I was pondering the subject of beauty, an obvious question came to mind: What makes something beautiful? What is it about an object, person, scene, character quality, etc. that causes pleasure to our senses? What is it about these things that brings feelings of wonder, joy, and admiration?

How do we classify some things as beautiful, and others as ugly? What is the difference?

Suddenly, the thought came to me: Beauty is a reflection of God, and ugliness of sin.

"The heavens declare the glory of God;
And the firmament shows His handiwork." Psalm 19:1

Think about it: In creation, we see flowers that we call "beautiful"--they are (nearly) as God created them.

However, when they die or become diseased or mutated...

...they lose their beauty. Death and disease are both results of sin.

"Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned." Romans 5:12

"Because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now." Romans 8:21-22

Sin perverts God's perfect design, resulting in what we call "ugliness".

Or, speaking about people, what are the things that make a face beautiful (besides the hopefully obvious "having a cheerful countenance")? Rosy cheeks, bright eyes, clear skin, and so forth: and these are all products of health; (or, in the case of some females, are simulated by make up... :P) which is, again, closer to the original way God created us.

So, the closer things are to God and His created perfection, the more beautiful they are!

With character, it is much the same: having "inner beauty" is when your character is closer to God's; when your actions and words reflect His love, patience, mercy, justice, and so on.

Things like deceit, cruelty, untrustworthiness, and so forth are opposites of God's character: therefore, they are (or ought to be) ugly and repulsive to us.
The closer someone's character is to God's, the more beautiful it is.

Beauty is, in essence, a reflection of God. Beauty shows us God's creativeness in designing these beautiful things, His love for us in making things for us to enjoy, His attention to detail, His perfection, (holiness) and also His justice, mercy, kindness, and so forth.

What is exactly is the definition of beauty again?

Something that brings joy, that is pleasant to the senses; that causes a feeling of awe or wonder. It also sometimes refers to something working together properly, such as a machine. (That is my definition... for the official, Websters 1828 definition, go here.)"

International Relations in the 23rd Century

2010-09-28T10:55:00.005-06:00

Three cheers for Cap'n Kirk!

(Please don't take this personally. It's supposed to be a joke.)

Customer of the Month

2010-09-21T10:29:00.006-06:00

I’ve seen customers do a lot of weird and laughable things, but this one tops them all.

Yesterday I had to put an “out of order” sign on the ladies’ restroom. You see, someone had dropped her car keys. In the toilet. And flushed. I saw her, standing by the hallway, looking slightly distraught and also somewhat bewildered while she waited for her husband to bring the extra set of car keys. She had called her plumber as well (she said she used him a lot and he was wonderful, and I wondered if this was a reoccurring incident).

Her husband came at last, seemingly annoyed (I can’t imagine why), and in the end they decided not to get the plumber, as it would cost more to rescue the poor keys than to replace them. So off came the “out of order” sign, and the keys were swept away forever, or so we hope. It is very possible that the keys will get stuck somewhere and cause innumerable problems until they rust away. But for now, it’s very amusing to think of the keys making it all the way to the sewer treatment plant.

Through this first-hand experience, I feel I am an authority on the subject, so heed my advice: Next time you think you might flush your keys down the toilet, remember it will be rather an inconvenience to all involved and you really ought to try not to.

You, Lemonade, and the World (Among Other Things)

2010-09-14T11:23:00.001-06:00

Iced tea and lemonade are both highly debatable subjects. So much so, that I decided the matter needed to be settled with an official blog poll. The results (which are in and of themselves also highly debatable) can be found below:

Iced Tea – 4

Lemonade – 5

These results prove a very interesting point. I would tell you what the interesting point was, but I haven’t thought of it yet. Hypothetically, neither iced tea nor lemonade is of any global importance. But if it ever becomes a the pivotal point in an international discussion focusing on the mutual interests of two countries, we now know it to be a fact that lemonade is enjoyed by 22.22% more of the population than iced tea. Probably because lemonade, under normal weather conditions, has 52.67% more sugar in it.

Thanks to you, I was able to conclude my studies in the Great Iced Tea vs. Lemonade Debate, and thanks to me, you now know more than you did before you read this. Albeit this was a completely worthless post.

Philosophy VIII

2010-09-12T10:36:00.002-06:00

"Train up a boy in the ways of a man,
and when he is old, he will not be a sissy."
-Michael Pearl, 2010 A.D.

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What do you think this philosophy means? Do you agree or disagree with it?

New Family Member!

2010-09-04T09:57:00.004-06:00

Here it is, folks – the news you’ve all been waiting for! This is my very first Car!

The dear little thing was discovered on Monday, inspected by our faithful mechanics, agreed upon by the entire family, and bought on Wednesday. Paperwork was completed on Friday (after extremely impatient me nearly went insane with… impatience) and we’ve already had several hours of bonding time together (the car and I, that is).

Here are the details, for those of you who are interested:

2000 Volvo V70 XC/SE
138,000 miles
0-60: 8.5 seconds
Top speed: 155 mph

Yes, it’s a station wagon. Station wagons are cool.

“There was something in the air that night, the stars were bright, Fernando! They were shining there for you and me, for liberty, Fernando!...”

Philosophy VII

2010-08-30T10:24:00.003-06:00

"You're right, life isn't about money anymore. It's about Following."

-Author Unknown

2010, A.D.

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What do you think this philosophy means? Do you agree or disagree with it?

Psalms 122:6-9

2010-08-24T09:06:00.005-06:00

"Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:

they shall prosper that love thee.

Peace be within thy walls,

and prosperity within thy palaces.

For my brethren and companions' sakes, I will now say,

Peace be within thee.

Because of the house of the Lord our God,

I will seek thy good."

More from George

2010-08-19T08:51:00.004-06:00

Geocaching is George’s new favorite hobby.

But tree-climbing will always hold a special place in his heart.

This tree would be a good place to hide a geocache!

Could that be it?

It is, it is! George found his third geocache!

After all that hard work, George decided to take a much deserved rest in the library – reading his most favorite novel in the whole world!

George's Latest

2010-08-17T08:58:00.007-06:00

George was so infatuated with geocaching, he couldn’t rest till he had found another.

But the forest was delightful, and he couldn’t resist a climb.

Climbing trees is so much fun!

Be careful, George. Some berries can be poisonous!

George was easily distracted – he wanted to explore!

George loves to play hide-and-seek.

Where can he be?

Don’t get lost, George!

George was having so much fun, he almost forgot to find the geocache.

Hooray! He’s done it again!

Another of George's Adventures

2010-08-15T16:20:00.004-06:00

George was very excited to go find his very first geocache!

The rail looked like a lot of fun to climb on, but George was too occupied with finding the cache.

He looked under the bushes...

...and over the edge (don’t fall, George!).

Oh, there it is!

Hooray! George found his very first geocache!

And met some new friends while he was at it!

Henrietta, Part 10

2010-08-13T12:59:00.002-06:00

The wet little hedgehog crept to the top of a hill. Below, she could see what caused the roaring. It was the river. What had been a happy little creek was now an angry flood swelling across the meadow, growing closer and closer to the young animals....

Henrietta had been scared lots of times. She had been scared when Harry chased them and she thought he was Black Bart the Bullsnake. She had been scared when she thought Marie was lost. She had been scared when Bobby was making frightening sounds in the bushes and she thought he was a monster. But nothing had scared her as much as the flooded meadow did. She had never seen a flood before, but she had an animal instinct that told her the flood was dangerous and deadly. Muddy brown water swirled around young trees and covered large boulders. It seemed alive and angry, and Henrietta did not know what to do.

Hedgehogs are very resourceful creatures. As Henrietta watched the flood water rise higher and higher, growing closer to their shelter, she realized they would have to climb to higher ground. I told you she was smart.

Not wishing to alarm her companions, which would no doubt cause a perfect bedlam of confusion, Henrietta calmly and quietly (as quietly as she could in a noisy storm) called her friends and told them she thought they should find a different shelter, farther up the hill.

“Why, Henrietta?” asked Marie.

“Because,” said Henrietta, trying to make a plausible excuse, “this one is so small. It’s awfully uncomfortable, don’t you think?”

“No. Not really,” Harry replied.

“Well, we’re finding a new shelter anyway,” Henrietta said in her most decided way.

After a few minutes of slow climbing, the four soaking-wet animals reached the top of the hill. Unfortunately, from here everyone could see the flood in the meadow below. Marie gasped, “Oh dear! What is that?”

Henrietta is an honest little hedgehog, so she said, “Now stay calm, everyone. The river has flooded.”

No one stayed calm, of course. Bobby cheeped his little heart out in a most tragic manner, and Marie began to cry. Even Harry curled up into a little ball and whimpered to himself.

Henrietta had done the best she could. She had taken her friends to the safest place she could find and had tried to encourage their bravery. Now she was at her wit’s end, and felt like crying herself. There they huddled, four young creatures in the pouring rain, waiting for the flood to reach their refuge. I cannot say for sure, but you may have even detected a tear in Henrietta’s eye had you been there. However, it may have just been a drop of rain that trickled down her nose, and it may have been because she was cold that she sniffed a little.

The flood was now swelled so high, Henrietta thought she could feel the muddy water swirling around her toes. Marie grasped her paw and held on tightly. Henrietta could feel her tremble.

Just then, Marie’s ears perked up a little. “What was that?” the little mouse quavered.

“What was what?” whispered Henrietta.

Marie cocked her head and listened closely. “It sounds like… like… Father!” she squealed.

Henrietta listened closely. She could hear something, not far off, calling. It was coming from behind a tall birch tree and getting closer.

“Ma-riiiie!” cried the voice, “Henriettaaaaa!”

“Father!” Marie screamed, “Is that you?”

To Henrietta’s great joy and astonishment, around the trunk of the birch paddled a raft, and on the raft were Marie’s and Henrietta’s fathers! They were hallooing as loudly as they could, and when they saw the four animals on the top of the hill they gave a great shout and paddled with all their might.

Henrietta and Marie and Harry and Bobby waded into the water and struggled onto the raft. Henrietta found herself buried in a great big fuzzy hug. “Popsy,” she whispered contentedly as she clutched him tightly. I believe Marie was getting the same sort of treatment from her father.

All the little animals in the glade had fled to the top of the Big Hill when the river had flooded. The waters had stopped rising now, and they were safe there. There are no words to describe the rejoicing when Popsy and Mr. Brown Mouse brought the children home. On this happy scene we draw the curtains closed, leaving them to their delight and elation at seeing each other. Be assured that, with Popsy’s and Mr. Brown Mouse’s help, both Harry and Bobby found their way home.

And so, reader, ends the day of glorious exploits and adventures which Henrietta and Marie had started in pursuit of. We now leave the world of small creatures to their glade, content and happy in knowing they’re safely together.

One more thing. Marie’s mother was indeed very displeased that her berrying baskets had been lost, and she gave Marie quite a scolding, but she did not spank her because she was too glad to have her little mouse back. I mention this because someone wanted to know earlier.

~THE END~

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Completely lost? Start at the beginning! Click here to read "Henrietta Part 1".

Happy Birthday, Dad!

2010-08-08T09:11:00.002-06:00

Today is a very special day. Do you know why? Well, I will tell you why. Today is August 8th. And on August 8th, fifty-some years ago (I dare not give you the exact year), my dear little daddy was born! Grandpa and Grandma had no idea what they had got themselves into, but they soon found out.

Happy _ _th Birthday, Dad! I pray you have a blessed year doing new and exciting things, and that you enjoy the peach pie I am going to make you right now.

Love, Andrea

Henrietta, Part 9

2010-08-06T09:33:00.002-06:00

Everyone was listening so intently to Henrietta’s entertaining story that nobody noticed the dark clouds in the sky, or the little breeze that had turned into a brisk wind. Henrietta was just opening her mouth to say “The end!” when PLOP! A raindrop fell right on her nose.

The little hedgehog blinked in surprise. Then, without further ado, the storm came. Rain fell in cold, sharp little droplets and trickled through their fur and rolled down their noses. All the creatures huddled together and shivered, except Harry, who has scales and doesn’t care.

Once again, Henrietta took charge of the situation, which was truly dreadful. “Everybody follow me!” she instructed (I can’t deny that the stimulating story she had just told about the wise and commanding queen had not had an effect on her own abilities of leadership).

Our loveable heroine bravely led her responsibilities to a large boulder, under which was most agreeably situated small niche. Each wet animal crept inside, shivering a sniffing. Those little animals all snuggled together served to warm each other until their small cavern was quite steamy. Harry did feel a little left out, for while he enjoyed the steam, he could not contribute like everyone else, which was half the fun.

There was nothing to do but wait the storm out. Everyone begged Henrietta to tell another story about Tinyland, so she did. She told stories about the time when the big Dog had run all over the top of the colony and most of the tunnels had caved in and an ant named Aleck had saved them all single-handedly (I’m not sure how, because while Marie took very good notes on the first story, the notes on latter stories are somewhat confused), and about the time when a neighboring colony had tried to take over Tinyland and all the ants had had to fight a lot of great, glorious, gory battles and how they had won in the end, and the time when the river flooded and the kingdom was nearly wiped out but wasn’t because a very large tree had fallen in the way of the river and they were saved. And still the storm did not stop.

“I hope,” said Marie, “that a very large tree will fall in the way of the river and save us.”

That, of course, frightened everyone else, except Henrietta who is always very brave. Bobby and Harry and Marie huddled together and shivered.

“Do you think the river is going to flood, Marie?” Bobby asked quakingly.

“I don’t know,” she said, her little black eyes growing bigger and bigger.

“I don’t think I can swim!” Harry whimpered.

They continued in this manner for a few minutes more, while Henrietta tried to think of a way to build up their courage. She tried to remember what her father, the Dragonfly Scout, might have done.

“Everyone listen to me!” she said most authoritatively, “If the river does flood, we will be prepared! We will build a dam!” Henrietta wasn’t entirely sure how to go about building a dam, actually, but she didn’t think she needed to tell Marie and Bobby and Harry that. She figured any sort of occupation would keep them busy, instead of frightening each other with silly suggestions.

Henrietta sent Bobby to gather sticks, and Marie to get some rocks, and she had Harry mix up some mud. She mapped out a good place to build their dam.

While she was out surveying the territory, with rain pouring down her neck and soaking into her fur, she thought she heard an extra-loud roar. Could that be thunder? But it didn’t stop. It kept growing louder. The wet little hedgehog crept to the top of a hill. Below, she could see what caused the roaring. It was the river. What had been a happy little creek was now an angry flood swelling across the meadow, growing closer and closer to the young animals.

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Completely lost? Start at the beginning! Click here to read "Henrietta Part 1".

Summer Days

2010-08-05T11:25:00.004-06:00

The latest poll reminded me of a song (anyone who was fortunate enough to survive the 70’s might recognize it). I won’t copy the entire thing down, but I’ll share my favorite line: “Life, I love you! All is groovy....” Yes, you read that right. GROOVY.

My summer has been extra-groovy, man. Has yours? This was the subject of our latest poll – “Are you having a good summer?”

Yes – 12
No – 0
I don’t know – 1

Truth be told, I feel more sorry for a person who doesn’t know if they’re having a good summer or not than I do for a person who isn’t but at least knows for sure. That being said, who voted for “I don’t know”? I don’t know. Neither does anyone else. So tell us who you are!

To those who voted for “Yes” – congratulations! We’re very happy for you. Now comment, and tell us what it is about this summer that makes it good.

Psalm 63:3-4

2010-08-03T10:26:00.005-06:00

"Because your love is better than life,
my lips will glorify you.
I will praise you as long as I live,
and in your name I will lift up my hands."

Henrietta, Part 8

2010-07-30T09:12:00.003-06:00

“Princess Angelica was very pleased with herself for taking over the kingdom so easily. ‘I was born for this,’ she thought to herself. She leaned back in the throne and put her feet on a poofy red cushion. ‘My first act as new queen of the realm is to give everyone in the kingdom a holiday!’ she announced. All the ants cheered and roared and began to scurry about. Some of them decided to go to the beach and play in the sand. Others decided to climb the local tree and play hide-and-seek. Still others wanted to stay in their rooms and just sleep.

“Oh, it was a glorious day! Princess Angelica basked in the sun and watched her loyal subjects play. When night came, the princess called all the subjects to the great dining hall and threw a feast for them. They ate and ate long into the night, and went to bed with very full tummies.

“The next morning, Princess Angelica rang for her breakfast, which she had decided to eat in bed because it made her feel luxurious. Her guard said, ‘Ah, your highness, I do apologize, but I can’t find any seeds in the storeroom.’ Princess Angelica was rather angry that her breakfast was delayed and said impatiently, ‘Well go find them somewhere else!’

“So the guard had to go take some seeds from the families whose rooms were nearby, and they weren’t very happy about it. All that day whenever Princess Angelica wanted to eat something, the guards would have to get her seeds from the subjects’ stores. There were several unhappy subjects of Tinyland that night.

“This went on for three days. Finally, even the subjects’ store of seeds was empty. Not a seed was left in the whole colony. Princess Angelica was furious! She shouted at the guards, and she shouted at her subjects. This made them very, very unhappy, and they remembered that when Queen Agatha was ruler, she never shouted at anyone, and she never took anyone’s food either.

“Too late, Princess Angelica remembered that while they had been feasting and having holidays, no one had gathered any seeds. Frantically, she shouted, ‘Everyone! Go outside and get as many seeds as you can carry or we’ll all starve!’ The ants ran for their tunnels. Suddenly, the princess also remembered that the baby ants needed someone to look after them. ‘Wait!’ she shouted again, ‘Someone needs to watch the babies!’ All the ants turned around and dashed for the nurseries.

“Just then, a guard ran up to the princess and said, ‘Your highness! A tunnel collapsed in the northern region! A hundred of our best workers are trapped!’ Angelica panicked when she heard this. ‘Everyone!’ she screamed, ‘Hurry up and get those workers out of the collapsed tunnel!’All the ants turned around again and ran for the north tunnels. Everyone was shouting instructions and babbling incoherently and running about. And nothing was getting done.

“ ’Everyone stand still,’ said a quiet voice. I don’t know how everyone heard that quiet voice when they were all screaming and panicking, but suddenly no one was making a noise. It was Queen Agatha. She stood next to her throne and waved her antennas authoritatively. The queen calmly designated tasks to different workers, and they gladly obeyed.

“Soon the kingdom was peacefully at work again, and once they got their storehouses caught up, everything was back to normal. Princess Angelica was very contrite, as you can imagine, and repented most humbly to her mother. Queen Agatha was able to teach her a lot more lessons about running Tinyland after that, which is why Princess Angelica has been such a wise queen.”

Everyone was listening so intently to Henrietta’s entertaining story that nobody noticed the dark clouds in the sky, or the little breeze that had turned into a brisk wind. Henrietta was just opening her mouth to say “The end!” when PLOP! A raindrop fell right on her nose.

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Completely lost? Start at the beginning! Click here to read "Henrietta Part 1".

In My Dreams

2010-07-29T09:28:00.003-06:00

This is the Porsche 918 Spyder. As yet, it’s only a concept, but it will soon be in limited production – and I’ll be first in line! (If some kind-hearted person wants to give me the miniscule amount of half a million dollars.) Labeled a "super-hybrid," this is Porsche's second hybrid vehicle, and first plug-in. (Click the picture below to see a complete article.)

Engine: V8 combustion, 700+ horsepower, plus two electric motors
0-60 mph: 3.2 seconds
Top speed: 198+ mph
MPG: 78+
Weight: Less than 3,200 lbs.
Estimated cost: $650,000

And I thought the Spyder Boxster was incredible....

Henrietta, Part 7

2010-07-23T10:20:00.002-06:00

Our four adventurers set off in what felt like the direction of Bobby’s home. Marie wasn’t entirely sure about what the direction felt like, but Bobby assured her that he knew exactly where they were at the moment, and that they were on a precisely accurate bearing according to his intellectual perception, which sounded very impressive indeed to a young mouse like Marie. She dared not argue with such a solid conviction.

Grasshoppers buzzed merrily as they wandered through the grass. The little breeze tugged at Marie’s whiskers and ruffled Bobby’s feathers. As they strolled along, Henrietta entertained them all with a story she made up about the ant colony next to her family’s burrow. Marie was good enough to write it down for me, and I have included it here for you to enjoy.

“The little black ant colony next to my house is called Tinyland, and all the little black ants there are citizens of Tinyland. There is a queen of Tinyland, and she is the supreme ruler. Her name is Queen Angelica, and all the other ants are her subjects. They do whatever she tells them to, because she is bigger than they are, AND she can fly and they can’t. The subjects all hope that someday if they are good surfs and obedient and very hard workers, she will teach them all how to fly. That is why they never stop working.

“The queen is very wise. She makes her subjects get seeds and things to eat, and she makes them dig so there will be room for the babies. But she wasn’t always very wise. When she was a teenager, she was a very bad princess, and her mother had a terrible time with her.

“Once, when Queen Angelica was only Princess Angelica, and her mother was Queen Agatha, Princess Angelica decided she should be the queen. She thought her mother was old-fashioned and senile. So she came up with a plan, and told it to her personal guards.

“When Queen Agatha sent all the day-time ants to bed and sent all the night-time ants to work (they work in shifts, you know; it’s very economical), she went to bed herself. Then Princess Angelica’s guards snuck all around the colony and told all the day-time ants who were trying to sleep that Princess Angelica was going to overthrow the kingdom and reign supreme, and if they would help the princess, she would teach them all how to fly next Thursday.

“This made the poor, foolish little ants very excited. They agreed that Princess Angelica would make a much better queen than her mother.

“When the queen went to sit on her throne the next morning, Princess Angelica was already sitting there, looking smug and pleased. She even had her mother’s hat, I mean crown, on, and it looked ridiculous. But the guards and the subjects and everyone thought she looked very queenly.

“Queen Agatha had been queen a very long time, and she was very wise. She didn’t stamp and cry, and she didn’t slap Angelica, and she didn’t try to bribe the guards. She smiled a little and went back to her room to wait."

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Completely lost? Start at the beginning! Click here to read "Henrietta Part 1".

Philosophy VI

2010-07-22T11:10:00.003-06:00

I decided to come back after my week and a half off, and I’ve brought with me a most profound philosophy for you to contemplate:

“Those who are specially careless of their own welfare

are seldom remarkably attentive to that of others.”
-Sir Walter Scott, Ivanhoe, 1819 A.D.

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Do you agree or disagree with this philosophy? Do you think it a worthwhile philosophy to live by? Why or why not?

I'll Miss You

2010-07-11T08:46:00.005-06:00

Dearest Readers,

I thought it would be kind of me to let you know that there will not be any new posts on this blog until Tuesday, July 20th. I am going to be absent from the office because I’ll be attending a week long worship dance intensive/camp through CMA (Celebration Ministry of Arts). Although the camp won’t require me to be gone from dawn till dark, I’m taking this opportunity to remove myself from my dear computer for a time.

If you are interested in seeing what CMA is all about, they’ve posted a highlight video of the camp they held last month in Littleton. Click the logo below to go see it at their website!

Your Devoted Authoress,
Andrea

P.S. No, that is not me in the picture.

Henrietta, Part 6

2010-07-08T10:04:00.000-06:00

Henrietta fell back and curled up into a ball, as she is wont to do when alarmed. But something about those beady little eyes seemed familiar….

Henrietta had only met Bobby once before, when they were very young. He had been very ugly then, all pink and bald, with the funniest yellow nose. They had spent the morning together while Henrietta’s daddy and Bobby’s daddy, Mr. Robert Sparrow, discussed big important grown-up things. Henrietta had thought Bobby was the most unimaginative and disagreeable playmate she had ever come across, because all he could do was sit on the ground and holler “Feed me! Feed me!”

It wasn’t any wonder, then, that Henrietta did not at first recognize this great, strapping sparrow as little, pink, bald Bobby from so long ago. Indeed, it was rather hard to get a look at the creature as it was, for he was flapping and jerking about and making the most incredible racket. And it wasn’t any wonder that Henrietta was startled half out of her wits, either. If you were Henrietta, and you had had a sparrow screech in your face suddenly, you would have jumped back and looked scared, too!

To own the truth, Bobby the sparrow was the more frightened of the two; you see, he was caught in the bush by a piece of twine which he had been carrying in his claws. Like most young sparrows who have just got their wings, he was foolish and adventurous and had been flying all over the countryside exploring and collecting odds and ends which he found attractive, among which were a shiny rock, a shiny new nail, a shiny piece of wire, and a dirty length of string. All the room in his pack having been taken up by his shiny possessions, the string had to be carried in Bobby’s feet. When Bobby attempted to dart through the bushes, the piece of string had caught and wound around his foot. The foolish young sparrow was trapped quite securely, and since then he had panicked and lost control of his nerves and gone to pieces and generally made a commotion.

It was in this terrified state that Henrietta found Bobby, and when she recovered from her surprise, she and Marie set about untying him. Harry was not much use in this, so he curled up next to a rock and supervised the proceedings.

Bobby was rather a nervous sort, and it took a while to get him calmed down. He told them how he got in his predicament, full of remorse and shedding tears most bitterly all the while. Henrietta was very sympathetic, and resolved that the threesome would do no more exploring of their own until they had helped Bobby get home.

Our four adventurers set off in what felt like the direction of Bobby’s home. Marie wasn’t entirely sure about what the direction felt like, but Bobby assured her that he knew exactly where they were at the moment and that they were on a precisely accurate bearing according to his intellectual perception, which sounded very impressive indeed to a young mouse like Marie, so she dared not argue with such a solid conviction.

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Completely lost? Start at the beginning! Click here to read "Henrietta Part 1".

Henrietta, Part 5

2010-07-01T09:42:00.001-06:00

The three little animals soon found themselves in a stand of trees. They were much relieved at this, for the sun was climbing higher and becoming more intense, and the shade of the trees felt good on their hot backs.

Henrietta sat down to rest a little, and Marie followed suit. Both of their stomachs felt a bit vacant, and they thought longingly of the discarded berrying-baskets, and of the juicy, plump berries which were to have filled them. And for Harry’s part, he could think of nothing but shiny black ants.

Thankfully for their preservation, Henrietta was, as we have mentioned before, the daughter of a Dragonfly Scout, and she knew exactly what to do in situations such as these. She sent the other two foraging for edible leaves and fruit, while she began a quest for water. Happily, there was a tiny stream nearby, and Harry and Marie found a beautiful bush full of gooseberries. Harry was perfectly delighted to discover a busy colony of black ants, who soon found themselves somewhat lessened in number than before.

The adventurers lay back in a tuft of grass, patting their contented tummies. A soft little breeze brushed past them and ruffled their fur (at least, those of them who had fur). A gnat tickled Marie’s whiskers, and she twitched ever so slightly. By and by, the bright sun shone through the leaves on three small explorers who had fallen fast asleep.

Henrietta awoke with a start! What was that noise? Something in the bushes behind her was making a commotion, and our young hedgehog wondered if it was some large beast with big teeth, about to crash through the leaves and swallow them up!

Apparently, Marie and Harry wondered the same thing, for they had been startled awake in the same manner and were now crouching next to Harriet. Marie was trembling, of course. Harry was trying to blend in with the ground, and he was really doing a very nice job of it for such an inexperienced little snake.

Whatever was in the bushes did not come out. Henrietta was curious. Maybe it was a FRIENDLY large beast with big teeth. She began to creep toward shrubbery, sniffing carefully. Something was moving in there – the branches were bending and swaying every which way, and there was a frightful shrieking noise.

Henrietta, daughter of a Dragonfly Scout, held her breath and peered into the bush. For a moment, all was still. Then something shrieked right in Henrietta’s face, and she gasped as she looked into a pair of beady eyes!

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Completely lost? Start at the beginning! Click here to read "Henrietta Part 1".

Guest Post - Carissa Mann

2010-06-29T08:10:00.004-06:00

Please welcome this guest post by Carissa Mann! Carissa is a fellow editor on The Rebelution forums, and in recent months has become a dear friend and sister to me! Many thanks to her for permission to post her latest blog post on my own blog. Please go visit her blog! It's very edifying (unlike mine) -- "Rejoice Always", Carissa's blog.

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"Well, I'm done...

... waiting, that is. I used to be "waiting" for the next step in my life, but I've decided to quit.*

Huh?

Well... see, awhile ago, I was talking to a friend of ours, who has been married for six years or so and still doesn't have children. Her feelings of waiting for the next step and of not being quite fulfilled reminded me of my own feelings about getting married. And I suddenly realized the folly of this whole "waiting" thing.

We wait impatiently to get married, and then once we're married, we wait impatiently for children, and then once we have children, we wait for them to be able to walk, and then talk, and then we can't wait till they start school, and then we can't wait for them to finish school, and then we are waiting for them to get married, and then we are waiting for grandchildren... you get the idea. It never ends!!

What if, instead of "waiting", we just learned to fully enjoy where we are now??

Sure, we need to look forward to and prepare for the next step, but let's learn to be content with where we are right now and not have the mindset of "waiting" for the next thing.

*Not that I've got this down yet; old thought[s and] habits die hard."

Isaiah 43:18-19

2010-06-27T12:27:00.005-06:00

"Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old.

Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye know it not?

I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert."

Henrietta, Part 4

2010-06-24T09:55:00.002-06:00

Henrietta would have liked nothing better at that moment than to run home to Mimsy and bawl. Poor Marie was lost, Black Bart the Bullsnake had got her, and she would never be seen again! Henrietta sat on the ground and sniffled. It really was dreadful.

But after thinking about it a while, Henrietta made a very brave decision. She would not run home and bawl, and she would not sit on the ground and sniffle. She would go find Black Bart and TEACH HIM A LESSON!

Off she went, then, lumbering through the tall grass. She had gone on for quite a while, and was beginning to feel discouraged again, when she heard a little voice calling her name.

“Henriettaaaa! Henriettaaaa!” squeaked the little voice.

Henrietta was somewhat perplexed, for that little voice was the last voice on earth she had ever expected to hear again! It was Marie the Brown Mouse’s voice!

Our little heroine was starting to wonder if she had not heard the voice of a ghost when Marie’s tiny brown face popped out a clump of grass and grinned at her. Henrietta bounded toward it with a gleeful shout. Who wouldn’t shout whose best friend once thought dead had been brought back to life?

Henrietta and Marie did a little cheerful little dance and then sat down, panting and happy. It was only then that Henrietta noticed the thin black face and sliding tongue of none other than Black Bart the Bullsnake, not two feet away!

Marie, seeing her fright, giggled (Marie giggles a lot, have you noticed?) and said, “Allow me to introduce my new friend.” Henrietta shuddered. “His name is Harry,” Marie continued, “and he is not Black Bart the Bullsnake.” With that, the Brown Mouse nestled into the grass with a most irritating and satisfied air.

If not the Bullsnake, what could Harry possibly be? I’m sure you’re wondering, as was Henrietta. She looked Harry over very carefully, up and down, or rather side to side, for though he isn’t very tall, Harry is a bit long. Henrietta noticed right away that Harry had neither the prominent nostrils nor the patterned skin of Black Bart the Bullsnake, of which she had so often heard. Instead, Harry’s head was quite small and slender, and he had two sleek stripes on his back. He really was rather attractive, thought Henrietta, for a legless, hairless creature.

In case you are still in further doubt, let me make known the identity of the snake we have been so greatly in fear of – he is Harry the Garter Snake!

When Henrietta and Marie stumbled upon Harry, he had been just as frightened as they at first, but being a snake soon regained his composure. He was lonely and thought maybe the Hedgehog and the Brown Mouse could be potential playmates. When both of them ran away, he naturally followed them, and when he witnessed Marie flying through the air after Henrietta’s fall, he ran (or rather, slithered) after her to see if she was alright, and finding that she was perfectly in order, introduced himself.

Not to bore you with lengthy circumstances and discussions, simply allow me to inform you that in a very short while (five minutes, actually), Harry and Marie and Henrietta were all the very best of friends, for Harry assured them that he wasn’t able to eat anything bigger than a roach, since he was still very young and not grown up enough to eat large things, like grasshoppers.

Good humor restored and friendliness abounding, the three adventurers wandered deeper into the meadow grass, chatting and skipping or gliding as each preferred.

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Completely lost? Start at the beginning! Click here to read "Henrietta Part 1".

To Spice or Not to Spice

2010-06-22T08:11:00.003-06:00

Have you ever wondered to yourself, “I wonder how many people love spicy food and how many don’t?” I wondered that, too. And now, according to the latest poll, we know the answers!

The question was “Do you like spicy food?” Voters could pick from five different levels of like and dislike.

Bring it on! – 3
Yes – 4
Sometimes – 2
No – 0
Never. Ever. – 2

I’m terribly curious who voted for what – please comment and tell me! I’ll start (see comments).

Henrietta, Part 3

2010-06-20T10:44:00.003-06:00

Henrietta was filled with dread, for she and Marie had been caught by Black Bart the Bullsnake! He lay on the ground in front of her, snickering and sliding his tongue in and out. Henrietta had at first thought that tongue was rather funny, but now she thought it looked as if Black Bart were licking his chops.

Everyone had heard of Black Bart, if they had not seen him. They told stories to each other late at night in front of their fires, of how Black Bart had once crept up on an entire poltroon of rabbits who were out hunting, and he had eaten them all, one by one! And of how he could make flames come out of his nostrils when he was very angry (he did have very prominent nostrils), and had fangs as long as a mouse’s tail. He was a dreadful brute, that Black Bart, and if you happened to run into him, you would never run anywhere ever again.

And now here he was, directly in front of Henrietta, licking his chops! Marie was quite overcome with terror and would have swooned if there had been a sofa available. But Henrietta was the daughter of a Dragonfly Scout, and she was thinking. She was thinking that she did not know how fast Black Bart could slither, and that if they tried to run away he might catch up easily. She was also thinking that it was worth a try anyway.

Henrietta reached for Marie’s paw, and whispered, “When I say run, run!”

Marie did not respond. She was frozen in her tracks. Henrietta thought this was very interesting, for she had only heard of people being frozen in their tracks in books, and had never seen it in real life before. She tugged on Marie’s paw to make sure, and sure enough, Marie was frozen quite completely. Henrietta made up her mind to drag her little friend if she needed to.

“Run!” cried Henrietta, and away she went, hauling the Brown Mouse behind her. They crashed through the grass, Henrietta panting and flying as fast as her little legs could take her, and Marie bouncing along behind, still entirely frozen.

Sweat was dripping down Henrietta’s nose, and she was certain she could feel the flaming breath of Black Bart at her heels. Suddenly she tripped over a branch and went soaring through the air! She landed with a soft thump, all rolled up into a spiky ball (Henrietta can do that, you know). Henrietta unrolled herself and looked about – but Marie was nowhere in sight!

Henrietta could not hear a sound. No shshshshs-ing of Black Bart the Bullsnake (whose footsteps she could now identify with absolute speed and precision), and no trippety-trippety-tripping of a little Brown Mouse.

There was only one conclusion to come to – Black Bart had got Marie!

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Completely lost? Start at the beginning! Click here to read "Henrietta Part 1".

Philosophy V

2010-06-17T11:09:00.003-06:00

"After a time, you may find that 'having' is not so pleasing a thing, after all, as 'wanting.' It is not logical, but it is often true."

-Spock, stardate 3372.7

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Do you agree or disagree with this philosophy? Do you think it a worthwhile philosophy to live by? Why or why not?

Illustrations!

2010-06-15T08:32:00.001-06:00

Henrietta Part 1 now has illustrations! Click here to go see them.
(Note: Maybe someday they will even be in color!)

Henrietta, Part 2

2010-06-12T09:11:00.004-06:00

Henrietta, now the designated team leader and guide, skipped along the edge of the glade. Marie, who was, as I have said before, much smaller than Henrietta, had to run to keep up. Her berrying basket bounced along the ground behind her.

The two adventurers soon found themselves in the middle of a lot of tall, dense grass. It rustled and whispered as they waded through. Henrietta could hear little scrabblings and scratching all around her, made by the little meadow-dwellers, but she couldn’t ever catch a glimpse of any of them.

Marie, rather timid, tried to stay close to Henrietta. This could be dangerous, because Henrietta would push aside the tall stalks and they would snap back and send poor Marie tumbling. Even worse, her basket was clumsy and got in her way. She wondered, with a sigh, if Mother would spank her if she came home without her berrying basket, but decided in the end that a spanking was the lesser of the two evils, and tossed it into a clump of grass.

This was a great weight off her shoulders, and Marie felt quite free and happy. She scurried along, sniffing and winking.

Henrietta could not scurry like Marie. She lumbered, and this was a source of great woe to her, for she wanted to be slim and quick like Marie. On and on she lumbered, getting grass up her nose, and pricklies in her paws, and dust in her eyes. She was beginning to think adventures were not as adventurous as she had thought, when something moved in the grass in front of her!

Henrietta stopped quite suddenly and Marie bumped into her. “Oof!” the little mouse squealed as she tumbled back.

“Shhhh!” whispered Henrietta.

Marie giggled and Henrietta glared at her. Then they both heard it – someone was coming toward them through the grass! They could hear it getting closer and closer, and they could see the tips of the grass swaying as it came.

Henrietta’s father had been a Dragonfly Scout (little animals don’t call them Eagle Scouts – no one that size mentions eagles if they don’t have to), and had taught Henrietta how to listen to the footsteps of animals to tell who they were. Henrietta could tell mice, whose footsteps went “trippety-trippety-trip” from sparrows, whose footsteps went “hop-hop-hop-hop”, and she could tell Popsy’s footsteps, which went “clomp-clomp-clomp”, from Mimsy’s footsteps, which went “clomp-clomp-clomp” like Popsy’s, only quicker.

But Henrietta had never heard this kind of footstep before. It wasn’t really a footstep at all. It went “shshshshshshsh”, and Henrietta didn’t know what to make of it. She had never heard anything of the sort, which was rather a lack of foresight on Popsy’s part, who ought to have taught it to her first thing.

The grass parted and out slithered the funniest fellow Henrietta had ever seen. He was black, and his thin little tongue kept running in and out of his mouth. Even stranger, he had no legs! Henrietta nearly laughed, he was so amusing. But then she noticed Marie. Marie was sitting there, shivering and shaking, her little black eyes all bugged out.

“Quick, Henrietta!” Marie whispered, “Run away!”

“Whatever for?” giggled Henrietta, “That silly fellow couldn’t hurt a fly – he hasn’t got any paws!”

“Henrietta!” gasped Marie, who had turned quite pale (she was actually almost beige!), “That is Black Bart, the Bullsnake!”

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Completely lost? Start at the beginning! Click here to read "Henrietta Part 1".

George's Adventure

2010-06-10T08:19:00.007-06:00

Last weekend, Dad went to fill the truck up with gas. George begged and begged to go with, and Dad, being easily dominated by adorable monkeys, allowed it.

We strapped George in quite securely…

But he soon got out and began to rampage about the truck…

And made a complete nuisance of himself….

When we got to the gas station, Dad made George do all the hard labor (pushing the buttons was his favorite part)….

He even got to do the pumping….

And the windshield washing…

All that physical exertion began to wear on him, and he settled down on the way home – thank goodness!

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You can read about all of George's adventures here!

An Attempt at Fiction

2010-06-06T09:25:00.011-06:00

The demand for fiction on my blog has suddenly appeared, so here you are:

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I'm not in the mood for an introductory paragraph, and I’m sure you won’t mind if I plunge directly into my story. It happens to be about a hedgehog named Henrietta.

One morning, Henrietta was sitting at the breakfast table eating her grubs, when she suddenly thought of something.

“Mimsy,” she said to her mother (I think that is a rather silly name to give one’s mother, but I am not the one who came up with it,) “Mimsy, who named us hedgehogs?” asked Henrietta.
Mimsy was shoulder-deep in biscuits at that moment and couldn’t really be expected to answer patiently. “Goodness, Henrietta, go outside and play!” she answered rather sharply.

Henrietta was, on the whole, an obedient child, so she finished her grubs, washed her plate, and went outside. Her home was most attractively situated under the roots of a very large tree, and the burrow opening rested in the shadow of the tree-trunk. Henrietta’s small black nose wiggled its way out of the burrow and into the sunshine. She could see the grass in the glade waving good-morning, her friend Marie the Brown Mouse nibbling at a dandelion next door, and her father gnawing on something. (Allow me to assure my dear readers that Henrietta did not call her father “Pipsy” as you may have imagined, but “Popsy”, which is more appropriate but still not entirely satisfactory in my opinion.) Henrietta trotted over to Popsy, who she found was gnawing on a tree branch.

“Good-morning, Popsy!” Henrietta said, “Why are you gnawing on that?”

Popsy glanced up and wrinkled his nose (which looked very much like Henrietta’s, only larger and wrinklier). Popsy always wrinkled his nose when he was perplexed. “What a silly question, Henrietta,” Popsy answered, “Now be a good girl and play somewhere else. I am very extremely busy.” Gnaw-gnaw-gnaw-gnaw.

So Henrietta trotted over to her friend Marie’s house. Marie, as I have before mentioned, was eating a dandelion. It was taking her a long while, because she is much tinier than Henrietta and does not eat as fast. Henrietta found this quite fascinating.

“Good-morning, Marie,” she said, “Why aren’t you finished eating that dandelion?”

Marie was a most congenial little Brown Mouse, and she liked Henrietta very much, so she replied, “Because my mouth is not big enough to eat it all at once.”

Henrietta thanked her for her kindness in answering, for Henrietta is a very well-mannered little hedgehog. She sat down next to Marie and waited for her to finish her breakfast. She watched the seed from a cottonwood float by, swift upon its errand. A cricket chirped next to her feet and waved its antenna at her. She could hear the cheeping of a robin across the glade, calling to its babies.

Marie was soon ready to go exploring with Henrietta. When a tummy is full of dandelion and the world is a joyous place, no adventure is too disagreeable or troublesome. Marie’s mother (who was very sensibly called “Mother” by her progeny) sent the two children off with baskets to fill with berries.

Henrietta did not want to fill baskets with berries. She wanted to explore! Marie did not object, and the berrying was abandoned in pursuit of more glorious exploits, which I will relate.

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This concludes Part One. Do you want to read more? Is this story worth continuing? Please criticize away, and tell me what you honestly think.

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To read "Henrietta, Part 2", click here.

To read "Henrietta, Part 3", click here.

To read "Henrietta, Part 4", click here.

To read "Henrietta, Part 5", click here.

To read "Henrietta, Part 6", click here.

To read "Henrietta, Part 7", click here.

To read "Henrietta, Part 8", click here.

To read "Henrietta, Part 9", click here.

To read "Henrietta, Part 10", click here.

Nos es laetus

2010-06-01T10:47:00.006-06:00

I haven’t done a Poll Result in a long time – what fun they are! The question this time was of the utmost importance: What do you want to see more of on this blog? Your decisions were somewhat remarkable –

- Fictional Stories and Sermons garnered the most votes, at 4 votes each.
- Pictures, Essays, and Recipes were runners-up, at 3 votes each.
- News, Jokes, and Reviews were not as popular, with only 2 votes each.
- Philosophy and Poetry placed last, at 1 vote each.

This is not discouraging to me in the least. While philosophy and poetry may not be as popular as stories and sermons, they are, at least, popular with one person. And as I only have 17 readers (most of whom probably don’t really read my blog anyway), that one person is significant and vital to the mission of my blog. So, while I will endeavor to submit more posts along the lines of stories, sermons, pictures, essays, and recipes, I will not discontinue news, jokes, reviews, philosophy, or poetry.

We’re curious – tell us what you voted for and why (especially if you were the person who voted for philosophy or poetry). If you did not vote at all, tell us why.

Happy Birthday, Daniel!

2010-05-31T09:25:00.003-06:00

Today I would like to commemorate the anniversary of the birth of my brother, Daniel! Yes, 24 years ago on the 31st of May, Daniel was born. The world was never the same after that fateful hour.

Happy Birthday, Daniel! May your 25th year (yes, 25th, do the math) be filled with good times and good people and good weather and good food. Hooray for you! We’re all proud of you for making it this far.

Love, Andrea

Border Collie Soliloquy

2010-05-27T09:53:00.005-06:00

Baxter Black explains why I need a border collie:

"Just a word about one of the greatest genetic creations on the face of this earth... the border collie. Faster than a speeding bullet. More powerful than a locomotive. Able to leap tall fences in a single bound. The dog that all sheep talk about but never want to meet. The fur that legends are made of. Makes coyotes cringe, sheep trip the light fantastic, and eagles soar somewhere else. Invested with the energy of a litter of puppies, the work ethic of a boat person, and the loyalty of Lassie, they ply their trade on sagebrush flats, grassy fields and precipitous peaks from sea to shining sea.
"Away to me!" I command. They streak and sail, zipping like pucks on the ice. Black and white hummingbirds, in out, up down, come by sheep. With head up, one eye cocked over their shoulder asking directions. To the gate through the race. Mighty dog moves behind the bunch like a towboat pushing barges around a bend.
And heart? Do they try? "Just let me at 'em, Dad!"
"Stay!”
"C'mon, I'm ready!"
"Stay!"
"Can't you feel me hummin'? Listen to my heart, it's purrin' like a cat! I am primed! Aim me, point me, pull the trigger!"
"Away to me!" It makes me feel like Robin Hood. He leaves my side like an arrow.
Workin' dogs is like manipulating a screwdriver with chopsticks. Like doing calligraphy with a plastic whip. Like bobbing for apples. Like threading a needle with no hands. Like playing pool on the kitchen table. There are no straight lines in nature. Only arcs. Great sweeping curves of sight and thought and voice and dog. Always having to lead your command about a dog's length.
Sheep bunched like logs on the river. Dogs paddling in the current, always pushing up stream. A ewe breaks loose. Then another. Another. The log jam breaks. Dogs and sheep tumble about in the white water. Calm again, they start back upstream.
Border collies. Are they truly smarter than a chimpanzee? Cuddlier than a koala? More dedicated than Batman's valet? Can they change course in mid air? Drag Nell from the tracks and locate the missing microfilm? Yes, I believe they can. They are the best of the best, the epitome of "above and beyond the call of duty". Head Dog. Top Gun. I salute you, for man has never had a better friend."

-Baxter Black

Porsche's Newest

2010-05-21T11:23:00.008-06:00

James Dean had good taste. So do I. And now the Spyder is back, with a little Boxster added in. Behold the glorious new 2011 Porsche Spyder Boxster!

Here are the specs, for those of you who may be interested:

VEHICLE TYPE:
Mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 2-passenger, 2-door roadster

ENGINE TYPE:
DOHC 24-valve flat-6, aluminum block and heads, direct fuel injection
Displacement: 210 cu in, 3436cc
Power (SAE net): 320 bhp @ 7200 rpm
Torque (SAE net): 273 lb-ft @ 4750 rpm

TRANSMISSION:
6-speed manual, 7-speed dual-clutch automated manual

DIMENSIONS:
Wheelbase: 95.1 in Length: 172.1 in
Width: 70.9 in Height: 50.2 in
Curb weight (C/D est): 3000–3050 lb

PERFORMANCE (C/D EST):
Zero to 60 mph: 4.1 sec
Standing ¼-mile: 12.7 sec
Top speed (drag limited): 166 mph

FUEL ECONOMY (C/D EST):
EPA city/highway driving: 19–20/26–29 mpg

BASE PRICE:
$62,150

Some More Meat

2010-05-18T10:46:00.004-06:00

“Find a guy who calls you beautiful instead of hot...
who calls you back when you hang up on him...
who will lie under the stars and listen to your heartbeat...
or will stay awake just to watch you sleep.
Wait for the boy who kisses your forehead...
who wants to show you off to the world when you are in sweats...
who holds your hand in front of his friends...
who thinks you're just as pretty without makeup...
one who is constantly reminding you of how much he cares and how lucky he is to have you...
the one who turns to his friends and says.... that's her.”

I’ve gotten this list of “guy attributes” in forwards a few times now. Although the girls who sent it love and follow Christ with all their hearts, something about what they want in a guy makes me feel a little ill – and it’s not just because it’s mushy-gushy (although that might be part of it).

Feeling like the paragraph was inadequate and somehow selfish, I re-wrote it.

“Pray for a man who leads you closer to your Savior…
who prays with you more often than he talks on the phone with you…
who is more interested in praising God for the stars than listening to your heart beat…
who doesn’t want to know what you look like asleep yet.
Wait for the man who has never kissed your forehead – or anyone else’s…
who wants to protect you from the world…
who thinks there’s more to showing affection than holding hands…
who doesn’t flatter you…
who says “I love you” to Jesus more often than he says it to you…
the one who turns to his friends and says…. that’s Him.”

His Promise

2010-05-16T19:56:00.004-06:00

Sometimes I feel guilty. People’s lives are so filled with depression, anxiety, cares, troubles, and pain – except mine. Isn’t my life supposed to have include some of the negative side of humanity, too?

Ask anyone if they need prayer – most can come up with a list pages long. Ask me if I need prayer – I’ll usually respond with, “Thanks, but I actually don’t have much that I need prayer for,” and ask you to pray for someone else that I know needs it. Sometimes it doesn’t seem fair that I can’t sympathize with people who’ve gone through financial difficulties, illnesses, depression, broken families, discontent, spiritual darkness, rejection, and anxiety.

I’m reminded of a conversation I recently had with a group of people. It went something like this:

“How was everyone’s day?” someone asked.

“Oh, it was okay,” one person replied, “Seemed really long – I’m tired.”

“My car stalled, and now we have to replace some huge, expensive part – again,” someone else said.

“Well, I’ve had a head cold for three weeks, and it won’t go away!”

“I’ve just had a really frustrating day. Nothing seemed to work out right.”

I couldn’t avoid the question, and had to truthfully say, “My day went great!”

Actually, my whole life has gone great! I am blessed financially, I am physically healthy, I am happy and content, my family is loving and whole, I have a wonderful relationship with the Lord and am growing in Him every day, I have several of the most amazing friends in the world, and I have no cares or anxieties. My past does not haunt me, I do not fear the present, and I don’t continually worry about my future. Unlike many young people my age, I never experience broken relationships, abuse, addictions, defilement, or suicidal depression – these things are completely foreign to me.

Maybe it has something to do with a promise I’ve held on to, found in Deuteronomy:

“And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the Lord thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth: And all these blessings shall overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God.…”

Would you like to see what kinds of blessings God promises to those who follow his will?

“…Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field. Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep. Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store. Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out. The Lord shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face: they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways. The Lord shall command the blessing upon thee in thy storehouses, and in all that thou settest thine hand unto; and he shall bless thee in the Land which the Lord thy God giveth unto thee.”
(Deuteronomy 23: 1-8)

Do you believe God keeps his promises? I do – I see them at work in my life.

Philosophy IV

2010-05-11T10:21:00.003-06:00

"If it's dumb, and it hurts, then stop it.
If it's bad for you, and you don't like the taste, stop eating it!!!!"
-Carissa Mann, 2010 A.D.

"Don't ask a five year old to bite you."
-Cheryl Mann, 2010 A.D.

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Do you agree or disagree with these philosophies? Do you think them worthwhile philosophies to live by? Why or why not?

Happy Birthday, Mom!

2010-05-04T09:10:00.002-06:00

Today my most favoritest mom in the whole wide world turns… uh… well, never mind. It’s her birthday, though! And I wanted to officially wish her a happy, blessed one here on my blog!

Dear Mom,

I hope and pray that the coming year is filled with happiness, contentment, and new things for you! May God fill you with His peace and wisdom. He still has great plans in store for you! Thanks for all your guidance and protection. Love you lots and lots!

~Andrea

P.S. Great. Now I’ve used up everything I was going to say on Mother’s Day. :P

Even More Customers at the Quilt Shop

2010-04-27T08:54:00.008-06:00

It’s been a while since I’ve posted anything about my work. That’s because I’ve been collecting a few stories – and here they are!

Yesterday I had just gotten back from my lunch break when an older man came in and announced, “I have a question!” Usually when a man has a question it pertains to the furniture side of the store, not the quilting side. For obvious reasons. So I asked, “Is it a furniture question?”

"Well, yes, it is,” he answered.
“Let me get someone who works on that side to answer your question,” I said.
“It’s about this desk I have,” he said, ignoring me, “You see, it is Formica, and the edges are sharp….”
I nodded and smiled and started to edge my way to the back, where the furniture people were. No doubt they could help this man much better than I.
“…and it cuts into my leather office chair whenever I turn around….”
“Oh dear!” I sympathized, “Would you like to me to get someone who works on the furniture side to help you?”
“Oh, no, no!” he protested dramatically, waving his hands, “I think you are the one who can answer my question!”
I inwardly laughed at his strange outburst and thought, “Well, I can try….”
He explained that he was looking for some sort of rubber strip to put on the edges of his desk so they wouldn’t cut into his leather chair. I referred him to an office supply store.
“You might try some place like Office Depot, or there’s a new Staples south of town,” I suggested.
“Oh, yes, I am already very familiar with all of those places,” he said, “Well, thank you for all your help.”
Need I explain why I laughed after he left?

Half an hour later, I was cutting fabric for a very nice lady. Before I proceed, you must understand that I wear my very long hair in a very long braid all of the time. Sometimes it gets in the way when I’m cutting fabric. Since I don’t want to cut it off I get it out of the way. Very simple. I was in the act of flipping my braid over my shoulder when this very nice lady exclaimed with a smile, “—As she whips her magic braid over her shoulder!”
Needless to say, my “magic” braid was rather embarrassed.

The funniest story, though, happened about two months ago. Our fair city here in Colorado garners quite a few tourists throughout the year, and we often get questions from them about where to find other quilt stores, places of interest, or good restaurants. One lady was finished making her purchase, and asked me, “Do you know of any good breweries around here?”
I replied, “No, not off the top of my head,” and she thanked me and left. But then I got to thinking about the irony of that situation. I thought of several other ways I could have responded.
I could have said, “Lady, just take a look at me. Do I look like I know of any good breweries around here? Do I even look old enough to know of any good breweries around here? Do I look like someone who goes around drinking beer at different places to see if they’re a good brewery?”
Or maybe I could have responded, “Why yes, I do! I go to all the breweries around here, all the time. It’s funny you should ask me, because even though I am under the age of 21, dress and act very conservatively, and work at an innocent little quilt store, I am an absolute expert when it comes to beer!”
Why do I always think up such great responses after it’s too late?

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

Customers at the Quilt Shop

More Customers at the Quilt Shop

"Woman Sewing" by Camille Pissarro, 1881

D-E-F-I-N-I-T-E-L-Y

2010-04-21T10:26:00.006-06:00

I am proud to introduce a new exploit in international editing -- starting with "definitely," one of the most commonly misspelled words on the internet.

After several months of frustrated attempts at correcting all the various misspellings of "definitely" by myself, I stumbled upon an underground detective agency yesterday. This agency is dedicated to the cause of correcting misspellings of the word "definitely," wherever and whenever they are found. After numerous background checks, lie-detector tests, and psychological tests, I was finally accepted as a member of this worthy team, aptly named Definitely Detective Agency (DDA).

We propose through research and sleuthing to arm ourselves and the general public with the unwavering knowledge of how to correctly spell "definitely". Visit the DDA homepage for more information!

The Neatest Scarf Ever!

2010-04-14T09:49:00.004-06:00

I’d like to share this scarf pattern with you! If you’re like me, you want to knit a scarf, but you don’t want it to take forever and be boring. This scarf neither takes forever nor bores you! The special stitches used are intriguing, and because it’s not a full-length scarf, it doesn’t take nearly as long. The Herringbone Neck Warmer:

I don’t think I’m allowed to post the whole pattern here, so click the picture to see the pattern online at LoopKnits.com!

Pattern designed by Craig Rosenfeld, 2007

Philosophy III

2010-04-09T08:05:00.002-06:00

"You're just jealous."

-A.E.Powell, 2010 A.D.

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Do you agree or disagree with this philosohpy? Do you think it a worthwhile philosophy to live by? Why or why not?

The Merits of Owning a Dog

2010-04-06T08:44:00.005-06:00

People wonder what I want a dog for. I hope to explain my reasons in the following essay.

Believe it or not, dogs are very practical. They have many uses, too many to list, so I’ll only describe some of the more important ones.

1. Most dogs posses the ability to guard. Some can be trained to circle the perimeters of your property once every hour, sit up all night to watch for intruders, or keep the neighbor’s cat trapped in your tree until you get home. But even a dog who was not bred to guard will warn you when they sense danger in the form of prowlers, other dogs, and visitors.

2. Unless a dog is lazy or old, he or she will chase. Most of the time it doesn’t matter what the object is, anything from sticks, balls, and rocks to cars, other dogs, and people. This affinity can be used to your advantage when there are certain thing you don’t want around you, such as deer in your garden, squirrels who eat your lawn chair cushions, or neighbors you don’t like.

3. If a dog can chase, he or she can also fetch. This has infinite uses, including fetching newspapers, laundry, the TV remote, and errant children. Some dogs can even use a bred hunting instinct to find and retrieve lost items, such as your shoes, car keys, and little children who are lost in the woods or trapped in burning buildings.

In return for performing their duties, dogs require many things from us. While this may seem like a drain on time, pocketbook, and patience, this can actually be used to our advantage, thus broadening the practicality of owning a dog.

Owning a dog before having children is an excellent opportunity to practice training, responsibility, patience, money management, and first aid.

1. Learning how to train your dog will equip you somewhat for training your children later in life. If you can learn to be firm and teach your dog to be well-behaved and self-controlled, it will make child-raising that much easier.

2. Dogs are a responsibility – but not as much as children. It’s wise to practice dog-responsibility before taking on child-responsibility in order to learn things like the impossibility of going on extended vacations without making the proper accommodations for a dependent.

3. Patience is one of the most important aspects of raising children. What better way to learn patience than by owning a puppy? Dealing with things like teething, potty-training, and food-snatching with puppies is a perfect way to prepare yourself for the same issues with babies and toddlers.

4. It’s difficult to prepare yourself for the bills children seem to generate – especially in the area of food. Owning a dog will prime you for bill-paying later in life. You can learn how to budget, how shop for deals, and how to say no to the latest squeaky toy.

5. First Aid knowledge is a must when raising children. It is also needed when raising a dog. When you take the time to raise a dog, you can learn how to deal with things like cuts, burns, and removing porcupine quills from muzzles before such catastrophes befall your children.

6. Having the knowledge and ability to properly raise and train a dog will bring the greatest sense of accomplishment to you. You will feel confident and enabled to also properly raise a child, even if you aren’t, which no one ever is.

While these practical uses for dogs should convince most people, there are even more ways dogs benefit us, especially in social aspects.

1. Owning a dog automatically makes you a certified member of the Dog Owner’s Club. You will meet dog owners everywhere you go, and you’ll be able to relate to them in ways you couldn’t before. You’ll be able to start a conversation with a complete stranger just by asking “What kind of dog do you have?” When others find out you also own a dog, you’ll suddenly find yourself with an excessive amount of new friends.

2. It’s possible you’ve heard this before, but dogs make excellent companions. Some people don’t have a huge circle of friends, and the friends they do have aren’t around all the time. Dogs bring constant companionship to life. They are always there to share moments of joy and sorrow with you, to play with, to discuss deep matters with, and to simply be company when you need it.

Dogs are useful, practical, and bring us a social life. But all these advantages pale in comparison to the best reason of all to own a dog – they are cute!

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Discussion: Do you own a dog? If yes, what makes it worth while? If no, what is holding you back? Which of the above puppies do you like the best?

Redeemer

2010-04-04T11:59:00.004-06:00

Who taught the sun where to stand in the morning
Who told the ocean, you can only come this far?
And who showed the moon where to hide 'til evening
Whose words alone can catch a falling star?

Well I know my Redeemer lives
I know my Redeemer lives
All of creation testify
This life within me cries
I know my Redeemer lives!

The very same God that spins things in orbit
He runs to the weary, the worn and the weak
And the same gentle hands that hold me when I'm broken
They conquered death to bring me victory!

Now I know my Redeemer lives
I know my Redeemer lives
Let all creation testify
Let this life within me cry
I know my Redeemer, He lives!

To take away my shame
And He lives forever I'll proclaim
That the payment for my sin
Was the precious life He gave
But now He's alive
And there's an empty grave!

And I know my Redeemer, He lives
I know my Redeemer lives
Let all creation testify
This life within me cries
I know my Redeemer lives

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Music by Nicole C. Mullen, click the picture to see the song at emusic.com

Worthy

2010-04-02T08:12:00.004-06:00

The splendor of your suffering
The honor of your agony
The beauty of your love poured out

For me
The wonder of your offering
The power of your misery
The glory of your blood poured out

For me

There was glory in the shame
Redemption through the pain

Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain
Worthy is the Lamb
Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain
For the sin, of the world
To the glory of God

Worthy, worthy, worthy, worthy
Worthy is the Lamb

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Music by Tom Ewing, click the album to see this song at emusic.com

A Philosophical Discussion

2010-03-30T08:48:00.003-06:00

Here is a question that has perplexed millions of philosophers throughout hundreds of generations (including Aesop, I think) – Why Do Some People Like Cheese Pizza Better Than Pepperoni Pizza?

In this short discourse, I hope to address and solve this conundrum once and for all. (I’m not actually sure if this counts as philosophy or not, but I’m labeling it that anyway.)

After much research and pondering on my own, I came to an astounding conclusion – some people prefer cheese pizza over pepperoni pizza because some people have different preferences than others! My next step was to decipher what makes Cheesers so cheese-prone and what makes Pepperoniers so pepperoni-prone.

This is what I discovered –

Pizza eaters who are more attracted to plain cheese pizzas are 21% more likely to possess one or more of the following traits: A placid lifestyle, few extra-curricular activities, a vehicle manufactured before 1990, a propensity for perfectionism, brown hair, very few pairs of shoes, a fear of trying new things, and a dislike for pepperoni (especially on pizza).

Consumers who prefer pepperoni on their pizza, however, are 18% more likely to demonstrate one or more of these traits: An adventurous lifestyle, action-packed and danger-filled activities, a brand new, bright red vehicle with a spoiler and no muffler, a careless attitude, dyed hair, lots of shoes, a desire to try new things, and a fancy for pepperoni (especially on pizza).

Some of my rivals insist that cheese pizza is more preferable simply because it is a more traditional Italian pizza recipe. I argue that the cheese pizza we experience in America isn’t traditional Italian pizza anyway. Other rivals dispute the accuracy of my study results and percentages. I maintain that they obviously don’t have any imagination. Still others claim that there are people who like both pepperoni and cheese pizzas, and therefore my research is incomplete and erroneous. I simply ignore them.

If you have been speculating about this Great Dilemma your whole life, if you have been laying awake at night conjecturing and hypothesizing about the solution to this mystery for many years, it is my greatest hope that your mind may be put at ease from this moment forward – that the rest of your life may be carefree and blissful instead of troubled and distressed. Please remember to cite me in your references.

Question From a Young Lady - Part 2

2010-03-26T08:57:00.003-06:00

“Hey, Andrea!

“I would like, if you're willing, to hear the verses you have for the conclusion that it is completely unbiblical for a girl to move out of the house and support herself. I'm not quite so sure that under no circumstances should this happen, so I'd like to hear your family's views.”

Dear _________,

Our family believes that when a girl moves away from home, she is stepping out of her father’s protective covering in order to make it “on her own”. One of the most poignant examples in scripture about a girl who does not stay at home is in Proverbs 7, verses 10 – 12, “And, behold, there met him a woman with the attire of a harlot, and subtle heart. (She is loud and stubborn, her feet abide not in her house, now is she without, now in the streets, and lieth in wait at every corner.)” These verses serve to remind us of the motives of many girls who move out of their parents’ home. Why did they move out really? Was it really so they could practice responsibility? Or was it because they didn’t want parental authority, wanted to make their own decisions, and wanted to do their own thing without their parents even having to know?

Titus 2: 5 describes a dutiful wife as a keeper at home. If a girl won’t stay at home before she is married, can you expect her to stay home after she is married?

These verses are the only biblical proof I need to show me that God’s place for me is at home, living under the protection of my parents and learning from their example.

God bless you,
Andrea

------------------------------
"Questions From a Young Lady - Part 1"

Painting by Charles Burton Barber

Things That Make Me Laugh

2010-03-23T08:21:00.005-06:00

1. People laughing makes me laugh.
2. People who can’t stop laughing make me laugh.
3. Other people laughing at me make me laugh.
4. Hyper people make me laugh.
5. People who ask me if I’m “Amish or something” make me laugh.
6. People who have no idea what they’re talking about make me laugh.
7. People who talk really fast make me laugh.
8. People who try to be very dignified make me laugh.
9. People who try to be very cool make me laugh.
10. Older people (especially those born during the Great Depression) who begin all their sentences with, “Back when I was young….” make me laugh.
11. People who live in Wyoming and are proud of it make me laugh.
12. Telling elephant jokes makes me laugh.
13. Watching other people tell elephant jokes makes me laugh.
14. Trying to laugh makes me laugh.
15. Watching other people try to laugh makes me laugh.
16. Toddlers make me laugh.
17. Tourists make me laugh.
18. Hippies make me laugh.
19. Oprah makes me laugh!
20. Adam West being Batman makes me laugh.
21. Inside jokes that no one else understands make me laugh.
22. Running gags make me laugh.
23. Random subjects at the dinner table make me laugh.
24. Writing funny stories makes me laugh.
25. Crushing one-liners make me laugh.
26. Songs from the 70’s make me laugh.
27. Hiccups make me laugh.
28. Yoga makes me laugh.
29. Snowball fights make me laugh.
30. Playing tag with lots of people in the summer after it’s dark makes me laugh.
31. Being very hyper makes me laugh.
32. Being very tired makes me laugh.
33. Being very hyper and very tired at the same time makes me laugh!
34. Acting like a maniac makes me laugh.
35. Riding merry-go-rounds makes me laugh.
36. Eating watermelon makes me laugh.
37. Racing go-karts makes me laugh.
38. Embarrassing my mom in public makes me laugh.
39. Screaming makes me laugh.
40. Breathing helium makes me laugh.
41. Playing in the mud makes me laugh.
42. Quoting lines from movies during road trips makes me laugh.
43. Playing “Spoons” with at least ten people makes me laugh.
44. Thinking about what makes me laugh makes me laugh.

Make your own laugh list! See if you laugh at something no one else laughs at. See how well your list corresponds with someone else’s list! See how long you can make your list.

New Look + New Style

2010-03-18T10:46:00.004-06:00

Dearest Readers,

Behold the magnificence of my new blog layout! I don’t know about you, but I’m rather impressed. I hope the changes inspire you to frequent my blog more often, read my posts more often, and comment more often!

If you were becoming wearied of too many insignificant, trifling posts, there is light at the end of the tunnel. I plan on posting a mere two times a week with something beneficial for everyone! For those of you who think beneficial means educational, you are mistaken. Beneficial posts will include, but will not be limited to – encouraging, amusing, entertaining, humorous, profitable, edifying, cheering, interesting, and advantageous articles. Educational may also be slipped in there from time to time.

Meanwhile, I encourage lots of input, discussion, and questions!

Your Devoted Authoress,
Andrea

(Archaic blogger wearing an official blogging collar)

Slight Update

2010-03-11T19:12:00.000-07:00

Dearest Readers,

Can you believe I’ve taken an entire week off of blogging? I can scarce fathom it myself. The main reason for my doing so was because I couldn’t think of a single thing to post about. I could have posted my usual random pictures or song lyrics, but doing that too often seems like rushed, impulsive, don’t-want-to-ruin-my-reputation-as-an-every-other-day-poster-but-don’t-have-anything-else-to-offer, cop-out posting.

I have therefore resolved to make this blog more worthwhile for you, my readers. I will not post anything unless I am sure it will benefit you. So for the next week I will focus on gathering beneficial material for my blog. Then we will celebrate the new feel of the posts with the brand-new decoration/layout I’m planning! (If you didn’t notice, the vote to change the blog deco was a resounding, unanimous “YES!”).

While we’re on the topic of blog decorating, please comment and give me any suggestions you might have! Do you want more gadgets? Less gadgets? More colors? Less colors? As I mentioned previously, I plan to make this blog reader-friendly, so please let me know what you want and don’t want and I’ll try to comply.

Thank you for your valuable input.

Your devoted authoress,
Andrea

Philosophy II

2010-03-04T08:47:00.002-07:00

Not all of these random philosophical quotes will be written by me, because, to be honest, I rarely think of anything worthwhile enough. The following philosophy is quoted from the Dr. Who episode "Robot", way back in the day.

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"What's the point in being grown up if you can't be childish, sometimes? Have a jelly baby."
-Tom Baker, as Doctor Who, 1974 A.D.

Psalm 97:6

2010-03-02T12:45:00.005-07:00

"The heavens declare His righteousness, and all the people see His glory."

Why I Don't Read Jane Austen

2010-02-28T10:30:00.004-07:00

The Collected Works of Jane Austen
By Jane Austen
(Ultra-Condensed by Christina Carlson and Peter da Silva)

Female Lead: I secretly love Male Lead. He must never know.
Male Lead: I secretly love Female Lead. She must never know.

(They find out.)

THE END

(For more Book-A-Minute Classics, click here.)

Philosophy

2010-02-25T10:31:00.003-07:00

I figured, this morning, that if I'm going to name my blog "Philosophical Reflections", I ought to put some philosophyish stuff in it, don't you think? So, from now on, every once in a while I will post some sort of intellectual philosophical phrase for you to ponder. And, of course, to comment on, and maybe even discuss the meaning of. Here's the first one:

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"The jungle exists only in your mind."

-A.E.Powell, 2010 A.D.

P.S. And no, there will be no pictures on the philosophically inclined posts. That would detract from the cerebrality of it. Spock would never approve.

You Won't Relent

2010-02-24T11:38:00.003-07:00

You won't relent until You have it all

My heart is Yours

You won't relent until You have it all

My heart is Yours

I'll set You as a seal upon my heart

As a seal upon my arm

For there is love that is as strong as death

Jealousy, demanding as the grave

And many waters cannot quench this love

You won't relent until You have it all

My heart is Yours

You won't relent until You have it all

My heart is Yours

Come be the fire inside of me

Come be the flame upon my heart

Come be the fire inside of me

Until You and I are one

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Song by Misty Edwards

Tomato or Tomatoe?

2010-02-21T08:37:00.004-07:00

Today is so blustery and snowy here, I couldn’t help thinking of a nice hot bowl of tomato soup – and I don’t mean Campbell’s. If you’d like to enjoy some with me, here’s our family recipe (compliments of my Grandma Jean):

½ c. chopped onions
3 T. butter
2 c. peeled, minced tomatoes
1 ½ tsp. salt
1 bay leaf
6 peppercorns (in cheesecloth)
1 T. minced parsley
6 c. chicken stock or broth

Cook onion with butter in soup kettle till tender. Add tomatoes, salt, bay leaf, peppercorns, and parsley; cook 5 minutes. Add stock, bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove bay leaf and peppercorns.

Optional: Pour over croutons and sprinkle with chives or parmesan cheese. Add a little cream to the soup.

And, most important, serve with grilled cheese sandwiches!

This recipe makes enough for about 4 people.

(Don't worry, the finished product won't look nearly as anemic and textureless as the picture would portray.)

Favorite Books

2010-02-18T10:49:00.005-07:00

Aspiring writers want to know what people want to read. Now they can find out, with the results to my latest poll which asked the question, “What is your favorite kind of book?”

Biographies – 3
Historical Fiction –2
Science Fiction –0
Apologetic/Theological – 4
Romance Novels – 0
Adventure – 3
Classics – 3
Juvenile (12 and under) – 1
Poetry –2
Owner’s Manuals – 0
Research/Informational/Educational – 2
Journals – 0
Historical Non-fiction – 0
Cookbooks –1
Comic books – 1
Humor – 2
Other Non-fiction – 1
Other Fiction – 1

Apparently, apologetic reading material is extremely popular these days. Adventures and classics are close runners-up, as are biographies, which is just weird. The general population also seems to be somewhat interested in historical fiction, poetry, research, and humor. Juvenile fiction, cookbooks, and comic books are doing rather poorly in the market today, as are other non-fiction and other fiction books. Whatever that could be.

Writers around the world will be interested to know that sci-fi and romance novels rate at zero with all readers! If you want to be a successful writer, you will stay away from romance and sci-fi. Less surprising is no one wanting to read owner’s manuals, journals, and historical non-fiction.

Thanks to everyone who took the time to vote! If you can remember, I'd like to know what you voted for, and why. Comment!

Baby Oil Secrets Uncovered!

2010-02-17T08:12:00.002-07:00