An American Maiden

5 Steps to Using Wood Glue

2011-04-24T23:18:00.000-04:00

This is wood glue. Using this glue will cause to boards to stick together. But that isn't all it does.

1. For the longest lasting finger nail polish, use wood glue. One brush per application of glue. Remember your nails will be a bit darker than usual.

2. Turpentine, Goo-Gone, Carburetor Cleaner, Mineral Spirits, Lotion, Nail Polish Remover, Gasoline and Soap will not remove the glue.

3. If wood glue spills, you may proceed to scratch the glue off, but a local pain reliever may be necessary after you scrape off the top layer of skin.

4. When applying wood glue to a project, hold the bottle like it's about to explode.

5. Find someone else to apply the wood glue and before they start, leave for..... Anywhere Else!

Congratulations, you've now learned all you need to know about working with wood glue.

Happy Resurrection Day!

2011-04-24T06:42:00.000-04:00

Have a Blessed Resurrection Day!

Happy Birthday Superman!

2010-12-20T21:02:00.000-05:00

Superman celebrated his 6th birthday with a new outfit from Daddy and Mommy. Two new Signing Time dvds; Nice to Meet You from Nona and Happy Birthday to You from his adoring fans(aka siblings). Plus balloons, bubbles and a ball from some sweet friends at church.

Some of Superman's latest activities:

Is finally growing out of some shirts he's had since age 2.
Talking more and calls everyone by name.
Loves watching Signing Time and Zorro.
Getting his family to chase him around the table.
Bugs his Lalaline by 'borrowing' her dolly and refusing to return it.
Has a definite dislike for soups and whatever else he doesn't feel like eating at the moment.
Would entirely subsist on rice cakes and apple butter if we'd let him.
Is going to take speech therapy soon.
Favorite words: No. Loo (look). My.
Still has an obsession with blowing out candles
Decided that once again, he loves to open gifts (and this time tearing neatly).

Happy Birthday Superman!!! I ♥ you!

Sweet Treats!

2010-12-14T13:44:00.000-05:00

We've been working on a new blog, to catalog our journey of saying "Yes!". Sometimes being without gluten, dairy and processed sugars is a bit difficult. But during this time, we've found and adapted a few recipes that we can have. I Can't Believe It's A Pork-Free Chocolate Cake/Cupcakes is one of them.

End of Summer Break

2010-11-18T00:28:00.000-05:00

Summer has gone by in a blur. Lots of Farmer's Markets to go to, although I didn't go. But there was bread to make and bake, tortillas, pretzels, and sometimes something else. By the end of the season, I figured out I could mix up 12 loaves of bread at a time by hand. Definitely saved some time with all the mixing! :-).

This past Sunday, Momma, James and I went to Atlanta for James to get his g-tube out early Monday morning. He was actually Dr. Parker's first surgery for the day. When Dr. P came to tell us James was in recovery, he also said that he'd had to make a bigger cut than usual, because of the gastric-colic fistula he'd had in March 2007. James, he said, would need a stronger antibiotic, but could take it at home. I asked if it would cause diarrhea and he said it would. Dr. P then told us that he could also admit James for an overnight and give him IV antibiotics that wouldn't cause diarrhea. We opted for an overnight. James was a huge apple juice fiend while we were there. On Monday alone, he drank 20 or so 4oz. boxes of apple juice!
I slept with him in the hospital bed, so Momma could rest for the trip home on Tuesday. I seriously think that the nurses and tech turned on ALL the lights everytime they came in. But what surprised me most, was the tech waking me up to ask if I minded changing James' diaper. When he had his ileostomy take-down in June, the nurses and techs would change his cloth diapers without waking us up. And this time, I didn't bring enough diapers since I thought we wouldn't be there that long and he was in pull-ups. He's doing fine now, but has a small diaper rash.

I've been working on my math. With all of James' stuff in the last couple years, we've all fallen behind. I'm 'racing' through my current math book to finish it by my goal of Thanksgiving. I'm enjoying algebra, but sometimes I struggle with algebraic sentences.

I was reading through some old posts on this blog and noticed a post where I said my least favorite task was meal planning. I don't think it was intentional, but I've been doing all the meal planning lately and actually enjoying it. Momma even let me make the shopping list and do the shopping at Dekalb International Farmer's Market on Tuesday. It worked out well that we met a online friend of Momma's on Sunday at the Market and I was able to get prices for my list and work out how much I could get with the money I had. I did end up $1.58 over my budget because I'd forgotten about tax for the bag of rice. Oh well, something to remember for next time :*).

We also enjoyed visits with several families this summer. One family came a couple times... they have two little ones. Zeke is almost 3, but his speech is so much clearer than James'. James loved to play with Zeke and he doted on Lily Beth, their little girl. I think everyone loved having them visit. Becca and Carrie thought it was fun to take Zeke outside and run races up and down the driveway. He's a pretty good runner and kept up to them most of the time.

In October, we took a day trip up to North Georgia to see Nona and Poppa and pick up apples. Momma, Katie, James and I sang most of the way up and Daddy, Owen and Becca worked on math. Carrie decided to read a book!

I also got my hair cut late October. Katie wanted her hair cut and I wanted to get mine cut to send to Locks of Love again... So we cut each others' hair. I didn't realize how much mine would curl after we cut it. We thought it would end up shoulder length. Apparently not.

For my 17th birthday, I was able to do something I've been thinking about since I was 15. Turns out that I could have done it when I was 16, but... I wasn't sure how it all worked and didn't want to call and ask. Momma had to make a trip to Macon and since Katie didn't have to go, she was able to keep everyone else and I was able to donate blood. I was a bit nervous that my hemoglobin would be too low to donate since it has to be 12.5 or higher, but it was fine. I was excited to be able to do it and it went quicker than I thought it would. I did learn that it's a good idea to take some sort of snack because water isn't quite enough. I'm hoping that it will work out so I can donate again in the beginning of December... Anyone want to join me? :*).

Hoping everyone enjoyed their summers too.

♥, Hannah

My favorite person to photograph!

2010-07-30T20:22:00.000-04:00

From a photo shoot the other day with James... which wasn't exactly to take pictures of James, but of the diaper he's wearing. (for this). He's an awfully cute little guy... and a real stinker!

James and I

2010-07-11T22:34:00.003-04:00

I was going through pictures tonight and downloading some old pictures off of CD's and came across several old ones and some new ones of James and I. We were all watching some of the videos we'd taken of James and Carrie especially and I couldn't get over how little James was then!

A herb-related giveaway!

2010-06-25T22:45:00.000-04:00

There's a giveaway on a blog Momma found that had a week of herb-related giveaways that start in the morning and end at midnight the same day. This is the last one and it ends at midnight tonight. It's for a $100 gift certificate to School Of Natural Health. They have a Family Herbalist course that I would love to take. Check it out here.

I do have pictures waiting to post and an update and I will get to it soon!

Pure in Heart Award

2010-06-06T15:44:00.001-04:00

Thank you Hannah for thinking of me!

Here are the rules!

Post about the tag
2. Pick 10 bloggers who deserve this award
3. Leave a comment on the blogs of the people you tagged letting them know they were awarded
4. Answer the questions along with your post

1: Apples, Oranges or Bananas? Bananas!

2: How many siblings do you have? 6! K (18), O (14), B (10), C (7) and J (5 going on 2)

3: How old are you? 16

4: Do you live on/in a prairie, woodland, swamp, city or other? Other. We live on a big sand pile! :)

5: Scissors or glue? Scissors... we don't have any glue in the house! And if we did, J would be sure to dump it....

6: Describe your dream house. I don't really know... except I'd like to have lots of closet space and a big kitchen.

7: Is your room clean? Seriously? yes and no...

8: If you could be a movie character for a day, who would you be? I don't think I'd want to be any female character.... but I would love to be a fly on the wall in the same room as Sherlock Holmes.

9: Italy, Greece, France, Spain or England? I'd love to go to Italy and France!

10: What denomination are you? Presby-Baptil-Costal ;)

11: Do you sleep with a stuffed toy (BE HONEST!!!!) No... When I have slept with a stuffed toy, it lands on the floor besides the bed!

12: Gum, chocolate, or jelly beans? dark chocolate wrapped in a date. Not that you asked, but....

13: What is your favorite book? There's more than one.... However, one of my current favorites is To Have and To Hold.

14: Favorite ice cream flavour? Mint Chocolate Chip

15: If you had to eat one type of food for two weeks, what would that food be? Hamburgers!

16: What is your favorite Olympic sport? I love to watch the skating... when we do 'watch' the Olympics.

17: If you woke up and discovered that you had turned into Miley Cyrus for the day, what would you do (note, I am NOT a fan)? Um... stay in bed? (somehow I don't think that would go over well with the rest of my family!)

18: Describe yourself in three words. Competitive, Curious, Cautious

19: What chore do you hate? meal planning...

20: If Elmo came into your room with a gun, what would you do? I have no clue.... by the way, who is Elmo? :)

I'm awarding this to:

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

McKenzie @ Pecan Pastures
Lauren E. @ Lauren E.'s Blog
Shelby @ Shelby's Everyday Homeschool Blog
Abigail @ Amazed by Grace
Lydia @ Something Beautiful
Hannah W. @ Hannah's Blog

James is being discharged from the hospital this afternoon. We're currently in the library and James is drawing on a DoodlePro board. We'll be staying at the Ronald McDonald House tonight and then slowly make our way home tomorrow! yay!

An update on James and what we've been doing

2010-06-04T18:13:00.001-04:00

James sitting in a Little Tikes car Tuesday night! He thought it was so fun to drive, but he couldn't understand why, when he turn the steering wheel that the wheels didn't turn that way too!

James' Beads of Courage. Each bead represents part of James' journey with leukemia. Hospital stays, surgeries, pokes, lines, chemo, etc... He also has a Purple Heart which signifies the end of treatment.

Wednesday afternoon, the clowns stopped by. James was starting to get fussy since he wanted to eat. The clowns kept him amused for 45+ minutes and by then, it was time to head to the OR.

This is James yesterday evening... he had been having breakthrough pain earlier and was tired. It didn't prevent him from watching Superman though! I do believe that when James is finally discharged I will have memorized the Superman episodes!

I'm hoping that James will be discharged this Tuesday. But nothing is definite yet and it all depends on James. He get out of bed and went for a ride in a wheelchair down to the library here. But we headed back shortly, since he was getting tired and hurting. James and I snuggled up and slept the rest of the afternoon away. Now he's back to watching Superman all snuggled in his soft green blanket the Child Life Specialist brought by this morning!

♥ Hannah ♥

American by Birth, Southern by the Grace of God

2010-05-22T18:57:00.000-04:00

Here's a quote I found on Facebook, that I really enjoyed! Number 7 of What Southerners know about was my favorite!

"A southern girl is a girl who knows full well that she can open a door for herself but prefers for the gentleman to do it because it demonstrates a sense of respect. After all, every girl wants to be treated like a princess. We know how to make sweet tea and grits. We pick our battles and fight with the heart of a pitbull while still maintaining grace and elegance. Our mystique is that of the soft-spoken, mild- mannered southern belle who could direct an army, loves her mama and will always be a daddy's girl."

What southerners know about:
1. The difference between a hissie fit and a conniption fit.
2. What general direction cattywumpus is.
3. That "gimme sugar" don't mean pass the sugar.
4. When somebody's "fixin" to do something, it won't be long.
5. A good dog is worth its weight in gold.
6. Real gravy don't come from the store.
7.The War of Northern Aggression was over state rights, not slavery.
8.When "by and by" is.
9.The difference between "pert' near" and "a right far piece."
10.The differences between a redneck, a good ol' boy, & trailer trash.
11.Never to go snipe hunting twice.
12.A belt serves a greater purpose than holding Daddy's pants up.
13.Rocking chairs and swings are guaranteed stress relievers.
14.Rocking chairs and swings with an old person in them are history lesson

"When life hands you a lemon put it in a glass of sweet tea and thank God you're a SOUTHERN GIRL!!"

credit: American by Birth, Southern by the Grace of God!!!

Pork for dinner

2010-04-29T12:55:00.003-04:00

I am not good at coming up with good meal plans... my sister K is far better than me in that regard. However this last week, Momma told me to just pull something out of the freezer for the next day's dinner. K suggested looking through one of her cookbooks, the River Cottage Meat Book, for a recipe. I used a recipe for a lamb roast, swapping out several ingredients and switching pork for lamb. It was a little dry since it stayed in an hour longer than it should have... (consequences of having siblings running the oven while one is gone) But the flavor was delicious and I am hoping to make it again... this time with garlicky mashed potatoes!

Learning to Read

2010-04-28T20:19:00.000-04:00

J has mild-moderate hearing loss in one ear and profound hearing loss in his other ear.
Recently we were blessed to receive some Love and Learning dvds and books from another family of a child with Ds. J really enjoys watching his 'school work'

I hope you all enjoy listening to J 'read' and hopefully, we'll be able to add more videos of J reading his other books!

Pool time!

2010-04-26T08:00:00.002-04:00

O, B, and C dug a small pool two or so weeks ago and filled it with water. The next day, O and I dug the 'pool' deeper and made a slide out of dirt.

J thought it would be fun to play in the water.... that is until he actually got into it! Believe me, that boy has quite a healthy pair of lungs! :) In the end, J decided that as long as I held him, he was fine. He did eventually get off my lap to play with a plastic toy boat C brought over for him.

O very thoughtfully put up the canopy to shade the pool and James from the sun!

Family Life

2010-04-24T08:00:00.000-04:00

B caught reading a book!

K's birthday dinner... just waiting for the salmon. It was an absolutely delicious meal!

And now, I have a 18 year old sister! my goodness, how time flies!

Momma has more pictures of what country children do when they don't have a swing set over on One Big Adventure, plus an update on J's recent trip to Atlanta!

Meet Gusty.... aka Gustavus Adolphus snoozing on the side porch.

The treats after chicken processing... We had two families over who wanted to learn the 'how-to'.

We just did 75 chickens, since all of the 150 weren't big enough for slaughter yet. It made for a quick day. Although, we were all exhausted by the end of the day. J decided to finish up the day with some excitement by cutting his hand on a lounge chair on the porch... Poor baby! It's looking much better now, but we are still keeping it cover and putting antibiotic ointment on it.

So that's what we've been doing around here lately.... Hope you all enjoy the quick visit around the farm!

~Hannah

The Miracle of Life

2010-04-22T13:38:00.001-04:00

Around March 24th, we put 10 turkey eggs in the incubator... We were a bit apprehensive if the turkeys would actually hatch, since we had messed up several things during the 28 days. This past Monday, Momma, J and I had come back from the day's trip to Atlanta and we were making dinner when I checked the eggs. I was thrilled to see that one of the eggs was hatching!

The second egg that started cracking actually hatched out first and most of us got to see it happen.

Tuesday evening... so cute!

We moved them to a small brooder in the mudroom and they are already feathering out.... They're growing so fast! On May 5th, we have another batch of 20 turkey eggs in the brooder that, Lord willing, are due to hatch! We are hoping that the turkeys will lay more eggs to have another clutch, so far we have 4 eggs on the counter waiting for their turn in the incubator!

The Beauty of Birds

2010-04-12T14:42:00.000-04:00

Or the nests, for that matter! B found a old bird's nest while helping Daddy with brush clearing. She brought it inside for all of us to see it. Of course, we took pictures after we positioned properly in a bush in front of the house.

The proud finder of the nest!

That's actually a plastic bag that was woven into the nest.

Look at her short hair! She cut it off, so she could donate it to Locks of Love.

Ah, the beauty of God's creation!

The Little Man

2010-04-08T22:29:00.000-04:00

J really loves to dress up in a suit and tie (the tie is probably the most important, since he thinks it makes him look like Daddy, even though Daddy rarely wears one.) Yesterday, we were looking for an outfit J could wear today to Atlanta for an appointment and J found a tie. We pulled out a suit J was given back in 2007 (he was almost 3 then) and it still fits him, probably because he's gotten taller and slimmed down from all the steroids.

B, C, and I took J outside and got some pictures of him all dressed up with the new camera from Grandpa John and Grandma Nan (Thank you so much!)

I do have some more pictures to post, but they are on the other computer, so they will have to wait for right now! But they are some great pictures of things we've been doing around here!

Hannah

♥♥♥You know........♥♥♥

2010-03-19T00:59:00.000-04:00

that you know too much about medical things when you:

restart the little guy on anti-fungal meds without talking with the doctors
have to explain to the home health agency person on the phone that you need a catheter, ileostomy bags, g-tube supplies, and more ostomy clips
miss giving a dose of antibiotic and don't worry about making it up
recognize yeast starting under the ostomy bag

J has been getting too big for the paper diapers and we've wanted to switch to cloth diapers, but couldn't find one that the size charts said would fit him and give that extra leeway we needed for his ileostomy bag. And to tell the truth, I was a bit overwhelmed by all the diaper choices out there. I mean, there are pockets, fitted, contour, covers, inserts, doublers, etc.... and how is one suppose to know what's what?!?! As part of a homeschool project and (kinda of a stress reducer for me) Momma and I have been working on a review and giveaway blog. Through twitter, I've met several moms who cloth diaper their babies, and one mom in particular has been really helpful. A week ago, she sent us a cloth diaper she had for us to use on J. It fit him perfectly, with room to spare. When I first put the diaper on J, he gave this big sign of relief and was so upset when we had to take the diaper off to wash it. The same night the diaper came, Momma and I found a site and ordered him 12 more of the same kind of diapers. They came this Monday and we washed them that night and since Tuesday, J has been in cloth diapers all the time.

Something I've learned with cloth diapers is, you can't judge how much they wet the diaper by feeling it, while they are still wearing said diaper. I left J in a cloth diaper for 6 hours and pushed fluids, because I thought "he isn't drinking enough, he's still really dry!"... When I took the diaper off, it was ~~slightly wet~~ soaked!!!

I'm waaayyyy behind on school and today, I asked Momma if I could stop the book I'm currently working on since I'm over 2/3 of the way through and so now I'm working on a placement test to see which book I will/can move too. I love the thrill and tension of math, but it sometime seems that I've already seen that particular problem multiple times before.

Did you know that there are degrees in Graphic Design? I didn't... but I do enjoy some of the benefits that come from graphics, coupled with a well-designed site. I was looking at a program for graphic design that some blog designers use and then I noticed the price tag.......... over $600 dollars for this one software program! Ouch!

We've been doing some cleaning around here and I was told that ~~our~~ my nightstand that K and I share was a (putting it mildly) big mess. So, I spent some time cleaning it out and sorting through our piles. I came across my journal from our trip to Minnesota in 2008 and read through it. Something I had written down was a quote from a friend, 'why use one word when you can use twenty!'. I'm afraid that is rather me. I can go on and on about one particular subject and then change it without a moment of warning. My poor Momma is often the subject of my scattered thoughts.

I'm hoping to post pictures soon, but a little someone who shall remain nameless has dropped the camera once again... there is talk of said person buying a camera of their own so that they don't break any more cameras. I'm thinking about getting a camera to use, but then I look at the prices and my bank account and they suffer large differences in the monetary factor.

A fun bit for you, I learned recently how to make hearts. On the computer for blogger!

here's how it works...
♥
& hearts ; remove the spaces and hit preview and your ♥ will appear. Now I want to learn how to make stars! lol!

and don't write Whala.... write Voila. It's French! ;)

Good night!

Lemonade Stand Award

2010-03-03T18:34:00.001-05:00

Hannah over at Hannah's Hangout - The Writings of a Christian Girl very sweetly gave me the Lemonade Stand award! Thank you for thinking of me Hannah!

Here are the rules:

- Put the Lemonade logo on your blog or within your post.
- Nominate at least 10 blogs with great attitude or gratitude.
- Link the nominees within your post.
- Let the nominees know they have received this award by commenting on their blog.
- Share the love and link to the person from whom you received this award

I've seen this award all over the blog-sphere, so I don't know if I'm awarding people who already have the award or not! But I would like to award:

♥ McKenzie @ Pecan Pastures

♥ My mom @ One Big Adventure

♥ Abigail @ Amazed by Grace

♥ Mia @ Aspiring Homemaker

♥ Mrs. Marcy @ Six Olive Plants

♥ Mrs. Patrice @ Williams Family Blog

♥ Mrs. Jamie @ M&M's from Mexico

♥ Southerngrits @ Girls Raised In The South

♥ Lydia @ It's a Beautiful Life

♥ Jenna @ Feminine Farmgirl

Thank you again Hannah for nominating me!

Computer Problems

2010-02-08T13:35:00.000-05:00

Friday morning, the computer cord died. Since then, we haven't had access to the internet at home. I've rather enjoyed not having the computer, since it's allowing me to catch up on reading. I read 39 Steps by John Buchan. 39 Steps is also an Alfred Hitchcock movie, that I've also watched. I'm of the opinion that the book is better than the movie, but I think that watching the movie helped me understand the book better.
I'm also currently reading Ghost Wars by Steve Coll... It's a very interesting book and it's taking me much longer to read. I'm about half-way through it in two days. It's not about ghosts, but about the CIA, Afghanistan, Osama Bin Laden and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the various guerilla type leaders that the US supported with financial aid and arms. The book covers the time from 1979 to September 10th, 2001. Sometimes, I come across something I don't know about and wish I had the computer to look it up. But with not having the computer, we'll get to go to the library more often.

Today, Momma, J, and I are in Atlanta for several appointments for J. J also got his Beads of Courage today. He has four strands full of beads, telling his journey through leukemia and treatment. It's really impressive and I'm hoping to get pictures up soon. Currently, we are at the hospital library using the computers. J is wandering around in between watching Superman on the TV (naturally it's George Reeves.... since he's the best one :*))....

Since we haven't been on the computer, we've spent more time together and quoted movies scripts and other things we've seen.

C~ (reading from Genesis during devotions) 'and Sarah convinced' and had a baby. She did this twice in a row, saying 'convinced' instead of 'conceived'.

K and I were talking to Momma and Daddy in the kitchen and we were quoting from books, movies and coming up with our own things... when Momma said something about we were making a good case for getting rid of the TV as well. K said 'Spoiled Sport', just like Sylvester in Looney Tunes. It was the perfect imitation and since then, we've said 'spoiled sport' instead of 'party-pooper'.

B and C are enjoying all the new books from the library and B is starting to read books on her own inititive. She read 'Dolphin Adventure: a true story' in one morning and started '39 Steps' last night. C is often found curled up in a chair reading books and then she'll come to Momma, K or myself asking for a new book to read. What have you been reading this week?

Well, I'd better close for now... I have a few more things to check while we have access to the internet. Don't expect anything in the next week, since I'm not sure when we'll go to the library!

In pictures

2010-02-05T00:33:00.000-05:00

I got up this morning...

got dressed... to the shoes!

Then the mail lady came... in the package was this apron. I put it on!

and started these new recipes for bread, cookies, crackers and chocolate cobbler.

and soaked the flour and oats in bowls on the table, because I had leftover whey from making..

this!

Then I made dinner... with a side of

mexican roasted potatoes and

these, from the freezer.

In the evening, we read and sang.

and J played 'throw the blocks on the floor and have Hannah pick them up'.

Then some went to bed....

and K listened to some videos of Sissel singing on youtube....

then she went to bed.

and I stayed up... finishing up some projects....

and writing a blog post...

I was going to tell you how I sneaked beef liver into....

Monday's dinner and no one knew...

the looks on their faces, when I told them...

was priceless!!!

And then she said: 'And to all... a good night!'

picture credits

Busy, Busy, Busy and a giveaway, too!

2010-01-20T22:45:00.002-05:00

We've been busy here the last couple weeks. On the 10th, we had several families over for Epiphany and I don't have any pictures from that... sorry! McKenzie or Mr. Daniel - would you email some of the pictures to me, pleeeaaassseeee. On the 17th, we had our first overnight visitors since August of 2005! 'J' made a new friend and 'C' and 'B' loved playing baseball with Mr. Norm and Mrs. Sally! I think we might have talked their ears off :)...

I've also been working on another project. Last October, I was reading a food blog and noticed a link to a giveaway for baby shoes. I visited the site and entered several of the giveaways there. I actually won something, too. It was a cute, but extremely expensive baby blanket!!! I've been entering other giveaways since then and started another blog to blog about giveaways (and earn extra entries :*)). I really wanted to host giveaways myself. But after thinking about it for a long time, I decided that I wasn't going to try and get people to sponsor giveaways on my blog. A day or two later, I got an email from a company asking if I wanted to review their product and host a giveaway. So... tomorrow morning, I am posting my first giveaway. A natural shielding lotion and I am really impressed with it. I'd like to invite you to come and enter the giveaway too.

A week ago, 'J''s surgeon called Momma and told her we could start putting his ostomy output into in mucous fistula, which is the other end of his colon. I'm excited that we have made it this far and I'm not looking forward to doing this next phase. The surgeon told Momma to contact a nurse practitioner to see about supplies. Momma talked to Mrs. Brenda, the NP, this week and Mrs. Brenda told her that she can set us up with a special pump and catheter to run the output in overnight... This is going to be interesting! 'J' appears to be doing better with the saline and kefir flushes now and I'm glad for that. Flushing him can be a problem and it takes a long time. I'm always glad when he falls asleep during flushing, because that makes it go easier for both of us.

Momma asked me to take over dinner meals this week and I've been finding it easier to come up with meals that all of us can eat. If any of you have suggestions for meals, I'd love to hear them. Tonight we had Daddy's Egg Bake! I used mozzarella I made today and ricotta from the last batch of mozzarella I froze. It was pretty good, but needed something else to help the texture. I think the ricotta made it 'grainy'! I've got an idea for tomorrow's dinner, but need to finalize it :)...

Got a few things to check on and finish, so I'll say g'nite!

~Hannah

Our Christmas

2010-01-06T22:25:00.060-05:00

This is our Christmas tree! that promptly came down two days after Christmas... It would have come down the day after Christmas, but some of us picked up a stomach bug (it wasn't me though. I got it two days before!)

J opening the very first present of the day--Baby Jesus!

This little boy loves babies!

J loves having tea, so Momma and Daddy got him a tea set from Grandma. He loves pouring and drinking tea and on Christmas day, spent the afternoon drinking tea aka water!

One of O's sweet little sisters got him camo face paint (with help from Daddy).

Just opened a Melissa & Doug wooden toy and playing with it!

J's favorite present... pardon the ostomy bag :*)...

B got a pocket knife and a bicycle helmet! Both of which she had been asking for awhile!

Yep... the #1 favorite present! A Fisher-Price Vintage Farm along with animals...

including a horse!

I got several great gifts - Il Divo Christmas Songs CD, bobbins for my sewing machine, a book about the basics of making skirts! I actually made a pink fleece skirt the night before New Year's Eve, so I could have something warm while we were on the road. It was very comfy and warm. I even put in my first zipper, it didn't turn out that bad :*)... I just sewed it to the other side of the skirt the first time. I'm so thankful for seam rippers! and a Cake Decorating book that my Nona got from her mother just before or just after my mother was born! It's a really neat book and for J's 4th birthday I made one of the cakes in the book. Maybe I'll put up pictures from it (if I can find them :*)).

I hope everyone had a happy New Year 2010! We celebrated on New Year's Eve with Momma's parents and aunt and uncle! It was a multi-affair, since we were also celebrating Poppa's 80th birthday!

Happy NON-Global Warming Everyone!

from the freezing South...

Snow

2010-01-03T21:48:00.000-05:00

'Tis the Season - The Nativity

2009-12-24T05:00:00.000-05:00

I'm still finding it hard to believe that Christmas is tomorrow. The year has gone past so fast! This year for Christmas we cut back on things we did and goodies we made. Still I have felt a bit overwhelmed by everything we did. Of course catching a cold and sharing it in the family this past week might have made a difference. I don't have a long post for today, but I wanted to share this youtube video with y'all.

God bless us each and everyone! ~Tiny Tim

I hope you all have a blessed Christmas with your families. I'll see you all the week after Christmas, with if I can remember, pictures!

~Hannah

McKenzie is hosting this last carnival over at her blog, Pecan Pastures! I hope you will join us and please don't forget to add your posts to the mcklinky!

'Tis the Season

2009-12-21T00:01:00.000-05:00

Please add your posts in the MckLinky below. If you are having trouble with adding your posts, please leave a comment with your blog name, the name of your post and the link and I will add it in. Don't forget, this coming Thursday is the last carnival day and it is being hosted by Pecan Pastures.

'Tis the Season - The Legend of the Candy cane

2009-12-21T00:00:00.001-05:00

It's time for this week's 'Tis the Season carnival post. I hope you all will join us! We have almost all of our decorations up, except for the tree and we probably won't put it up till Wednesday or Thursday. I can't believe Christmas is this Friday! We are continuing what I think is a common tradition. We all have colds, ugh!

Several years ago, Daddy brought home an animated movie, I think it was called The Legend of the Candy Cane. I enjoyed watching that movie and the story, err, legend, behind the candy cane.

The development of the candy cane took a few hundred years. Before the invention of the modern pacifier, parents used to give their babies unflavored white sugar sticks to suck on. During the 1670's a German choirmaster had the sugar sticks bent into a shepherd's staff and passed out to children attending the Christmas services. This holiday custom spread throughout Europe and fancy canes, decorated with roses, were used as Christmas decorations in many homes. About 1900 the white candy cane received its traditional red stripes and peppermint flavoring. At the same time the legend of the candy cane came into being. According to this legend, a candy maker in Indiana designed the candy cane to tell the true story of Christmas - a story about a virgin giving birth to a shepherd who would give up His life for the sheep.
The most obvious symbolism used in the candy cane is its shape. Turned one way, it looks like a "J" for Jesus. The newborn Lamb of God was named Jesus, meaning Savior, because He was destined to "save His people from their sins". Turned the other way, candy canes remind us of the shepherd's staff. The first people to hear of Christ's birth were shepherds guarding their flocks at night. Jesus called Himself the Good Shepherd and the Bible frequently compares the actions of the Messiah to those of a shepherd searching for his lost sheep, feeding them, gently leading them, and carrying them in his bosom. The sweetness of the candy reminds us that we are fed on the sweet milk of the Gospel of our salvation and peace.
The hardness of the candy reminds us that Jesus is our rock of refuge. In rocky lands like Israel, people often sought shelter from their enemies in the caves or rocky crags of cliffs. Rocks also remind us of the solidness of the promises of Christ who is a precious cornerstone and sure foundation to those who follow Him, but a "stone of stumbling and a rock of offense" to those who reject His gift of peace.
The whiteness of the candy brings to mind the Virgin Birth and the sinless life of Christ. We also are made as pure as the snow through the cleansing action of His blood.
The traditional candy cane has 3 small red stripes to remind us of the soldiers' stripes by which we are healed and a larger stripe which represents the blood shed by Christ on Calvary's tree. Some people say that the 3 small stripes honor the Holy Trinity while the larger stripe reminds us of the one true God. Others claim that the small stripes represent our mini-passions or sufferings and the great stripe symbolizes Christ's Passion. A green stripe is sometimes placed on candy canes to remind us that Jesus is God's gift to us. (Green is the color of giving.)
The peppermint flavor of modern candy canes is said to be similar to hyssop. In Old Testament times, hyssop was associated with purification and sacrifice. During the first Passover celebrations, a bundle of hyssop was used to smear the blood of Passover lambs upon the doorposts of houses so that the Angel of Death would pass over their occupants. Bundles of hyssop were also used to sprinkle blood on worshipers and objects during Mosaic purification rituals. After his affair with Bathsheba, King David appealed to God's mercy crying, "Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me and I shall be whiter than snow". Peppermint reminds us that Jesus is our Passover Lamb. His blood cleanses us from sin and destroys the power of death.

And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city.
Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. Luke 2:1-7

See you today and don't forget this Thursday is the last day of the 'Tis the Season carnival. We hope you join us today at One Southern Girl and this coming Thursday over at Pecan Pastures.

All quotes and story is from ChristStory Christmas. Candy picture from Wikipedia. The Legend of the Candy Cane from CBD

In Memoriam: Pierce

2009-12-19T15:45:00.000-05:00

When 'J' was transferred to Georgia from Minnesota, we met a dad who always wore a joker hat. He was staying with his little boy who was in the PICU (pediatric intensive care unit). Pierce had the same leukemia 'J' did and Pierce and 'J' had another bond, you see, both of them have Down syndrome. We've been following their journey since 2007. Pierce was scheduled to finish chemo this spring, but several weeks from finishing Pierce relapsed and had a BMT (bone marrow transplant). He did great through transplant and was doing awesome at home. A couple weeks ago, Pierce's mom posted that Pierce had relapsed again and there really wasn't anything they could do, it was just a matter of time. When 'J', Momma and I were in Atlanta in Monday, we saw Pierce and his dad. They had decided to stop Pierce's chemo since he was getting terrible mouth sores that Friday. Momma talked with Mr. Bill for awhile and I took 'J' back to triage. When we got to our room, Momma said Mr. Bill didn't think Pierce would make it to Christmas. Last night, I was checking my email and saw there was an update on Pierce. I opened it and saw that Pierce had passed away in his sleep that morning. There was another update this afternoon, Pierce's little brother, who is 3-4 years old, is taking Pierce's death hard. Please keep them in your prayers in the upcoming weeks.

Here is Pierce's website if you want to read it. Pierce Ruck

Dressing up

2009-12-17T11:37:00.000-05:00

L to R - 'J', 'K', me, McKenzie, 'B' and Madeline

In September, we went down to some friends' house for a Sunday dinner. They had just had a baby and we weren't taking 'J' to church during flu season. While we were there, we dressed up. I've always loved to play dress-up. Up in Minnesota, down in the basement, we had a big plastic box full of fabric, play (insert fancy here) dresses that 'K' and I picked up at Salvation Army, Momma's old shoes, beads, etc... We all loved it. When we moved it didn't fit in whatever criteria the packers had.

This particular Sunday, we 'dressed up'. McKenzie let me borrow her hoop skirt, a dress (which was beautiful, BTW!), fixed my hair and did a great job, too. Mrs. Maynor took some pictures of us. This was one of them. So sweet! Someday, I think I'd like a hoop skirt, as long as I didn't have to wear it everyday :*)...

On the home front, 'J' is learning to whistle. It's rather cute and though I know that 5 year olds can whistle, it always surprises me when 'J' is learning something new. On Monday he had his first off-treatment visit in Atlanta and started whistling on the way home (actually he just pulls in his breath, till it whistles) and Momma said, ''J', no whistling in the car!' He got quiet very fast and said 'n um', which is how he says 'yes ma'am'. He usually doesn't say 'yes ma'am' by himself. Then last night, he was sleeping with me and after chattering a bit, he started to whistle. I told him, ''J', Momma says NO whistling in the house'. He got quiet and then pulled the sleeping bag over his head. It was quiet for a few more seconds and then I heard him whistling a little bit. His head popped back out and then he promptly fell asleep. I like nights like those!

'Tis the Season - Silent Night

2009-12-14T06:00:00.003-05:00

It's the second week of 'Tis the Season. McKenzie is hosting this week, so please add your posts in the mcklinky and read the other entries. I'll be in Atlanta all day ('J' has a doctor's appointment) and I won't be able to add your entries in, if you need help with that. I'm looking forward to reading everyone's posts when I get home though.

Christmas Day is rapidly approaching... My little sisters are counting down the days, only 11 days to go.

We have Christmas songs playing and the hymnals are opening to the Christmas songs section now. One of my favorite things to do each Christmas is listen to the Vienna Boys Choir sing 'Silent Night'! I find the stories behind the carols and songs very interesting. Especially the story behind Silent Night...

How the world's most famous Christmas carol came to be written and set to music

     In 1818, a roving band of actors was performing in towns throughout the Austrian Alps. On December 23 they arrived at Oberndorf, a village near Salzburg where they were to perform the story of Christ's birth in the small Church of St. Nicholas.
     Unfortunately, the St. Nicholas' church organ wasn't working and would not be repaired before Christmas. (Note: some versions of the story point to mice as the problem; others say rust was the culprit) Because the church organ was out of commission, the actors presented their Christmas drama in a private home. Even so, that Christmas presentation put assistant pastor Josef Mohr in a meditative mood. Instead of walking straight to his house that night, Mohr took a longer way home. The longer path took him up over a hill overlooking the village.
     From that hilltop, Mohr looked down on the peaceful snow-covered village. Reveling in majestic silence of the wintry night, Mohr gazed down at the glowing scene. His thoughts about the Christmas play suddenly made him to remember a poem he had written a couple of years before. It was a poem about the night when angels announced the birth of the long-awaited Messiah to shepherds on a hillside.
     Mohr decided those words would make a good carol for his congregation the following evening at their Christmas eve service. However, he didn't have any music to which that poem could be sung. So, the next day Mohr went to see the church organist, Franz Xaver Gruber. Gruber only had a few hours to come up with a melody which could be sung with a guitar. However, by that evening, Gruber had managed to compose a musical setting for the poem. It no longer mattered that their church organ was broken. They now had a Christmas carol they could sing without it.
     On Christmas Eve, the little Oberndorf congregation heard Gruber and Mohr sing their new composition to the accompaniment of Gruber's guitar.
     Weeks later, well-known organ builder Karl Mauracher arrived to fix the St. Nicholas church organ. When he finished, Mauracher stepped back to let Gruber test the instrument. When Gruber sat down, his fingers began playing the simple melody he had written for Mohr's Christmas poem. Deeply impressed, Mauracher took the music and words of "Silent Night" back to his own Alpine village, Kapfing. There, two well-known families of singers -- the Rainers and the Strassers -- heard it. Captivated by "Silent Night," both groups put the new song into their Christmas season repertoire.
     The Strasser sisters spread the carol throughout northern Europe. In 1834, after they had performed "Silent Night" for King Frederick William IV of Prussia, that king ordered his cathedral choir to sing it every Christmas eve.
     The Rainers brought the song to the United States in 1839, singing it (in German) at the Alexander Hamilton Monument located outside New York City's Trinity Church.
     In 1863, nearly fifty years after being first sung in German, "Silent Night" was translated into English (by either Jane Campbell or John Young). In 1871 the English version was published in an American hymnal: Charles Hutchins' Sunday School Hymnal.

Today, only the 1st, 2nd and 6th verses are sung. I found the exact translation and I also found the 'common' verses we sing today. Did you know that we don't sing the original music to Silent Night or the original words? When the repairman came to fix the organ, he took a copy of the music and lyrics with him. Somewhere, he lost some notes in the music and when the song was translated, the words changed, too. If you try to sing the english translation below, you are going to need the original music score.

1. Stille Nacht! Heilige Nacht! Alles schläft; einsam wacht Nur das traute heilige Paar. Holder Knab im lockigten Haar, Schlafe in himmlischer Ruh! Schlafe in himmlischer Ruh!	1. Silent night! Holy night! All are sleeping, alone and awake Only the intimate holy pair, Lovely boy with curly hair, Sleep in heavenly peace! Sleep in heavenly peace!
2. Stille Nacht! Heilige Nacht! Gottes Sohn! O wie lacht Lieb´ aus deinem göttlichen Mund, Da schlägt uns die rettende Stund´. Jesus in deiner Geburt! Jesus in deiner Geburt!	2. Silent night! Holy night! Son of God, O how he laughs Love from your divine mouth, Then it hits us - the hour of salvation. Jesus at your birth! Jesus at your birth!
3. Stille Nacht! Heilige Nacht! Die der Welt Heil gebracht, Aus des Himmels goldenen Höhn Uns der Gnaden Fülle läßt seh´n Jesum in Menschengestalt, Jesum in Menschengestalt	3. Silent night! Holy night! Which brought salvation to the world, From Heaven's golden heights, Mercy's abundance was made visible to us: Jesus in human form, Jesus in human form.
4. Stille Nacht! Heilige Nacht! Wo sich heut alle Macht Väterlicher Liebe ergoß Und als Bruder huldvoll umschloß Jesus die Völker der Welt, Jesus die Völker der Welt.	4. Silent night! Holy night! Where on this day all power of fatherly love poured forth And like a brother lovingly embraced Jesus the peoples of the world, Jesus the peoples of the world.
5. Stille Nacht! Heilige Nacht! Lange schon uns bedacht, Als der Herr vom Grimme befreit, In der Väter urgrauer Zeit Aller Welt Schonung verhieß, Aller Welt Schonung verhieß.	5. Silent night! Holy night! Already long ago planned for us, When the Lord frees from wrath Since the beginning of ancient times A salvation promised for the whole world. A salvation promised for the whole world.
6. Stille Nacht! Heilige Nacht! Hirten erst kundgemacht Durch der Engel Alleluja, Tönt es laut bei Ferne und Nah: Jesus der Retter ist da! Jesus der Retter ist da!	6. Silent night! Holy night! To shepherds it was first made known By the angel, Alleluia; Sounding forth loudly far and near: Jesus the Savior is here! Jesus the Savior is here!

Wikipedia has three audio clips of Silent Night being played on a piano, guitar and flute. Which I am currently listening too. Check them out here.

The story and lyrics are from Stille Nacht Gesellschaft and Southern Nazarene University.

The Duggar Family

2009-12-13T21:14:00.000-05:00

Please keep the Duggar family in your prayers. You probably know that the Duggars were expecting their 19th child in March. But Mrs. Dugger was airlifted to the University of Arkansas this past week and the baby was delivered by emergency c-section on the 10th ( J's birthday). Her name is Josie Brooklyn and she weighs 1lb 6 ozs. She will be in the NICU (neonatel intensive are unit) for awhile. I know the Duggars would apprieciate your prayers. We've been there and done that ourselves, not with a preemie though. 'J' was transported to MN Children's the day after he was born because he had a blockage in his intestines. We were there through Christmas and I still remember the day he was released from the hospital. Becca started it all off, when she got sick on Christmas Day at our aunt's house (where we were staying for three days, till the family we stayed with the rest of the time came home from their family Christmas celebration), the night before 'J' was released, I got sick and the next day, 'O' and Daddy were putting suitcases in the van and 'O' threw up just as he came in the door. Over the next couple weeks, everyone, but 'J', got sick. It was an interesting Christmas to be sure!

Happy Birthday!!!

2009-12-10T08:00:00.004-05:00

Happy birthday to my sweet little brother! 'J' is 5 years old today!

!!!!!HAPPY BIRTHDAY LITTLE GUY!!!!!

Medicine for the soul (plus a little heart attack!)

2009-12-09T14:46:00.001-05:00

"Good news is that I truly out did myself this year with my Christmas decorations. The bad news is that I had to take him down after 2 days. I had more people come screaming up to my house than ever.Great stories. But two things made me take it down.

First, the cops advised me that it would cause traffic accidents as they almost wrecked when they drove by.

Second, a 55 year old lady grabbed the 75 pound ladder almost killed herself putting it against my house and didn't realize it was fake until she climbed to the top (she was not happy). By the way, she was one of many people who attempted to do that. My yard couldn't take it either. I have more than a few tire tracks where people literally drove up my yard."

Disclaimer: This is NOT our house! This was an email forwarded to my momma from friends.

'Tis the Season

2009-12-07T00:01:00.001-05:00

The first day of 'Tis the Season - keeping Christ in Christmas. Glad you could make it. Please add your posts to the MckLinky below. On December 1st, my family started our advent devotions. We read a couple verses from the bible, talk about them, sing a Christmas song, pray, recite our memory verse and take turns putting up the ornaments which symbolize what we read about that evening.

Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!” But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”
Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?” And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. For with God nothing will be impossible.” Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her. Luke 1:26 - 38

Coming soon... 'Tis the Season carnival

2009-12-06T20:00:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow, McKenzie and I will be hosting the first day of 'Tis the Season - keeping Christ in Christmas carnival... As the Christmas day comes closer, it is easy for us to become distracted with last-minute shopping or parties and forget what Christmas is all about. This carnival is meant to help keep Christ in the forefront for our families and to help encourage others to do the same. We will be posting every Monday, starting tomorrow and will end on Christmas Eve. That's the 7th, 14th, 21st and the 24th for those who want the dates. McKenzie and I will be taking turns hosting every other week.

Anyone can participate, as long as their posts are God-honoring. Your post can be scripture (prophecy or the Christmas story), a Christmas story (as long as it makes the true meaning of Christmas clear), Christmas Carols, etc... It can be serious or fun, but please do not post about Santa Claus or songs like Jingle Bells and We wish you a Merry Christmas. They don't fit in the qualifications of keeping Christ in Christmas.

There are some guidelines to follow and if you click on the picture above, that will take you directly to the guidelines and the hows of this carnival.

If you don't have a blog, you can leave a comment with what you would post if you had a blog.

We hope you will join us... Consider yourself invited!

What is important?

2009-11-30T01:24:00.000-05:00

It must be one of the 'I'm up late' moments. But I was thinking about what is important about going to bed early verses staying up late and, should I say, enjoying the peace and quiet. I stay up way too late most nights and get up late in the morning. I have all sorts of things I do when I stay up, entering giveaways, blogging on my family's site, working on HTML codes, emailing (not that I email a lot of people, it's just reading all the mail from email subscriptions.).
Which brings me to my question, what is important: going to bed early or staying up late and getting things you want done? That's something I haven't figured out yet. What about you?

A year ago

2009-11-27T17:28:00.000-05:00

Today marks a year since I paid my first, and I hope my last, visit to the ER for a severe sore throat. We were spending Thanksgiving with Momma's family and we all had varying degrees of sore throats, runny noses, etc... On Friday, I was feeling awful, though it's hard to remember about it. I do remember that breathing fast helped my throat feel a little better and that my fingers and around my eyes were tingling and I remember being very cold and crying because I hurt all over. I know that they drew blood (another first, that I hope not to repeat in an ER), because it hurt when she took the needle out and I had a bruise there. When Daddy took me back to Nona's house, I went right to bed and slept most of the afternoon. The next morning, Momma and I left early in the morning to go to Macon from North GA, Momma took me to see the oncall doctor at J's pediatrician, because the antibiotic wasn't helping and the pain meds didn't do anything to clear whatever it was up. Dr. G gave me a prescription for steriods. I was to take them for six days. By the second day, I felt so much better and I was able to work with J on his tubing and check 'n' changes. Momma and Daddy and K did them while I was sick. That is one experience that I wouldn't like to repeat.

This year, Nona, Poppa and Uncle E came down on Wednesday and we had a great visit. Thursday, we all ate Thanksgiving dinner together. It was delicious!

Coming in up in the world

2009-11-26T02:55:00.000-05:00

I am so excited! I found a great website with tutorials for the HTML code challenged people like me. Simply Fabulous Tutorials. Why not check it out? I was finally able to put a navigation bar for my family's business site that I get to set up and she also links to a website, My Live Signature, where you can make your signature. That's what I did. Now to figure out how to set it up to add my signature every time I post.

Taking Chance

2009-11-24T03:27:00.000-05:00

Tonight we had the privilege of watching Taking Chance. We heard about this film shortly before it came out on HBO. We signed up for Netflix the other day and Taking Chance was one of the first films we looked for. It arrived today and we watched it during dinner. I'm finding it difficult to express the movie in a few words. So here's an excerpt I found on Amazon...

Lt. Col. Mike Strobl's first-person narrative of his voluntary mission escorting the body of a fellow Marine killed in Iraq. Strobl (played in the film by Kevin Bacon) hadn't known Lance Cpl. Chance Phelps but, noticing they'd been born in the same western town, he requested temporary leave from his duties as a manpower-deployment analyst at Quantico in order to accompany the 20-year-old's body home. Home, as it turned out, was no longer their shared birthplace in Colorado but the high-country Wyoming town of Dubois. The journey would take Strobl deep into the heart of his nation, and his own heart as well. There's no overstating the power and beauty of what he encountered: one instance after another of not just military personnel but airline employees, passengers, and bystanders doing honor--mostly wordlessly--to Chance's coffin and his escort as they passed by. -Amazon commentary

It would be hard to describe the movie. It reminded me of a quote that was on Facebook on Veteran's Day. "Only two people have ever offered to die for you -- Jesus Christ, for your sins and the American soldier, for your freedom." I'm sad to say that I really didn't know what happened after a soldier was killed overseas. It also made me wonder if we really appreciate everything our military forces sacrifice for us. They are away from their families for long periods of time, they run a risk of being wounded and killed and they see their buddies killed before them. Taking Chance was, in a way, comforting. That sounds odd, but when I saw the people at the airport and everyone who showed respect for Chance and Lt. Col. Strobl, it made me feel that Americans do care and are thankful. We hear in the news about this 'terrible' war and all the casualities and how we should get out of this war quickly, but it seems we rarely hear about the patriotism of the Americans. It really adds a new perpective to the picture. I would really recommend seeing this film. Yes, there is one word in the movie that I would have left out. But it doesn't spoil the movie! This is one movie that I want to show to my family someday, to remind them of what America was made out of, and to not forget those who gave their lives that we might have the freedom of speech, religion, and the right to train our children in the way they should go, so that when they are old, they will not depart from it. Next time you see a service member, thank them for their service and thank them for everyone in America.

Semper Fi!

Doing Math

2009-11-20T20:02:00.000-05:00

Today I was working on my math. Problem 17, if you want to know:)... It was a trapezoid and isoceles in one, and I had three different numbers, two right angles and I needed to find the area. I couldn't figure out what it was and finally looked in the answer book to see if they gave any information to help me. The only thing I learned was that the answer was 640mm2 and that just told me that I was waaayyyy off. So I asked Momma to help me and she couldn't figure out what was going on either. I knew one of the numbers was a dud and knew which one. I was all set to wait till Daddy came home and ask him(because my Daddy knows everything!) Just then, K told me that J's diaper was leaking and could I go and change it? I headed out the door and immediately, I knew how to work the problem and get the answer I needed. It just took me a leaky diaper!

BirthVerse

2009-11-19T19:08:00.004-05:00

Acts 9:18 NIV

Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized.

That's my BirthVerse! I have to say, BirthVerse is unusual! Most of the verses you get when you enter your birth date and month aren’t what you’d expect. What is your verse?

Modesty

2009-11-16T11:00:00.002-05:00

Wedding dresses are something that has bothered me over the last few years, because of the lack of modesty.

These are wedding dresses from 1861. Not only are they gorgeous, but they are modest. However, I would like to point out that these dresses are huge and I don't see myself wearing them. But the basic style - highneckline and longer sleeves is what I'm mainly looking for.

The mark of the man of the world is absence of pretension. He does not make a speech; he takes a low business-tone, avoids all brag, is nobody, dresses plainly, promises not at all, performs much, speaks in monosyllables, hugs his fact. He calls his employment by its lowest name, and so takes from evil tongues their sharpest weapon.
Ralph Waldo Emerson, The Conduct of Life 1860

Now compare those wedding dresses with one that is common today.

Quite the difference there, wouldn't you agree? They are all beautiful dresses, but there is definitely a difference in between the two pictures. Yes, for some people, this is a modest dress and compared to others, it isn't. The main question that keeps appearing is, what is modest? I think that I Peter 3:4 answers that question very well, "Rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God." I believe that there are standards for modesty and that our parents should have a large say in what we wear. I would be among the first to say that I don't always agree with my parents on modest clothing. But I have found that they are always right if they have a check about my clothes and usually my momma doesn't object if I have a check about something either and we'll either pass it down to the next sibling in line or give it away.

According the dictionary, modesty is:

the quality of being modest; freedom from vanity, boastfulness, etc.
regard for decency of behaviour, speech, dress, etc.
simplicity, moderation.

Modesty isn't just what we wear, but what we do and say. Proverbs 31:30 says ^"Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, but a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised."

Just dandy, Thank you

2009-11-13T19:35:00.000-05:00

Yesterday we got the go-ahead from J's surgeon to start putting saline (we made ours, since it didn't need to be sterile) into J's mucous fistula to flush his colon. I was a little nervous yesterday, but it scared me today when I encountered some resistance while I was sliding in the tube. It made me wonder if I was doing anything wrong and if it was possible to puncture the intestines. I would think not, especially with the tiny foley catheter, but.... Right now, J seems to be tolerating 1 oz flushes every 3 hours or so. I'm thankful that it's going smoothly so far and J is still able to run around and play. But I'm still a little nervous when I've put the catheter in. Maybe its good to be nervous and to have that extra check... Because I'll be doing this several times a day for at least two more months.

Welcome to my world

2009-11-13T18:27:00.000-05:00

In the world of blogs, this is just another one. But this blog is my journey to becoming a keeper at home.

I am homeschooled along with my other siblings. I am learning to keep a kitchen clean, during and after I cook. I'm thinking about becoming a nurse. Or studying herbs. But nothing is definite, except for one thing, I am a follower of Christ. This is my story!

Carnival Guidelines

2008-12-06T17:18:00.007-05:00

Edited: Please add your posts in the MckLinky, so that other people can read them as well. If you are unable to add them, please leave a comment with the name of your blog, title of the post and the link and we'll add it in. While you are welcome to link to the guidelines, please also link to the blog hosting that week. Thank you for participating!

The December 7th Carnival, hosted by Hannah, can be found here.
The December 14th Carnival, hosted by McKenzie, can be found here.
The December 21st Carnival, hosted by Hannah, can be found here.
The December 24th Carnival hosted by McKenzie, can be found here.

Purpose of the Carnival

The purpose of this carnival is keep Christ in the forefront during the busy Christmas season and to encourage others to do the same.

Who Can Participate

Anyone can participate, as long as their posts are God-honoring. Your post can be scripture (prophecy or the Christmas story), a Christmas story (as long as it makes the true meaning of Christmas clear), Christmas Carols, etc... Please do not post about Santa Claus or songs like Jingle Bells and We wish you a Merry Christmas. They don't fit in the qualifications of keeping Christ in Christmas.

How It Works

Here is what will happen on the day of the carnival.

1-On each Monday during the carnival, We, McKenzie or Hannah, will post a new post and add a Mr. Linky or MckLinky at the bottom of the post. The carnival will be running every Monday in December and the last carnival day will be Christmas Eve.

2- If you want to participate, post a new post on your blog relating to the carnival topic (Keeping Christ in Christmas). Or if you already have an older post you would like to use, you are welcome to re-post it.

3-Then, come over to Pecan Pastures or One Southern Girl (whoever is hosting the carnival for that day) and enter your information into the Mr. Linky/MckLinky. On the top line include the name of your blog and the title of your post (for example-- One Southern Girl-Angels, We Have Heard On High). On the second line, include the link to your specific post (cut and paste this from your browser address line for the individual post), not to your website.

4-Add the carnival button to your post and/or add this paragraph somewhere in your post--most people include this at the beginning or end of their post.
This post is a part of 'Tis the Season carnival. You can head over to Hannah or McKenzie's site to read more Christ-honoring Christmas posts.

That’s it! We hope you will join us for our carnival. Consider yourself invited!