Tag...You're It!

I know I just wrote a book-related blog last week, but in all fairness, I did warn you that it probably wouldn't be the last! Besides, I was just tagged by my new friend in the Philippines, Kiel, to answer this book survey, so it would be rude of me not to play!

Book That Changed My Life
Loving God With All Your Mind (by Elizabeth George)

Book That I've Read More Than Once
So many! (I like to get my money's worth, and go back and re-read through looking for symblolism...guess that's just the surpressed inner-English nerd coming out) I've probably read Jane Eyre most (by Charlotte Bronte)

Book I Would Bring On a Deserted Island
The Bible---I'd definately need it for encouragement until I was rescued, and I know I'd be better about reading daily if it were the only book I had.

Book That Made Me Cry
Little Women (Louisa May Alcott)

Book(s) I Wish Had Never Been Written
The Abram's Daughters series (Beverly Lewis)...they started out SO good, got me hooked so I read all five books (and they were long), waiting for the happy ending...and it didn't deliver!

Book I've Been Meaning To Read
Mere Christianity (C.S. Lewis)

Book I'm Currently Reading
The Magician's Nephew (C.S. Lewis...another re-read of "The Chronicles of Narnia"...I told you, I love looking for symbolism, and this is a great one!)

Book I Wish Had Been Written
Harry Potter Book 7 (J.K. Rowling), but I am patiently waiting!

Thanks for including me in the fun, Kiel! And now it's my turn to tag five fellow bloggers...I hope they don't mind! (And if you do mind, I'm sorry, and I wont be offended if you don't play along...I know not everyone enjoys reading as much as I do!)

Lisa N

Karen S

Sheri D

Paula H

Kathy C

13 Random Songs On My Ipod

I know you're probably thinking, "Man! I had no idea she was cool enough to own an Ipod." And the truth is, I'm not (and the peek into my music collection that I'm about to offer you will confirm that, I'm sure). I was, however, given one as a gift from the church office when I retired last January, to stay at home with Norah... and I love it! Finally a place to keep all of my random music, without having to dig through all my mix CDs to find the one I'm looking for! So far I'm up to 747 songs (of the 10,000 it can hold), so for your Thursday amusement, here is a random sampling of a few of my favorites:

1. Mrs. Robinson--The Lemonheads (Jason and I dig this "upbeat" cover version over the Simon & Garfunkel original...yeah, yeah, I know its from the less than wholesome "The Graduate", but you'd like it too if it was called "Here's To You, Mrs. Whatever-your-name-is")
2. Great Light of the World--Bebo Norman
3. The Longest Time--Billy Joel (The first non-Christian a capella song I ever remember hearing on the radio...I still love it every time I hear it)
4. Creed--Third Day (Best concert I've ever been to, hands down, bar none)
5. A Week in the Country Jail--Tom T. Hall (Who can help but love a song that can mangage to intelligably work in the lyrics "she brought that hot bologna every day"?)
6. Desperado-The Eagles
7. Your Love is Better Than Life--Acapella
   
8. Canned Heat--Jamiroquai (What's sad is, Jason's the one who helped me find this random song after I heard it on the "Center Stage" soundtrack. Who the heck else knows who Jamiroquai is? Ok, maybe everyone but me, but I still maintain that my husband is a fountain of trivial information).
9. Voice of Truth--Casting Crowns
   
10. Get Out the Map--The Indigo Girls
    
11. Mockingbird--Carly Simon & James Taylor (Mock... yeah... Ing.... yeah... Bird... yeah.. Yeah? Yeah)
12. The Lord is Blessin' Me (Right Now)--Soul Union (Awesome group of guys from our church)
13. Oh, Holy Night---N-Sync (Oh, come on! You KNOW I have a slew of Christmas music on my Ipod so I can listen to it in October if I want to! And this is one of my most favorites...and I know, N-Sync's not exactly the coolest group I could choose to associate myself with, but they do the BEST version of Oh, Holy Night... unless you count Mariah Carey's version, which features that powerhouse high note done like only Mariah Carey can do it, and even then, I can only take hearing it about 2 times per year)

Do You Know the Michelin Man?

Norah seems to be growing by leaps and bounds (developmentally, at least). Over the weekend, she started rocking on all fours, a tell-tale sign, we're told, of a rapidly approaching "all-out crawl". She's also figured out how to pull herself up from a seated position to standing. She still has to hold onto something to keep her balance, but she can get up without being pulled. Now that she knows she can "stand up", it is becoming increasingly difficult to put her into a sitting postion (she "stiff-leg's" it every time!).

As if this weren't enough, I'm pretty sure I felt what might be her very first tooth pushing its way through her lower gums. (Thankfully, I made this discovery with my finger, and not by some other, less comfortable means) My precious baby girl is growing up! So far, her tooth doesn't seem to be bothering her. She hasn't been fussy, but she has been taking really good naps--guess all this growing is really taking it out of her!
While shopping for a birthday gift for another one of Norah's "little buddies", I came across this Fisher Price classic--the stacking rings! I decided I had to have it for Norah, since it is for children 6 months and up...well, and because it was only $4.88! What a deal! And in case you're curious (read: nosey...just kidding!), Norah's "little buddy" scored a Mrs. Potato Head and the bonus expansion "Glamour" accessory package. (Was I the only kid out there who thought Mr. Potato Head was the coolest toy on the planet?)

The caption I've assigned to the first picture is, "Hmmm...what else can I do with these pretty rings?" And the second picture I've titled, "Do you know the Michelin Man?" And no, she didn't really deck herself out, Daddy was playing with her and decided she needed a little bling, so he lovingly outfitted her and called Mommy to take the picture. I feel like I ought to confess...we're having way too much fun with the whole parenting thing. Every day is a new adventure, filled with blessings beyond our wildest imagination.

Knit Blankets in August?

As promised, (so long ago now that I doubt anyone remembers, but I don't really care, I'm excited, so I'm gonna drag you through my grow-up version of show-and-tell), here are some photos of the baby blankets I've been working on this summer for our Threads of Love knitting group (Oh yeah, and a sweet baby girl who loves to play peek-a-boo).

If you would have told me 3 months ago that I would knit 2 teddy bears, 3 washcloths, 2 blankets, and be halfway through with a scarf by the end of the summer, I probably would have told you: A--"I don't knit", B--"I'm not coordinated enough to learn how to knit", and C--I don't have time to do all that!" But here it is, August, and I've proven myself wrong...and I like it! (And no, my hair hasn't turned grey, and I'm not wearing it in a bun everyday, but thanks for asking)


The Threads of Love group at our church was just started this spring, and has begun knitting for orphans in Romania, as well as for the Hope Pregnancy Center, here in B-CS. In addition to learning a new skill (that helps make car trips go by much faster, and doesn't make me nausious like reading does), I have met women of all ages who I might not have had the courage to approach, otherwise. One of the coolest things about this ministry, is that while we knit, we pray for the recipients of our projects. I think those prayers will bless the recipients lives much more than my very imperfect blankets will, and I've definately been blessed to be a part of this new ministry.

Next week is the collection date for all of the blankets, so I'll try to remember to take a photo of them for the blog. I think it will be fun to see all the different colored blankets together. Mom and I have committed to "adopt" a Romanian child to knit for, and I'm really looking forward to making that connection. (That's who the half-finished scarf is intended for)

Norah is precious while I'm knitting (well, and pretty much all the rest of the time too). She loves to sit in my lap and help me hold the yarn. Who knows, maybe in a few more years she'll be knitting for another little Romanian girl. (There are several kids under 10 who are involved in Threads of Love, and they're kicking tail! Good thing this project was started before they all went back to school)

Well, thanks for indulging me in my little brag-fest. That's all for now, hope you have a great day!

13 Books I've Reacted To

Anyone who knows me well, knows that I am a bonified bookworm (read: book nerd), so it was only a matter of time until my T13 was dedicated to some of my favorite literary works. Fair warning...this probably wont be the last book post you see!

1. The first book that made me cry:
Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls

2. A book that I saw (and liked) the movie version of:
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

3. A book that made me laugh:
At Home in Mitford (the whole Mitford series, really) by Jan Karon

4. A book that I hated so much I sold it the day I finished it:
The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown

5. A book I loved in elementary school:
Charlotte's Web by E.B. White

6. A book I loved in middle school:
Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier

7. A book I loved in high school:
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

8. A book I loved in college:
Wild at Heart by John Eldredge

9. A book that strengthened my faith:
An Echo in the Darkness by Francine Rivers

10. A series that I love:
Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling (Also The Inheritance Trilogy by Christopher Paolini, The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis, and The Mark of the Lion Trilogy by Francine Rivers)

11. My favorite children's book:
The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein

12. My favorite book with pictures:
Animalia by Graeme Base (who also wrote my favorite "mystery", The Eleventh Hour)

13. My favorite book not on this list:
The Bible

Little Buddies

We spent some time with our good friends, the Averys last week, and in the process, snapped a few sweet photos of their boys, Garrett (4 yrs.) and Nathan (2 yrs.), playing with Norah (6 mo). Its funny to think that someday they'll all be grown up and look back at these photos, and (hopefully) think, "Wow! We've been friends since we were babies!" I have a few precious photos like that from my own childhood, and something about seeing them always warms my heart. Maybe I'm just a sucker for nostalgic sentimentality, but whatever the reason they're special photos to me. I hope these will be just some of the first in a long line of "lifetime friends" that Norah can call her own. I am so thankful that God has blessed us with such an abundance of Godly friends with kids close to Norah's age.

Jason and I love Garrett and Nathan like they're our own family. And we feel the same way about so many of our other friend's kids. It's amazing to think that the relationships we have with these little children today are laying the foundation and framework for our mentoring relationships to them in the future. Today we're boucing them on our knee singing, "Ride a little horsey" and in the blink of an eye, we'll watch them go from thinking the opposite sex has cooties to blushing at the mere mention of their crush's name.

It drew to my mind the tremendous blessing, and responsibility we have, not only as parents, but as Christian examples to our children's friends. I pray that we will be able to maintain good relationships with Norah's peers as they grow up, and that we will be good examples to them, as we strive to do the same for our own daughter. Besides the confidence I have that Norah will have strong, Christian friendships, there is something incredibly comforting in knowing that Jason and I will have lots of support (and company) going through the joys and trials of raising a Godly daughter in a thorny world. I hope that in the years to come, our friends and we will be able to maintain a unified front and the "we're all in this together" spirit that we feel today. I hope that our friends will be as eager for us to "call out" their kids' dress code violations, poor music choice, or negative attitudes (if applicable) during their teenage years as they are for us to spank their 3 year old when we catch them doing a "No-no", today. (And I sincerly hope they'll be willing and comfortable to do the same for Norah, should she need it.)

For now though, I think I'll just enjoy our sweet kids the way that they are today. Innocent. Loving. And faithful without questioning. The photos below were of Nathan. He watched Norah drop her pacifier, and without even being prompted to do so, he gladly picked it up for her, and gently put it back in her mouth. I thought it was pretty precious that he's already taking good care of his "sister". (Even if 10 years from now he isn't too keen on the photos of him kissing her!)

A Big Day For "A.A."

Today was a momentous day for my little sister. In addition to celebrating her 24th birthday, Amanda made what may have been her final drive to Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, to walk the stage.

We decked Norah out in her "Bearcat" t-shirt (compliments of AA--aka "Aunt Amanda") and matching orange bow. Our cheering section was comprised of Amanda's boyfriend, Trae, our brother, Jonathan, Amanda's good friend, Lisa, our folks, Norah and me. After the ceremony, we got a surprise when we ran into our cousin, Frances (aka Frankie), who had come along with her best friend, Christy, to watch Christy's sister graduate, so we took the opportunity for a photo op. (One of many... probably too many from Amanda's vantage point...but I think she'll be glad for the pictures one of these days)

It was a proud morning, watching my sister receive her diploma after a few years of hard work, dedication, and a lot dashboard time between B-CS and Huntsville. (And FYI, she did not eat it when she went up to receive her diploma) Norah wasn't too keen on sitting still and being quiet for the duration, but between the fact that Sam isn't too huge and it was a summer graduation, we got off pretty easy, time-wise.

Next stop for Amanda: Austin for grad school. I can't believe after 24 years together, we'll be living with over 100 miles between us! (Thankfully, her time at Sam Houston has proven that she's more than capable and willing to drive a few miles)