Sites to see

  • Melli has a marvelous plan for our next presidential election. (Melli for president!!)

11. Never marry a man who lets you take the initiative in everything. You want a jellyfish, maybe? You want Burt Lancaster instead.

12. Never marry a woman who never lets you take the initiative in anything. You want a porcupine, maybe? You want Maureen O’Hara instead.

  • I don’t remember where I saw the link, but I might try this idea when reading through some of the shorter epistles. In my “reading through the Bible but necessarily in a year” plan, I am in II Corinthians right now, coming to some of the shorter epistles that are all too easy to just zip through. They are so meaty, and to amble through some of them in one reading and then just go on to the next one the next day leaves me feeling like I am not getting as much as I could out of them, and I have been wanting to take more time to absorb them. (By the way, with this and the link just above it, I am only familiar with these particular posts. I haven’t read anything else so therefore I can’t endorse the entire site — it may be fine, but as with any link, use your own discernment.)
  • Kim at Life In the 10/40 Window guest-posted here today about a missionary wife’s perspective in adjusting to the field. It’s an excellent article not only for a window into a missionary’s adjustment but also for dealing with any major life changes. I like this summation:

I think that we do others a disservice when we hide behind a mask and pretend that everything is o.k. We are human and we will struggle. We can help someone else through the struggle, if we are willing to humble ourselves and be transparent. God knows that we are dust (Ps. 103:14)! How marvelous that He still chooses to use us!

In the craft department:

Finally, a couple of LOL Cats funnies:

cat

cat

Farewell, Summer, Fair But Faded Summer…

I mentioned earlier that I am a little more reluctant this year than usual to let go of summer, I think because our June was so busy that it didn’t seem like summer really began until a week or two into July. So I loved finding this poem here one Poetry Friday a few weeks ago. The whole poem is there, but these last two verses especially resonated with me as I say farewell to summer and hello to autumn.

Farewell To Summer

by George Arnold

The fitful breeze sweeps down the winding lane
With gold and crimson leaves before it flying;
Its gusty laughter has no sound of pain,
But in the lulls it sinks to gentle sighing,
And mourns the Summer’s early broken spell,—
“Farewell, sweet Summer,
Rosy, blooming Summer,
Sweet, farewell!”

So bird and bee and brook and breeze make moan,
With melancholy song their loss complaining.
I too must join them, as I walk alone
Among the sights and sounds of Summer’s waning.…
I too have loved the season passing well.…
So, farewell, Summer,
Fair but faded Summer,
Sweet, farewell.

Giveaways and Good Things

Karla Dornacher, whose artwork and books I love, is giving away a recipe keeper, magnets, notepad and digital art kit. Click here to find out more, and while you’re there you might check out her Thanksgiving and Christmas in Jesus’ name clip art collections.

Vanilla Joy is giving away The MiniBox by The Original Scrapbox. That is an unbelievable deal, a $795 value. It is a craft table and storage unit all in one. The contest ends Sunday: you can find out more about it here.

Finally, you may have seen on several blogs, as I have, that Martha Stewart is hosting a blog contest to choose several blogs to be featured on her blog. Go here to see an article about blogging and to enter the contest.

This and that

Punctuation makes all the difference! One of the last things I do at night is read the evening portion of Daily Light on the Daily Path. I don’t usually take my little cheapie reading glasses up to my bedroom for that: the print is large enough that I can usually make it out. I misread the opening verse in last night’s section as, “What meanest thou, O sleeper arise?” I thought, “Hmm, I don’t remember that one.” A closer look revealed it was actually, “What meanest thou, O sleeper? arise” from Jonah 1:6. The former is what I might say in King James’ time if someone woke me up too early.

Excitement at Grandma’s. We had a tornado warning Tuesday afternoon, sirens going off and everything. I wondered how they handled that at the assisted living place. The next day I found out that they have the residents come out into the hallways: there is a hallway that runs around the building with residents’ rooms on the outside and the library, laundry, salon, etc. in the center. Then yesterday my mil said they all had to go out of the building across into the grassy area because there was “some kind of threat,” though she didn’t know or remember just what it was. I wondered what kind of threat they could have had and asked the med tech when she came around: turns out it was just a fire drill. Some of the residents get upset by a change in routine, but my mil thought it was an interesting change of pace, something to break up the monotony. 🙂

Sometimes she talks about enjoying a “life of luxury” with all the time in the world to enjoy her favorite pastime (reading) without having to think about cooking or cleaning, but other times she admits to getting bored and lonely occasionally. Yet still when they have any kind of activity, even a time yesterday of celebrating all the birthdays for the month with cake and ice cream, she declines to go except for maybe twice now in the past two months. One of the staff members popped in while I was there yesterday to discuss something else, and when she realized that Mom hadn’t gone down to the birthday celebration, she said next time she’d go down and encourage her to go. I think if one of them just pops her head in the door to let Mom know there is something going on, she’ll decline just out of habit: she says she’s “too lazy.” But this lady had the type of personality that seemed like she could cheerfully invite without being overbearing.

Orthodontia, take 3. Jesse had his evaluation yesterday with the same orthodontist his brothers had, Dr. Smiley (a good name to go with that profession. 🙂 ) Oddly enough, he has the exact opposite problem they did. They had overbites; he has an underbite as far as his jaw structure goes, but his bottom teeth don’t protrude because they have turned sidewaysand bent back in some cases. Dr. Smiley said with this particular type of problem, they could straighten the teeth but it could all go back since he is still growing, and it might be best to wait until his later teens when his growth has plateaued. They did all the diagnostic tests yesterday and we’ll go back in a couple of weeks to see what his recommendation is.

Decorating style. I saw a link at Lifenut‘s to this pictorial quiz to determine your decorating style. The pictures are lovely, though a little too small to see the details, so I just went by impression on some of them. My results, though, instead of saying “romantic” or “cottage” style, said “Lady of the Manor”:

When it comes to all household, interior design and decorating decisions, you are in control, you are in charge. Your house is your domain. Everything – and we mean everything – has been lovingly attended to, right down to the finer details. There’s no such thing as too pretty in your book, and probably never too much pink or pomp either.

Well, the parts about pretty, pink, and details are fairly accurate, but I am uncomfortable with the emphasis on “control.” I happen to be the only lady of the manor, and menfolk generally don’t care too much about decorating, so that’s my domain. My husband and I do consult together and shop for big items together. The boys aren’t terribly interested except they don’t like “all the flowers,” so I have made a concerted effort to have the bathrooms and family rooms not quite so feminine-looking. They also give you a little blurb about your style in each room. Here’s what they say about my living room style:

You love to indulge the senses, to pamper and prettify…curvaceous sofas and generously comfortable upholstery, and an eye that misses nothing. There’s no doubt who’s the mistress of the house! The countryside is frequently an inspiration, and country-style accessories work incredibly well. There’s nothing prettier than an earthenware jug or a simple slipware vase filled with fresh flowers. Pastel pinks and yellows give the room a fresh, feminine feel, while floral prints and textiles are pretty and perennially appealing. Curled up on the sofa with a good book, your living room’s the perfect place for some “me-time”.

Pretty accurate, again, except I don’t like yellow. Here’s my actual living room:
Living room, left side

It was a fun exercise, though it didn’t really tell me anything I didn’t know. I was hoping it would identify what my “style” was — I’ve often said I am somewhere between country and Victorian.

Crafty giveaway! One of the craft blogs I read, Skip to My Lou, linked to a giveaway at a new-to-me family fun blog, Vanilla Joy. There is a giveaway for every day this week — a Cricut (today’s the last day for that, and that’s a big one!), and other assorted scrapbooking and craft tools each day.

Hmm…these little jottings have grown into a much longer post than originally intended! I could take all the decorating part out for another separate post later on — but I think I’ll just leave it as is. But I will stop now. Have a good day!

Good reads

Deena at A Peek at My Bookshelf is giving away 30 books, one each day, through the month of September. Read more about it here. I enjoy Deena’s book reviews.

In Fourteen Reasons For Fourteen Years, Jason Jantz shares perspectives of what God accomplished through the fourteen years his brother lived in a persistent vegetative state after an accident. His brother, Jeremy, just went home to heaven last week.

Janet at Findings had a great post about speaking the truth in love.

Gina at Chats With an Old Lady has some great thoughts about Christians and the fashion industry in What do you wear to the grocery store, Part 1 and Part 2.

I totally agree with Worthwhile Books’ thoughts on Profanity in Books and Culture.

Why read? I’ve been thinking about a post on that subject, but Sherry and Janet recently posted a multitude of good reasons, many more than I had thought of.

Tawra Kellum has a great perspective about ethics in frugality when frugal becomes just plain cheap. HT to The Sparrow’s Nest.

Skip To My Lou has clever back to school ideas to show teacher appreciation.

On the crafting front, here are some really cute candy corn pins and magnets, roses from maple leaves, 20 craft projects from Tipster (HT to Susan), a friendship letter book, felt cupcake ornaments, and pretty cards here, here, and here.

And finally, Katrina at Callapidder Days will again be hosting Fall Into Reading beginning Sept. 22. More details to come there Sept. 8.

Happy reading!

It might be a clue…

…that I spend too much time on the computer when I am trying to apply mascara to lashes that don’t show up well no matter what I use, and I find myself wishing I could highlight them and click “bold.”

The Simple Woman’s Daybook

Special note: MSNBC has a poll up concerning the motto “In God We Trust” on our currency, here. Really, God is God whether our money affirms it or not, but I would hate to see this country take a further step away from acknowledging Him or the people who want every vestige of God removed from public life awarded another victory. If you read anything of the founding fathers’ official documents you see that they did not deem that mentioning God was akin to establishing a national religion. But that’s another post. If you have opinions on the issue you might want to let it be known there. I don’t know how long the poll will be up.

Outside My Window...looks like a nice day — not too bright or hot.

I am thinking… about plans for the day.

I am thankful… that Jason got home from his summer in CA safely last night.

From the kitchen
…besides a birthday cake, not much today. I mentioned last week we’re celebrating my two older boys’ birthdays this week since they both wanted to wait til Jason got back. We took Jeremy out for dinner (at Fuddruckers) on his actual birthday and will tonight take Jason out to the restaurant of his choice.

I am wearing… my nightgown and robe still….with everyone home and one shower, I’ve been waiting for my turn.

I am creating… a birthday cake…though cakes are not my best thing.

I am going… out to eat. 🙂

I am reading… To Kill a Mockingbird still and Simple Gifts by Lori Copeland. I volunteered to do a book review for the latter on anther site and didn’t get to it…so I wanted to reread it and work on that review.

I am hoping… that a friend is able to get back into school this semester…either that the Lord will provide the finances or the business office will be merciful

I am hearing… my neighbor hammering.

Around the house…I got some clutter taken care of last week but have more to tackle, plus I hope to work on family room curtains soon.

One of my favorite things… is when the family is all together enjoying each other.

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week: the aforementioned decluttering and curtains, plus Jesse’s school orientation Friday night.

Here is picture thought I am sharing…of the birthday boys.

Boys in Christmas jammies

At the park

Brothers in 1992

Sigma finale

Jeremy and Jason

More daybook participants are here.

Seen today…

I just saw a headline for an article titled, “Your bag is boring.”

My immediate thought was, “My bag is not here to entertain you.”

🙂

A new writing circle

Peggy at The Simple Woman is trying to start an old-fashioned writing circle. I thought it sounded like a lot of fun! You can find the details here.