Thursday, January 29, 2009

Sunset

I noticed the sunset last night right before supper, so I squelched out into the soggy front yard and took some pictures. It was just beautiful!















Wednesday, January 28, 2009

I can't take it!

These things had better be heading elsewhere soon because I don't know how much longer I can take finding them all over the house! I just opened my sewing box and found one clinging to a piece of paper. :(

Icky, icky, nasty little bugs!!! The only thing good is that at least they can't hop anywhere, and they're not slimy or anything. *shudder* They're just impossible to kill apart from flushing them down the toilet.

Earwigs

Ah, they like moist areas...okay, so we either get earwigs, or we keep our house horribly dry all winter. I guess I'll have to deal with the earwigs. *sigh*

Monday, January 26, 2009

"There were ninety and nine"

We sang this at church last night, and I just love it.

Here it is, but excuse the cheesy video, I couldn't find a different video or a plain mp3:

Ninety and Nine ~Andrew Peterson


Or here's the lyrics and an mp3 of just the music: There Were Ninety and Nine

Friday, January 23, 2009

More book talk

Last week...I think...(maybe the week before, but it doesn't really matter) I went to Goodwill and found three books.

Murder Must Advertise ~Dorothy Sayers
Let Me Be A Woman ~Elizabeth Elliot
The Hobbit ~Tolkien







I already have a really cool copy of The Hobbit....this one I believe (lovely green cover and case!), but this one I found was pretty nice too and a very good price so I picked it up. Colin can have it maybe, or if I want to read it but don't want to carry around the super-nice copy I can read this one.

Then on Wednesday this week I went to the used book store, Edward McKay Books and More...I hadn't been there before and it was really cool! Anyway, I found three nice hardcover classics, and two CDs that I'd been wanting for a while:









The House of the Seven Gables ~Nathaniel Hawthorne, A Tale of Two Cities ~Dickens, Jane Eyre ~Bronte, and Paul Simon and CCR CDs.

And finally, I used the points from using this search engine and got two $10 Barnes and Noble gift certificates and with that got myself two books and a calendar. (I always end up getting a calendar so late that I hardly see the January page...)

A nice hardcover copy of Persuasion ~Jane Austen, Commentary on Romans ~Martin Luther (that should be good!), and a Winnie-the-Pooh mini calendar, because I'm all grown-up and sophisticated like that... ;)







I also on two different Goodwill trips found myself two black skirts...one a nice tailored knee-length wool skirt (something I've been wanting for a while), and the other one a long, swishy, black skirt that's five sizes too big for me, but that I'm going to do a little alteration on to make it work. It already had an elastic waist, so it shouldn't be too hard to get it to fit...although I do need to make it shorter too. But yay for cheap skirts from Goodwill, even if they do require sewing! :D

And certainly yay for inexpensive hardcover books!!! :) *grins happily*

And I'm going to a sleepover tonight, so that should be a nice end to the week...and make up for a stressful day at work yesterday.

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Books read in 2008

I've been meaning to post a list of the books I read last year, but haven't gotten around to it till now. I thought about jotting down a quick summary review of each book, but instead I just rated them 1-5, 5 being the highest. If you want to know more about what I thought of a book just ask me. :) (Keeping in mind I read some of these a year ago!) I have the feeling I left some out too...forgot to write them down.

5-I REALLY liked it!
4-Also very, very good
3-Good
2-Okay, but not necessarily worth the time
1-Wouldn't recommend it

Really the fours and fives aren't far apart...I had a hard time deciding how to rate those...I should have gone for a 1-3 rating perhaps, but I'm done now. :p

January:


Our Mutual Friend ~Charles Dickens ~5

Love, Work, Children ~Cheryl Mendelson ~1

Anything for Jane ~Cheryl Mendelson ~1

Vegetables Rock! ~Stephanie Pierson ~2

William Tyndale: The Smuggler's Flame ~Lori Rich ~4

Raising Demons ~Shirley Jackson ~5

February:

Surprised By Joy ~C. S. Lewis ~3

The Daffodil Affair ~Michael Innes ~4

Strong Women, Strong Backs ~Miriam E. Nelson, Ph.D ~3

Home to Holly Springs ~Jan Karon ~2

The Paper Thunderbolt ~Michael Innes ~4

Full Moon ~P.G. Wodehouse ~4

Summer at Tiffany ~Marjorie Hart ~3

The Heart of a Goof ~P.G. Wodehouse ~4

I Kissed Dating Goodbye ~Joshua Harris ~3

Cranford ~Elizabeth Gaskell ~4

Boy Meets Girl ~Joshua Harris ~4

Ivanhoe ~Sir Walter Scott ~5

April:

The Man from the Sea ~Michael Innes ~4

In Tune with Wedding Bells ~Grace Livingston Hill ~2

Found Treasure ~ G. L. Hill ~2

A Peaceful Retirement ~Miss Read ~3

Blue Ruin ~G. L. Hill ~2

A Light in The window ~Mary Roberts Rinehart ~4

Under a War-torn sky ~L. M. Elliott ~3

Marigold ~G. L. Hill ~2

Mary Poppins ~P.L. Travers ~2

Mary Poppins Comes back ~P.L. Travers ~2

Celebrations at Thrush Green ~Miss Read ~3

Keeping Chickens ~Jeremy Hobson & Celia Lewis ~3

The New Sonia Wayward ~Michael Innes ~4

June:
The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook:Holidays ~Joshua Piven ~1

July:
Do Butlers burgle banks? ~P.G. Wodehouse ~4

More Five-Minute Mysteries ~Ken Weber ~2

The Coming of Bill ~P.G. Wodehouse ~4

New Pioneers ~Jeffrey Jacob ~5

Sweet Tea, Fried Chicken, & Lazy Dogs: reflections on North Carolina life ~Bill Thompson ~2

August:

Sarah Morris remembers ~D. E. Stevenson ~4

Still glides the stream ~D. E. Stevenson ~4

The Baker's Daughter ~D. E. Stevenson ~4

Katherine Wentworth ~D. E. Stevenson ~4

The Great Gatsby ~F. Scott Fitzgerald ~1

Mere Christianity ~C.S. Lewis ~4

September:

To Serve Them All My Days ~ R. F. Delderfield ~4

Celia's House ~D.E. Stevenson ~4

October:

Do Hard Things ~Alex & Brett Harris ~4

Emma ~Jane Austen ~5

November:

A Clergyman's Daughter ~George Orwell ~1

The House on the Cliff ~D.E. Stevenson ~4

The Alchemist ~Paulo Coelho ~2

The Citadel ~A.J. Cronin ~4

Fahrenheit 451 ~Ray Bradbury ~5

The Red Badge of Courage ~Stephen Crane ~1

December:

The Silver Chalice ~Thomas B. Costain ~5

A Lantern in Her Hand ~Bess Streeter Aldrich ~3

My Antonia ~Willa Cather ~3

1984 ~George Orwell ~4

Jane Eyre ~Charlotte Bronte ~5

I'm not sure how I somehow didn't read any books in March or May, but perhaps I wrote them down wrong. Probably...since February and April are awfully long lists. :p

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

What's that white stuff?

Hey, it actually snowed! Not as much as they were predicting at first, but still snow. It started snowing about 9:15 or so last night, but then it stopped so I wasn't expecting to see snow on the ground when I woke up this morning.

But we got maybe a 1/4-1/2 inch or so. :p

They started out the forecast by saying that we'd get just under an inch, and then increasing amounts further south, but they revised that to being about two inches at the southernmost point. Seems strange that there would be more snow further south...not fair! :D

And it's cold! 25 degrees. Brr...

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Lazy blogging

1. What is your occupation right now?
Nanny...and homemaker in training.

2. What color are your socks right now?
Um....black w/snowflakes and penguins :p

3. What are you listening to right now?
Right now...Open Arms by Journey...thanks to Pandora radio.

4. What was the last thing that you ate?
Ham sandwich

5. Can you drive a stick shift?
Haha...you've gotta be kidding...

6. Last person you spoke to on the phone?
Um...Mom.

7. Do you like the person who sent this to you?
Well, I stole it off a blog...but sure! :D

8. How old are you today?
19

9. What is your favorite sport to watch on TV?
Baseball.

10. What is your favorite drink?
In general? Er...water? Tea?

11. Have you ever dyed your hair?
Yep, dyed it red.

12. Favorite food?
I like lots of food!

13. What is the last movie you watched?
North By Northwest

14. Favorite day of the year?
*shrug*...my birthday?

15. How do you vent anger?
Find someone to listen to me complain. hehe...

16. What was your favorite toy as a child?
Oh wow, I'm not sure....I liked my Polly Pockets...and not those kind they make now! The tiny little ones that were probably a choking hazard.

17. What is your favorite season?
Fall!!

18. Cherries or Blueberries?
Blueberries

19. Living arrangements?
With my family. :)

20. When was the last time you cried?
Ah...a month ago? 2 months? I don't know....

21. What is on the floor of your closet?
What isn't??

22. What did you do last night?
Knitted and watched TV.

23. Plain, cheese or spicy hamburger?
Cheeseburger with just mustard.

24. Favorite dog breed?
German Shepherd

25. Favorite day of the week?
Oh, Tuesday or Friday probably.

26. How many countries have you lived in?
One

27. Diamonds or pearls?
Diamonds I guess....small ones.

28. What is your favorite flower?
Pansy

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Nice...

Hmm...someone apparently doesn't realize that we have a subscription to the paper. But as it is, if they're going to send us articles from it we might as well cancel the subscription!

Well, the important articles anyway:














I did go rather OCD over the way the clippings were folded and the crooked stamp....but I thought the typewritten address on the envelope was a nice touch.... :p

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

The fairy shoe person

Hey, that'd be awesome...to be able to just magically get shoes. :D

It's funny anyway....Neil Patrick Harris plays the shoe fairy on Sesame Street...he's wonderfully snarky...oh, except he is apparently rather fairyfied in real life...heh. :/

Part 1


Part 2

Friday, January 09, 2009

Check it out

I updated my blog list...it's a bit long now... :p A couple of friends also just recently got blogs.

Amanda...well, she had one before, but she started a new one: Trips & Treks

Lauren has a blog now: In Retrospective

And her sister Caroline does too: Antique Rose

So, check out Amanda's new blog and welcome Lauren and Caroline to the blogosphere! :)

Oh, I also want to thank you all for your comments on the New Year's post. :)

Thursday, January 08, 2009

Cl...cli...clichéd....

Sorry...had a little trouble getting that word out. :p

Edit: Hmm...I realized I rather repeated myself a couple times in this post, and my commas got way out of hand...I think I got it fixed now. :p

I don't really make New Year's resolutions, but I'm planning to this year work on being healthier....well, as much as it's in my power. :) And that's where the clichéd part comes in, because almost everyone starts out the year resolving to be fit and exercise and be so super-healthy in the new year. And then they give up on it in a few months...or maybe around Valentine's Day when there's candy to eat. :)

Well, anyways, this isn't exactly a resolution, it's more like doing something about the fact that I've been feeling way older than I am...and I don't mean mentally, I mean things like the fact that my knee aches on cold mornings. Seriously! The weather shouldn't be affecting me yet! :p

So, for starters I've been remembering to take my vitamin D, calcium, drink some milk every day, and drink more water. And next thing I need to work on is exercising. I figured out that the muscles in my back are sort of out of alignment because I have a habit of leaning slightly to the right. When I sit in the car I slouch to the right unless I'm driving, I sit on my computer chair the same way...although I'm fixing that a little by sitting on the exercise ball I got for Christmas...and when I'm at work I carry the baby on my right hip. So I need to do something about that!

I got a fascinating book from the library about back pain, and I think I'm going to have to do some more research about what she talks about in there. The basic theory is that the main muscles in your torso, the psoas muscles, also affect how the rest of your body functions. That sounds a little out there, which is why I say I'm going to have to research it more. But if it is in fact true, which it may be, that might help more than my back. So I'm definitely going to look into that more, and the exercises that go with it.

I also need to get back to lifting weights as well. And I realized I've found one actually enjoyable cardio/aerobic exercise...contra! :p Laura and I went again this week (with a couple of friends), and it was when we were on the way home and Laura was sighing with exhaustion and saying "that really was a good workout", I realized that it really was. Ha-ha...I mean, obviously it's good exercise, but it hadn't occurred to me that it was painless cardio exercise! Unlike jogging/running, jumping rope, or bicycling, it doesn't leave me with a pain in my chest, cramp in my side, and my knees hurting.

But mainly I have to do something about my back, so I'm going to try to find out more about what the author of that book is talking about. Especially kinesiology (which the book also talks about), because it sounds pretty interesting. I hadn't even heard the word before the Olympics, but beach volleyball player Kerry Walsh had had a shoulder injury and was wearing kinesiology tape which is somehow applied in some way to help the muscles recover. At any rate, kinesiology sounds interesting....NOT to be confused with "Applied Kinesiology" which is a bunch of nonsense. :p But kinesiology is human kinetics...and stuff like that fascinates me. :)*

I'm thinking of perhaps doing some studying/research on health and fitness this year. I think a lot of people worry too much about health...go to the doctor all the time, get flu shots, stuff like that, but there are many practical things we can do. Although as far as that goes we eat fairly healthy already, for example; so certain health things may be nothing different for me. Nothing against anyone who goes to the doctor, I just don't see the point of it, especially when during cold and flu season you're more likely to get sick from going to the doctor's office and being exposed to all those germs. On the other hand, since I work for a pediatrician I suppose I shouldn't complain about people going to the doctor and in the process paying her salary. ;) And we do go to the doctor if we have to, we just don't have many actual reasons to go.

So, I have no idea if any of that made sense, but it's just some of the stuff I've been thinking about. And I wanted to blog because I haven't blogged for...oh, about a week! :) I meant to write something earlier but I've been busy.

Sometime I need to post my reading list from last year too...I kept track of all the books I read. And that reminds me: I need to start a list for this year.

*I think my two favorite schoolbooks were my physical science textbook and the algebra program that finally worked...I guess I love mechanical and slightly abstract concepts. :D ...like centrifugal vs. centripetal force. Thus...human kinetics fits right in there.

Thursday, January 01, 2009

It's 2009!

Hello, welcome to 2009! I've just got a quick review of the past year, some of the slightly more interesting stuff. Maybe...

January:
  • We went to Illinois
  • I got to know my second-cousins a little better :)
  • I made several new things, including sewing a skirt, knitting and felting a hat, and making smoothies
  • I had a VERY boring New Year's Eve at my grandma's house!
February:
  • Considered starting a business selling home-made bread...that kind of came to nothing didn't it?
  • My blog was featured in the paper
  • I complained about Valentine's Day
  • I got a cell phone
March:
  • We got a new washing machine
  • I wore an amazingly bright green sweater on St. Patrick's Day...yes, I posted a picture
  • I rambled about some important stuff and some very un-important stuff
April:
  • I went to a gubernatorial debate-fun
  • I got my wisdom teeth taken out-not fun
  • I accidentally took the cat to the library
  • I watched American Idol an awful lot...I don't think we're going to watch it this year. I'm tired of it.
May:
  • Went to the homeschool convention...didn't go to the dance. If they have it this year, I might go!
  • Met Jessica in person at the homeschool convention...found out she's the 2nd-cousin of one of my friends (!!!) Weird...
  • Built a trellis to grow squash on...the termites destroyed a lot of it just this year though. :(
June:
  • My cousins from Ohio visited! I'm always happy to see them. :)
  • My mom and I made and canned apple butter and strawberry jam
July:
  • Colin turned 7!
  • I played volleyball and decided I do actually like it.
  • We went and saw the farm that some friends of ours have...the goats chewed on me.
August:
  • Took a CPR/First Aid class...remembered that I hate classes, and felt queasy about the first aid video
  • Watched the Olympics...got very tired of seeing Michael Phelps
  • Got a job!!!
September:
  • Turned 19
  • Went to a weekend retreat at camp...decided I probably won't go again
  • Found out about contra dancing in Winston...went to my first dance.
October:
  • Went to a square dance, met some more people that I only knew online! :)
  • Entered stuff in the fair
  • Went to the fair
November:
  • My cousins visited again for Thanksgiving
  • Fell down stairs at work and injured myself *rolls eyes*
  • Voted! ...although there weren't very many people I wanted to vote for
December:
  • Bought a laptop
  • Went to lots of holiday events.

So, hmm...that was 2008. Well, there are some things I'm very happy about. The fact that I got a job is probably the most influential thing that happened. But although I rambled about a lot of unimportant stuff, I feel like I learned a lot this year too. It's been a different sort of year, that's for sure. I'm not sure I could put it in words, but I feel like a lot of stuff has happened that has shaped my life. Wow...that sounded cheesy...but I can't think of any other way to put it. Things might not have always gone the way I wanted or expected, but I don't think I'd change them if I could. So all in all, it was a very good year. :)

And now, I just have a little request for the new year...I know I've got a lot of readers who don't ever comment, so it'd be cool if you'd leave a comment on this post, either saying what you liked most about the past year, or just saying hi, or whatever you'd like to say. :) You don't have to have a Blogger account to comment even, you can just put your name, or initials, or whatever in the name/url section. *watches as all her readers decide that's the last thing they're going to do...* :p

Anyway, Happy New Year! :)