It’s Day 8 of the Giving Thanks Challenge hosted by Leah at South Breeze Farm.
I am thankful for the wonderful world of books and the way they have enriched my life. I’m thankful I learned to read as a child, that I was raised in a country that values literacy, and that there have been a wealth of books available to me all my life.
It’s Day 7 of the Giving Thanks Challenge hosted by Leah at South Breeze Farm.
I am thankful for the best of books, the Bible, and how it encourages, convicts, reproves, edifies, instructs, inspires, equips, challenges, guides, comforts, corrects, quickens, gladdens, and builds faith.
If you are at all crafty, whether you like to make things or enjoy looking at them, Amy Powers’ Inspired Ideas Christmas Online Magazine is a must see. It’s a feast for the eyes and imagination.
I saw this going around Facebook — it’s good for a smile:
1. Go to Google maps.
2. Go to “Get Directions.”
3. Type Japan as the start location.
4. Type China as the end location.
5. Go to direction#43.
6. Laugh
Also this video is cute — someone set it up so that people in a bathroom mirror saw anime characters mirroring their movements instead of their reflection. I don’t know if you’ll be able to see it if you are not on Facebook — they don’t seem to have this on You Tube.
Candy Coated Peanut Butter Cracker Sandwiches might be a fun thing to take to a Christmas party — or any get-together.
How to Make a Pilgrim Bonnet Out of Paper might come in handy later this month.
The Best Marriage Advice Ever (I am using his subtitle rather than the actual title): Funny and sweet post about the awkwardness when a couple’s marriage counselor, who also happened to be the bride’s father, came to the sexual part of the counseling sessions. “But the advice was well worth the awkward.”
This is inspiring, from Random Acts of Culture:
Hope you have a great Saturday! I have various little odd jobs to do but nothing major, at least not that I know of at this point!
It’s Day 6 of the Giving Thanks Challenge hosted by Leah at South Breeze Farm.
I am thankful for my extended family I came from — grandparents and parents no longer living, step-father, brother, sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins, nephews, and nieces all the way down to the newest one born last night. Each has had an influence in my life.
Welcome to Friday’s Fave Five, hosted by Susanne at Living to Tell the Story, in which we can share our favorite things from the last week. This has been a wonderful exercise in looking for and appreciating the good things God blesses us with. Click on the button to learn more, then go to Susanne’s to read others’ faves and link up your own.
Here are five of my favorites from the past week:
1. A shiny new cell phone! That takes pictures! (My old one didn’t). Mittu’s cell phone was stolen a few weeks ago, along with her wallet and their GPS device (not a favorite thing!). When we realized my phone was eligible for an update, I got a new one and we put her SIM card in my old one. The new one slides open rather than flipping open, as my old one did, so it is a little quicker and easier to get to.
2. Jason’s dinner invention. Monday my afternoon schedule spun out of control unexpectedly. Jason and Mittu happened to be home that afternoon and offered to make dinner, thankfully — otherwise it would have been a night for picking up something on the way home or scrounging something quick and easy when I finally got there. He came up with a slice of ham and provolone around sauteed and seasoned chicken tenderloin. I didn’t get a picture of it (we were too hungry to wait for pictures!) but it was good.
3. Redbox. Jason and Mittu had used and told us about renting movies from them for $1 a night, but I tried it for the first time this weekend. We watched How to Train Your Dragon — pretty cute. And since they have a box in front of W-Mart, it’s pretty convenient.
4. Forks. Somehow I am missing forks from my silverware. I even bought another package of silverware and have used all the forks while the spoons and knives remain in the box since I have plenty of those. I think the forks get accidentally thrown away when people use them with paper plates for lunch or snacks. But we got an Oneida catalog this week, for the first time that I remember, and not only did they have my pattern, but I could buy individual pieces (which I couldn’t in the store), PLUS they were having a sale: buy four of any one flatware piece and get four free. Very timely! So I just ordered a bunch of forks to replace the missing ones. It will be nice to have enough to go around! I hadn’t even thought to check with them — I had gotten my silverware at W-Mart and had forgotten it was even Oneida.
5. A double date. Jesse had an activity last Saturday, so Jim and I went to dinner with Jason and Mittu at Ruby Tuesday’s, using a coupon Jim found online. It was only the second time I had been there. I wasn’t terribly impressed the first time, but this time was really good — ribs, their cheddar mashed potatoes, and grilled green beans.
Bonus: Making flight arrangement for Jeremy to come home for Thanksgiving. I’m so excited!
It’s Day 5 of the Giving Thanks Challenge hosted by Leah at South Breeze Farm.
I am thankful “for the beauty of the earth,” as the hymn says — beautiful fall colors, spring flowers, multicolored sunsets, and so much more. Even though the earth is marred by the fall of man, God’s creativity, intelligence, and love for beauty still shine through. I am glad He made our home here beauitful as well as functional.
Booking Through Thursday is a weekly meme centering on the subject of books. The question for this week is one I suggested.
Various book memes usually have a question concerning what draws you in to a certain book or author and what turns you off, makes you put down a book unfinished or avoid that author in the future. Almost always people will answer “good writing” to the former and “bad writing” to the latter.
But what makes up good writing and bad writing? Since I suggested this a few weeks ago, I was going to have a really well thought-out response ready. But, alas, I haven’t spent much time with it and am late to the computer today. So just off the top of my head, here are my thoughts of elements of each.
Good Writing
A plot line that is not too simple or too obscure
Characters that I can relate to
Characters with depth, not cliched or one-dimensional
Punchy or beautiful sentences without a lot of wasted words or rambling unnecessary explanations or description
Clarity
Something of truth and possibly beauty that resonate with us even though the times, language, customs, etc. are different
Evokes the feeling of being right there
Believability, even in a fantasy
Bad Writing
Cliches or stereotypes in plot or character
Rambling
Excessive prepositional phrases or linking verbs (He is…or she was…) — action verbs usually make for stronger sentences and show us what the character is feeling rather than telling us.
Transitions that don’t make sense, leaving the reader confused
Foul language. Besides being offensive to me personally, it’s just unnecessary and even lazy in some instances when there are so many great words available.
Most of those characteristics would apply to fiction. Bad non-fiction to me is too or encyclopedic or academic (I don’t know why even textbooks have to seem so dry and dead, but that’s another topic); good non-fiction leads the reader along from point to point in a logical yet interesting fashion. It makes the reader think rather than just disgorging information.
Even still I don’t feel I am really adequately conveying what exactly constitutes good and writing, what engages me or bores me in a book.
What do you think? What makes up good writing or bad writing to you?
(Updated to add: though this meme focuses on books, I thought I’d share a couple of blogs that stand out to me because of the beautiful writing: Lisa Notes and Wrestling With an Angel.)
It’s Day 4 of the Giving Thanks Challenge hosted by Leah at South Breeze Farm. Today, and every day, I am thankful for my children — three sons and a daughter-in-law, each which unique personalities. They bring me joy and challenge me in my walk with Christ to grow and be a better person.
Linda at 2nd Cup of Coffee is discontinuing her weekly Random Dozen meme for now, maybe forever, possibly bringing it back some time as a monthly rather than weekly meme.
I was poking around my saved drafts yesterday looking for a post I thought I had started but never finished. I did find the post in question, but I also found, at the bottom of the “Recent Drafts” section of my blog dashboard, a “View All” button. I clicked it, and, voila, there were about 18 post drafts when I thought I only had about 5. I rummaged through them and found this meme that I had seen somewhere, partially answered, and left to sit there since last May.
So, being in the habit of feeling random and memey on Wednesdays, I decided to pull it out and finish it for today.
1. What time do you usually wake up in the morning? 5 a.m. weekdays, “whenever” on Saturdays, 5:30 on Sundays.
2. What do you do for the first hour of your day? Go to the bathroom, shower, get something to drink and take my Synthroid with, have some quiet time with my Bible, get Jesse’s breakfast and make his lunch, start getting ready to take him to school.
3. Where did or will you have lunch today? Home.
4. What did you or will you be eating lunch? My favorite lunch is leftovers — depending on what we have left over — or going out with family or friends. Today there is leftover creamed chicken and biscuits from last night plus a ham and chicken dish Jason invented on Monday. Don’t know yet which I’ll have.
5. What is your best high school memory? Graduation? 😀 I did enjoy the latter two years of high school but can’t think of a standout memory just now.
6. Tell us about your favorite pair of shoes. I have little black flats I wear every day.
7. What does a perfect Sunday afternoon include for you? Dinner with all the family, then a nap.
8. Was there one book that you read as a child that you still cherish? A Child’s Garden of Verses.
9. How would the people that know you personally describe you? I’m not sure. Probably quiet. My kids would say I’m a good cook. My Home Ec. teacher did not say so. But I think I’ve learned since then.
10. How would the people who only know you online describe you? I don’t know — how would you describe me?
11. How will you be treating yourself today? I usually treat myself to too many sweets or seconds.
12. What is your definition of being spiritual? Are you spiritual? This is one of the questions that had been left unanswered, and I was probably going to mull it over before answering and then just forgot all about the meme. To me the word “spiritual” connotes some kind of belief in a higher being outside ourselves, some kind of need to nurture soul and spirit, but is not necessarily Christian in its belief system. So by that definition I would say, yes, I do believe there is a “higher power” or Being and that I need to be rightly related to Him, but not in a vague, nebulous way. I do believe it matters what one believes in and I do not believe all spiritual paths lead to peace here or heaven hereafter. I believe in the God of the Bible, His Son and my Savior Jesus Christ, and I believe He communicates with us through His Word. On the other hand, “religious” has the connotation to many as being the system by which we work out what we believe, and in that sense I would say I am religious because we are supposed to work out our lofty ideals and bedrock doctrine into everyday life, but for some the emphasis is more on the works or the system rather than the belief. So while both words apply to some extent, neither one hits the nail exactly on the head. I usually just say I am a Christian, though some say “Christ-follower” these days.
If you’d like to do this same meme, feel free, and let me know if you do so I can come and see your answers, or feel free to answer in the comments if you’d like.
It’s Day 3 of the Giving Thanks Challenge hosted by Leah at South Breeze Farm. Today I am thankful for the fact that we have a voice in our government and the ability to vote in America, and I am very thankful for most of the results this year, but I am especially thankful that the elections are over for this year. 🙂
Stray Thoughts 