A Quiet Life Word Cloud




Create your own

Hat tip to Mental multivitamin


That was fun to do.
If you create one and want to save it...save the image to your computer before you go to the create a t-shirt page. Then you can just exit without purchasing a t-shirt.

You can change the words on your word cloud....I thought about changing diarrhea, but decided that that word represented a post that was very special to me.
Why would that post be special?...well...it was the comments that were special.

Especially this one;

Quite honestly, you are the only blogger whose story about, well, diarrhea would generate eighteen thoroughly pleasant, nay, supportive and kind messages.

Heh, heh, heh.

~Melissa

I loved that. Thanks :o)




Here is the article in The Old Schoolhouse Magazine. What a thrill to be in a magazine!
The author of the article wrote such kind things...well...I think I can just die now and use this piece as my obit!
Thank you, Spunky, for writing such a positive article about blogging! (and me :o)



A quick Question of the Day


If you were to issue a new postage stamp, who or what would you put on it?


Encourage one another,
Donna

Monday Morning Prayer
~John Baillie
A Diary of Private Prayer

Almighty God, who of Thine infinite wisdom hast ordained that I should live my life within these narrow bounds of time and circumstance, let me now go forth into the world with a brave and trustful heart. It has pleased Thee to withhold from me a perfect knowledge; therefore deny me not the grace of faith by which I may lay hold of things unseen. Thou hast given me little power to mould things to my own desire; therefore use Thine own omnipotence to bring Thy desires to pass within me. Thou hast willed it that through labour and pain I should walk the upward way; be Thou then my fellow traveller as I go.

Let me face what Thou dost send with the strength Thou does supply:

When Thou prosperest my undertakings,
let me give heed that Thy word may prosper in my heart:

When Thou callest me to go through the dark valley,
let me not persuade myself that I know a way round:

Let me not refuse any opportunity of service which may offer itself to-day,
nor fall prey to any temptation that may lie in wait for me:

Let not the sins of yesterday be repeated in the life of to-day,
nor the life of to-day set any evil example to the life of to-morrow.

Amen.




Jean-Jacques Henner (French, 1829–1905)


I like Baillie's prayers because he has a clear understanding of who God is.
He sees God as Mighty...and he sees Him as a God who cares and travels with him.

I also like the reverence and quiet of Baillie's prayers.
They point me in the right direction.
Always to God.


Encourage one another,
Donna

Hey there!

So many fun comments!
Thank you!

Now why do you think yesterday had so many comments?

I'll tell you what my husband said.
"There were only two questions to answer. It's not too hard to answer two questions."

I think that is a big reason, don't you? Sometimes it is hard to find time to answer five questions....or to read a long entry.

Whatever it was, it was fun :o)


But speaking of long.....






I finished The Count of Monte Cristo.

At page 800 I thought I was wasting my time. The 50 page rule kicked in, in my mind. But I wanted to finish. I had invested too much time not to finish.

And well...the last 500 pages were worth it. And not because The Count's revenge is complete. It is worth it when the Count is shaken out of his state of numbness...and he begins to think about the actions he has taken. And it is this thinking...this soul searching that I was longing for in the whole book.

For me, when the Count is redeemed, the whole book is redeemed.

And there you have the world's shortest review of the longest book :o)


And for my dear friend, Lynn...



Happy, Happy Birthday!
May all your birthday wishes come true :o)


Encourage one another,
Donna

Friday Two :o)



1. If you were trying out for American Idol, would you be gonged or would you be going to Hollywood? And most importantly, what song would you sing in our audition?


2. What was your first impression of your spouse or current partner?

(Thanks, Question of the Day)





Here's Emma!



She is working on her Rod and Staff English

She told me that when people find out she is homeschooled the two questions they ask her are:
What time do you have to wake up?
Do you wear your pajamas 'to school'?

Just finished



Left over Lorna's Laces yarn.


All ready for Storybook Ballet!!!



~photo by Emma

Katie's new dance class was just perfect. She loved it and it suits her perfectly!
Hooray!


Can't wait to come home this afternoon and see all the comments....
Emma and I guess the number in the car on the way home from our co-op.

Cheap thrills :o)

Encourage one another,
Donna

Carl Larsson





Each morning I approach the computer.
Sometimes with an idea. Sometimes not.

This morning no words came.
But an artist came to mind.

It was a Carl Larsson morning.

This silent cool morning made me think of Carl Larsson.

So I chose this painting for the peaceful family working together.

And then I blew it up in size....and noticed the mural on the wall and the interesting cactus.

Look at that mural. Very interesting.

This family has more range than first meets the eye.


The simple life is not necessarily comprised of simpletons.

No, indeed, it is not.

Perhaps the simple life lets one look at all things more closely.

The simple life, the quiet life, gives a thinker, time to think, perhaps...

Who knows what one might discover in the quiet....



Encourage one another,
Donna

Okay, so I watched American Idol last night....

And, oh, I wish I could remember the young gals name cause....she gave me chills.


Paris Bennett.

Super Sleuth Donna just found her name.

Remember it. She is going a long, long way.

(Besides the voice, she is a darling girl, too...and her grandmother is a Grammy award winner.)

The judges actually asked her to sing a second song because she sang the first song so beautifully.

I think Simon said, "Where have you been hiding?"

It was a great American Idol moment...


I actually hate to watch all the goofy folks (and was able to read 50 pages of The Count of Monte Cristo during the show)....cause why do I want to watch a bunch of people who just want to be on tv and can't sing to save their lives?
Why?
I don't know. But lots of folks like that aspect of the show.


But, if Paris Bennett sticks around...like I know she will...this will be a fine season of The American Idol.

I love to root for somebody...anybody.

A comedian once said that in sports nowadays...ya root for the jersey.
The players and coaches change so often...that ya root for the jersey.

And I see the truth in that. The men in this house will always root for the Packer jersey. Always.

Not me. Gimme one player to love or admire...I root for the guy.
The guy with the story.
The guy with the heart.


As with American Idol.
I got a girl to root for.
A little sweetheart of a girl...
with a voice.

You might just have to start watching to see if I am right about this now :o)

Encourage one another,
Donna

I think this may be the first American Idol post in two years.
Full of surprises, huh?

Help me name this photo.
Pictured is a basket of clean clothing, lit by sunrise.
I know there is a clever name for this picture....I just can't pull it from my brain this morning. Anything occur to you?


I love folding the laundry.
Especially the girls' clothing.
It is small and makes nice little packages.
It smells great!
It means we have our favorite things to wear...again...


This poem is a repeat...but it's been a while since I posted it.
It's a favorite of mine!


A Song from the Suds

Queen of my tub, I merrily sing,
While the white foam raises high,
And sturdily wash, and rinse, and wring,
And fasten the clothes to dry;
Then out in the free fresh air they swing,
Under the sunny sky.

I wish we could wash from our hearts and our souls
The stains of the week away,
And let water and air by their magic make
Ourselves as pure as they;
Then on the earth there would be indeed
A glorious washing day!

Along the path of a useful life
Will heart's-ease ever bloom;
The busy mind has no time to think
Of sorrow, or care, or gloom;
And anxious thoughts may be swept away
As we busily wield a broom.

I am glad a task to me is given
To labor at day by day;
For it brings me health, and strength, and hope,
And I cheerfully learn to say-
"Head, you may think; heart, you may feel;
But hand, you shall work always!"

Louisa May Alcott


Encourage one another,
Donna

I've been tagged by Farm Girl
Farm Girl is my friend Jean's daughter....and it turns out she is a little lurker here at Quiet Life :o) She started her own blog last week and tagged me for this meme.

Here goes...


Meme in Four-Four Time

Four jobs I've had: I taught aerobics for years at the YMCA; I was a teacher's assistant in a classroom with deaf preschoolers; I worked in a clothing store in Minocqua Wi. for two summers; I teach sign language from time to time.

Movies I (could/would) Watch Over and Over Again: She's the One, Field of Dreams, To Kill a Mockingbird, Big. (There....I tried to give you four unique choices for me....cause you all can guess my favs by now!)

Four Books I (could/would) Read Over and Over Again (besides the Bible): Seventeenth Summer, Where the Red Fern Grows, Are you my Mother, Put me in the Zoo

Four Places I've Lived: Elmhurst Ill., Wheaton, Ill., Marinette, Wi., Madison, Wis.
Firmly planted in the upper Midwest.

Four T.V. Shows I Watch: Okay...I'll say shows I watch this month.
Grey's Anatomy, The Bachelor (don't hate me), Regis and Kelly, All My Children (have I ever told you that?)

Four Places I've Been on Vacation: Maui, Hi., Hayward, Wi.(Almost every summer of my childhood), Martha's Vineyard, Florence, Italy.

Four Websites I Visit Daily: imdb.com, almost all of my sidebar, my ginormous list of favorites, and The Well Trained Mind.

Favorite Foods: Lobster, Filet with bernaise sauce, crusty bread with butter, Enstrom's toffee.

Four Places I'd Like to Be Right Now: Maui, here.

***************


We haven't talked about food in a while...

As a child my family's menu consisted of two choices: take it or leave it. ~Buddy Hackett

There is nothing better on a cold wintry day than a properly made pot pie. ~Craig Claiborne

All sorrows are less with bread. ~Miguel de Cervantes, Don Quixote

How about sharing your four favorite foods!?!

Encourage one another,
Donna

Oh, by the way, I took a lobster tail to show in tell when I was a little girl. I think my parents brought it home from a restaurant to show us.... I took it to class, shared the wonder of it...and left it in my desk....for a little too long.
All I remember is the teacher looking in my desk and finding the long forgotten tail!
Ew.

....honestly, do you feel like you do enough? Do you feel pressured to do more? Do you think you do too much?

Jen Ig is wondering...

Here was my reply;

I live in the comfy state of denial about this issue.

As long as I am loving God (and I mean loving Him by obeying Him), loving my husband and loving my children.....anything after that is gravy.

And really I know that you, like me, don't sit around and give ourselves credit....where credit is due....

The house is clean (albeit stinky from time to time :o), there is food to be eaten,
clean clothes, and jobs that are completed, socks are knit....relationships are nurtured and folks are encouraged.

Oh yea. Children are educated too :o)

That's a truckload of stuff.

Perhaps because we love it so well....it doesn't feel like we are doing much.
It's not big and flashy. It's life as we know it.

And I think I better stop thinking of myself as lazy....you too!

Love,
Donna

But....speaking of Big and Flashy. I hear that I am in a magazine.

The Old Schoolhouse magazine is featuring homeschool bloggers this edition.
Go and see the cover.

Can you believe my name is mentioned in the same magazine with Susan Wise Bauer.

Well...that is just surreal.

I will be going to Barnes and Noble today to see if they have the magazine!

How exciting!


Now...all y'all can guess if I am able to purchase the magazine without showing the check out person that I am in the magazine.

I have a habit of being friendly to check out people (it runs in the family)
Will I be able to hold in the excitement???

Stay tuned!


Have you been in a magazine? What for?


Encourage one another,
Donna

Friday Feast

Appetizer
About how many times per day do you check your email?

Soup
If you had the money to collect something really valuable, what would it be?

Salad
Write a sentence using the letters of your favorite beverage. (Example: The egret admires.)

Main Course
If you could be on a game show, which one would you want it to be?

Dessert
Name 3 computer programs or web sites you would hate to be without.





For Crissy...and anyone else who might wonder.

How did I learn sign language?

When I graduated from college, I still didn't know what I wanted to do so I went to Gallaudet University in Washington D.C. (The National Institute for the Deaf) for a two week summer school program.

I learned a ton at Gallaudet. Came back to Wisconsin, took sign language courses at a Tech. school for one Semester (and taught at the YMCA at the same time :o)
And I got a job in Illinois at a school for the Hearing Impaired.

I loved that job! Loved the little children and the teacher I worked for!

I highly recommend Deaf Education! It's very rewarding.



And if I could collect anything....

I think I would collect houses.


Off to class.

To teach is to learn twice. ~Joseph Joubert, Penses, 1842

Our aim in education is to give a full life. We owe it to them to initiate an immense number of interests. Life should be all living, and not merely a tedious passing of time; not all doing or all feeling or all thinking - the strain would be too great - but, all living; that is to say, we should be in touch wherever we go, whatever we hear, whatever we see, with some manner of vital interest
~Charlotte Mason

Encourage one another,
Donna

You all make this blogging thing so much fun!
I still need some answers to the movie quotes you listed.
Emma helped me with the Napoleon D and Elf quotes. I have not seen Elf, but Emma seems to think it is very funny and cute.

Will Ferrell is so over the top I usually can't stand him.



I did, however, adore him as a cheerleader....and he is a fabulous Alec Trebek.
I don't know who told him over-the-top was the way to go?

Probably Robin Williams.


**************

Yesterday was quite full.

Sign Language with the high school girls went well. I tried to spend more time on conversation. Between the three of them, they could decipher almost everything I signed. It was so funny how they bounced around with the replies. If Emma didn't, know a word, Kathryn or Emily were right there with the answer...and visa-versa.

They better be together if they run into a deaf person :o) *chuckle, chuckle*


Then, last night was Parent-night pancake dinner at Awana. Katie was very proud to have me come along with her. It was very good to see how the night is run, from beginning to end.

Katie's leader is gentle and patient.

The parent's participated in the games with the children. We chased and gathered thrown Superballs. (Just for the sake of running and gathering) The kids love this game. One of Jeaneen's children said to her. "Mom! I didn't know you could run!"

Funny, the things our kids have never seen us do...ah....youth.


Like tap dance....

Well...that's another story.


Have a great day!

Encourage one another,
Donna

The Yarn Harlot's Olympic sized knitting challenge

Check it out! I think I may sign up for this. I just have to think of a project that will challenge me a little more than the usual socks.


**********

Question of the Day


What is your all-time favorite quote from a movie?


Oh there are so many for me...I will think on this for a little while....

A few come to mind immediately;

Hey Boo
As you wish
The happiest times are when babies are born, Capitan Butler.
You're my knight in shining armor, don't you forget it.
Maybe it's a celebrity coming to knit with you!
He hates these cans!
Lord loves a working man, don't trust whitey, see a doctor get it fixed.
I can't stand 'em
Absolutely
...for as long as we both shall live.
Hi Gary.


Do you know what movies they are from?
It's rather easy. I think one or two might stump.

Have fun.

Well...I've got a busy little girl here who needs some breakfast and attention.
See you in the comments box.

Encourage one another,
Donna

A little talk about Diarrhea and sugar free gum.

Katie had diarrhea for the first time in her life this weekend. (Don't tell her I told you) It was just one episode and came totally out of the blue. She was feeling completely well.

I could hear her whimpering in the bathroom. She was a little frightened by what was happening. I assured her that she would be just fine...and told her that she had diarrhea.

I immediately reviewed her day's diet. Nothing unusual.
Ah...but could it be....the sugar free gum?

You see, Katie eats gum like a crazy lady. When she has a package. She gobbles it up. Lots of pieces at a time! She finishes it very quickly.

Now why would I suspect sugar free gum?

Well, when we were children we had a maid. Her name was Pauline and she was diabetic.
Pauline always had sugar-free candies. I remember always wanting them...
But I also remember my mother telling me that too many sugar free candies could give you diarrhea!

So my dear mother's words came back to me Saturday afternoon.

Katie, had indeed, eaten nine of the twelve pieces of gum in just two hours.
I didn't let her have any more gum and she did not have any more episodes.

Today, I googled diarrhea and sugar-free gum.
And it seems to be true that the chemicals in sugar-free gum can cause diarrhea!

Jackson Gastro

Yale-New Haven Hospital

Did you know this?
Is it common knowledge?

I'm glad to know.
And from now on...I will be the Gum Police.





All better :o)


Encourage one another,
Donna

Monday, Monday


Ten quick and easy ways to make a knitter angry.

1. Consistently refer to her work as a "cute hobby."

2. When the knitter shows you a Shetland shawl she knit from handspun yarn that took 264 hours of her life to produce and will be an heirloom that her great-great grandchildren will be wrapped in on the days of their birth, say, "I saw one just like this at Wal-Mart!"

3. On every journey you take with your knitter, make a point of driving by yarn shops but make sure you don't have time to stop. (This works especially well if there is a sale on.)

4. Shrink something.

5. Tell her that you don't know why she knits socks, that it seems silly when they are only $10 for five pairs and they're just as good.

6. Tell the knitter that you are sorry, but you really can't feel a difference between cashmere and acrylic.

7. Tell her that you aren't the sort of person who could learn to knit, since you "can't just sit there for hours."

8. Quietly take one out of every set of four double-pointed needles that she has and put them down the side of the couch. (You can't convince me that you aren't doing this already.)

9. If you are a child, grow faster than your knitter can knit. Requesting intricate sweaters and then refusing to wear them is also highly effective.

10. Try to ban knitting during TV time, because the clicking of the needles annoys you.

Yarn Harlot : The Secret Life of a Knitter
by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee

(recently seen at Happy Catholic)


***********

If you missed watching the Women's National competition this weekend...click here to see the winner skate an extraordinary encore!

Sasha



*********


My tree is down and the Christmas decorations are all put away. (Well, except for the nativity....It has to do with box.)

The living room looks bare!


I put the tree (still in the stand) in the front yard at the corner of the house where we lost a tree last summer. The wind keeps blowing it over. We need some snow to hold it in place and to cover up the red and green tree stand.

I'm just testing out how a pine tree would look in that space :o)

Perhaps Katie and I can make bird food pine comes and create a nice little haven for the birds. That sounds like a great idea !


Encourage one another,
Donna

Good Morning!

Well....

Sign Language class was wonderful. Both classes are full of children who are there to learn! What a delight! They are attentive and learned quickly...so quickly, in fact, that I had to scramble and add more to the second class.

And my worries about nursery rhymes being to babyish for the older boys....
unnecessary!

After going over Little Miss Muffet twice...One of the older boys raised his hand and asked if they could try it by themselves! It was soooo great!

I am going to try to think of some interactive games the kids can play...a kind of fact gathering they can do by only using sign language....
Emma thought a version of hang-man might be fun.

Any ideas?





Hello, Gorgeous!

The hard to come by Knitterly Things Neapolitan.
Size One needles over 72 stitches.

An absolute delight to knit with. Absolutely!



And yes, that is my tree...still up....
It is not dropping any needles and is so small I don't feel cramped by it...and, well, the box is in the basement and I can't seem to remember to bring it upstairs.

I am such a middle child it is scary. If someone brought that box upstairs...I would, no doubt, fill it...but being the person who has to take the initiative and get the box....well that is just beyond me, I guess. That is the job for a first born. Don't ya know!

How many excuses can you count in the above two paragraphs?

he he he

I suppose today will be the day.
I don't have a thing planned.

Must. Get. Box.

I am so lame!

Have a great weekend!

Encourage one another,
Donna

I'll make this quick...

I gathered some Questions of the Day to answer today...the Friday Feast looked like a rerun.

1. What do you think is the most soothing sound?
2. What was the last movie you saw? Was it good?
3. What temperature do you have your thermostat set to in your home?
4. Should kids have Cell phones? How old should a kid be before getting a Cell phone?
5. A visitor from abroad who has never been to your country before is coming to stay with you. What one place, attraction, or event would you be sure to take him or her to?

Thank you, Question of the Day (http://indigobluegreen.blogspot.com/)

I'll post this afternoon to share with you how sign language class went.
And to tell you if I figured out how to work the alarm on my bedroom clock.
It is presently flashing 12:00.




See ya in the comments box :o)

Encourage one another,
Donna

The excitement is building.
The nerves are starting to get a bit rattled.

Tomorrow is the first day of sign language class.

I will be teaching 23 children in two different classes.

This is a very large group for me to teach. I don't doubt I can do it. It's just that there are many unknowns...and that is the scary part.

Such as how long to spend on fingerspelling.
Should I pause on let them practice for a few minutes during class.
Which nursery rhyme should I teach? Will the older group think it is too babyish...

Those sorts of worries....
Which will sort themselves out, I am sure.

Here is the book we will be using.




Oh...I hope they like it!


Yesterday, Katie and I worked very long and hard on learning nine books of the New Testament for Awana; Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 & 2 Thessalonians, 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus.

Well, I might as well have been teaching her Greek (he he) cause, man, these weird words just were not sticking. And I wish you could have heard her say Thessalonians!

We tried; repeat after me. Nope. Not workin'

I got out the Bible and explained that all of these names are people that Paul was writing letters to.
I showed her a map...showed her Ephesus...where the Ephesians are from. Still not clicking.
We went to the piano. I found a little booklet with the New Testament books written to a cute little song. We sang it. Again and again and again.

She still couldn't remember those big, strange sounding words.

"Well, honey...we tried. You tell your teacher we tried really hard to learn these!"

"They will help me." said Katie.

And, they did. They gave her a pass on those books of the Bible. I wish I could have seen all the prompting it took! I am very grateful for an understanding teacher!

Can you tell that I stressed over this....way more than Katie did?

Yikes!

Encourage one another,
Donna

Thank you for the thoughtful comments, yesterday.

Here is what I learned this weekend.

I learned that if you fight (bicker, argue, talk loudly with angry voices) in front of your children, it doesn't matter to the children (or anyone else for that matter)....why you are arguing or who started it.
All they hear are unpleasant words and tones.
And they feel those bad feelings.

They don't care if you are right and the other is wrong
They don't care if you have been wronged.
They don't care if you are defending yourself.

Once you join in the fight. You are fighting. bickering. argring.

So it is possible to deceive yourself into thinking that you are not the contentious one.

Very possible.

and for a very long time.




Perhaps this sounds like someone you know.
Perhaps not.

I hope not.

For it is very unpleasant thing to realize about oneself.

Being right isn't so great when it comes at the cost of a peaceful home and tender little hearts.

Nor is defending yourself worth those two precious things.





It's what I learned on my Christmas vacation.

I am thankful that every day is a new day.

To try again.

To learn anew.






Little messages, left by tender hearts,
messages of hope.


Encourage one another...to start anew,
Donna

Have you ever thought of moving to Wisconsin and living on solar power?
Well....let me tell you...forget about it!
You would freeze to death!



Here is a sight unseen for three weeks around here. The weatherman promises that the sun will shine all day today. I hope he is right :o)

I want to open all the shades and warm the house, naturally.

Stay, Mr. Sun. Stay all day.



Here is a picture of Matthew and Melinda



Cute, huh?

They are both back in Omaha now. Melinda has started a new job at a pre-school and Matthew went back to Omaha a week early to earn money. I sent the Echinacea and Astragulas with him and can only hope he doesn't push himself. ( Keep resting Matthew....and drinking! Sorry you forgot your fan and your football. bummer)


So we are back to our usual routine. Homeschooling, blogging, budgeting....


Thank you for your comments yesterday. I see four names I do not recognize! Thank you for taking the time to say hello! And everyone else...thanks for being your friendly, uninhibited selves!

It's De-lurking week. So let the fun continue!

Encourage one another,
Donna

Two Things






Did you know that we have some holidays here in Blogland?
Well....we do!

It is the second annual de-lurking holiday!

Last year Sheryl from Paper Napkin created De-lurking Day...this year she is extending it to the whole week!

You may De-lurk here at my blog...and you may save one of Sheryl's cute de-lurking buttons and have a big de-lurking party at your own blog!

So if you have never commented here before this is your big chance...and you have the whole week to get the nerve!

You don't have to be brilliant to comment...and it doesn't take very long!

Hello from Helsinki, will do!

No one will make fun of you....I promise.




The second thing...


2 Things

2 names you go by:
1. Donna
2. Mom

2 parts of your heritage:
1. Greek
2. Danish

2 things that scare you:
1. phone calls in the middle of the night
2. a knock at the door past 9 pm

2 of your everyday essentials:
1. Diet Dr. Pepper
2. A bagel

2 things you are wearing right now:
1. shortie pj's (for coolness at night)
2. long nightgown (for modesty)

2 favorite bands or musical artists (at the moment):
1. Prokofiev
2.

2 favorite songs at the moment:
1. Peter and the Wolf
2. The Photo song...by Nickleback

2 things you want in a relationship (other than real love):
1. kindness
2. laughter

2 truths:
1. God Loves Us
2. Forgiveness is Essential

2 physical things that appeal to you (in the opposite sex):
1. A nice smile
2. tall

2 of your favorite hobbies:
1. knitting
2. watching television

2 things you want really badly:
1. I want to have a sunny day...the sun has not shone in a long time here in Wisconsin.
2. I want my children to walk in truth

2 places you want to go on vacation:
1. New York
2. Western Europe

2 things you want to do before you die:
1. I would love to see all my children as adults with families of their own
2.

2 ways that you are stereotypically a chick:
1. I cry easily and often
2. I have no interest in what is under the hood of a car.

2 things you are thinking about now:
1. That my hands are cold and I need to finish the blog soon.
2. We resume classes today

2 stores you shop at:
1. Millers
2. Marshal Fields

2 people you would like to complete this meme
1. Janet
2. Sandy





See ya in the comments, de-lurkers!

Encourage one another,
Donna

Morning!

If you like/love/appreciate photography you might like to vote for MSNBC's Picture of the Year.

Vote here

Click on 'readers choice'.



Emma and I like the fashions! ( She is the only one in the family to have any fashion sense at all! I, on the other hand, know what I like but don't have the figure or the budget to follow ANY trends. Well...I suppose I could wear my hair like Farrah...but I don't actually like that look. I still prefer Jennifer Aniston's hair :o))


Ten trends you thought were over, but are back in again!

Ten Trends


I spotted this article over at Chic Knits.


Just a little silliness for a Saturday.
Saturday Sillies! I like that :o)

I have often said that I wish I had invented blue jeans: the most spectacular, the most practical, the most relaxed and nonchalant. They have expression, modesty, sex appeal, simplicity - all I hope for in my clothes. ~Yves Saint Laurent

Be careless in your dress if you will, but keep a tidy soul. ~Mark Twain

If honor be your clothing, the suit will last a lifetime; but if clothing be your honor, it will soon be worn threadbare. ~William Arnot

Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society. ~Mark Twain

When in doubt, wear red. ~Bill Blass

Encourage one another...and have a little fun while you're at it :o)
Donna

Friday Feast


Appetizer
Have you ever seen a ghost or an angel?

Soup
What is your favorite board game?

Salad
What was the last movie you saw that made you cry?

Main Course
What would you do if you had 3 months off from your job?

Dessert
What kind of shoes are you wearing today?



I cried a little during Cinderella Man when Mae Braddock said;


"Maybe I understand, some, about having to fight.
So you just remember who you are... you're the Bulldog of Bergen, and the Pride of New Jersey, you're everybody's hope, and the kid's hero, and you are the champion of my heart, James J. Braddock."

and then when Mae went to church to pray for her husband before the big fight...

(I won't spoil it. It's a special scene.)





Katie asked me to write Jesus on a plain piece of paper yesterday morning. She took the piece of paper and returned five minutes later with this adorable snowman and a sentence constructed all by herself.

I will be putting this in a very safe place!


Encourage one another,
Donna

Poor Katie...and the problem with assuming

Yesterday, I drove to Appleton Wi. to pick up Emma. Appleton is two hours away.
I asked Katie if she would like to come along or if she would like to stay home with her big brother.

"Well. It's a long drive.
And I get sleepy in the car.
And I don't like to get sleepy during the day.
So I would like to stay home.
Is that okay?"

"Yes, that's fine. I'll wake Matthew and tell him you are staying home."

So, I open Matthew's bedroom door ( it is 9:00am and he is still sleeping) to tell him that I am leaving...I leave the door ajar, and assume that he will get up in fifteen minutes or so.

I kiss Katie goodbye and tell her to chew her bagel well...and if she starts to choke to go to Matthew. I leave ten minutes late and forget the phone.

For two hours I drive and worry that Katie has choked.

When I get to the Mall (meeting place) I ask Emma to borrow her phone so I can call home, but she just has called and spoken to both Matthew and Katie.

Phew. All's well.

After a great visit with Cindy, (my friend who has hosted Emma for the last five days and has driven her to Appleton) Emma and I head home.

We arrive home at 3:30. Katie and Matthew have just returned from the West Towne Mall where the two of them had lunch and did a little Christmas shopping.

Katie tells me that she was lonely for me and that she cried on the couch.

"Why did you cry Katie? Hey Matthew! What time time did you get up?"

"Eleven" he mumbles.

Ugh!


Poor dear! Rattling around in the house all by her lonesome :o(

Next time, I will be specific.

Katie is not really any worse for the wear...I mean she was rewarded with fries and a strawberry Julius at the mall from her big brother...

But the thought of rattling...well...just makes me sad.

And very grateful that nothing awful happened.

Like choking!


Encourage one another,

Mother of the Year




This is the international sign for choking. Just so you know!

It seems like a good day for a little Tolstoy!

(Just skip to the last paragraph if this looks too long. *grin*)

The melancholy silence that followed was broken by the sounds of the children’s voices and laughter from the next room. Evidently some jolly excitement was going on there.

“Finished, finished!” little Natasha’s gleeful yell rose above them all.

Pierre exchanged glances with Countess Mary and Nicholas (Natasha he never lost sight of) and smiled happily.

“That’s delightful music!” said he.

“It means that Anna Makarovna has finished her stocking,” said Countess Mary.

“Oh, I’ll go and see,” said Pierre, jumping up. “You know,” he added, stopping at the door, “why I’m especially fond of that music? It is always the first thing that tells me all is well. When I was driving here today, the nearer I got to the house the more anxious I grew. As I entered the anteroom I heard Andrusha’s peals of laughter and that meant that all was well.”

“I know! I know that feeling,” said Nicholas. “But I mustn’t go there— those stockings are to be a surprise for me.”

Pierre went to the children, and the shouting and laughter grew still louder.

“Come, Anna Makarovna,” Pierre’s voice was heard saying, “come here into the middle of the room and at the word of command, ‘One, two,’ and when I say ‘three’... You stand here, and you in my arms— well now! One, two!...” said Pierre, and a silence followed: “three!” and a rapturously breathless cry of children’s voices filled the room. “Two, two!” they shouted.

This meant two stockings, which by a secret process known only to herself Anna Makarovna used to knit at the same time on the same needles, and which, when they were ready, she always triumphantly drew, one out of the other, in the children’s presence.
~War and Peace

Isn't that delightful...a little knitting magic trick with needles and yarn.
I have read just recently of knitting this way. Two socks on one needle, one inside the other...
It definitely sounds like magic to me....and well...too hard to try on my own.

If only I could sit with Anna Makarovna...


The above quotation makes me want to read Tolstoy when I am finished with The Count of Monte Cristo. Ya gotta love a guy who writes so well about knitting!

Which Tolstoy book do you recommend?


Encourage one another,
Donna

Acting Out




~Katie is the wolf





I received this wonderful rendition of Peter and the Wolf for Christmas this year!
Katie danced, skipped, twirled and crawled through the entire score, twice.

I have wonderful memories of this particular version of Peter and the Wolf.
I don't remember acting it out like Katie does. (If I did anything...I skipped in a circle.) But I do remember rocking in the rocking chair while listening.

I loved to rock when I was a little girl. I did it a lot.
I even rocked in high school. We always had a comfortable rocker in the house and LLoyd/Flanders bouncy chairs around the pool. In these chairs, I could be found, rocking and rocking and rocking. It must have comforted me. Hey, it beats drugs.

People were saying "You Rock" to me long before it was a saying :o)


Back to Peter and the Wolf.

If you haven't listened to this piece, you really must see if you can get it from the library. It's very wonderful.


Did you receive any music for Christmas?


Encourage one another,
Donna

P.S. I tried a glider rocker once...it was quite lovely too.

Today is my 2nd Blogiversary.

I posted the following on Jan. 7th 2004


On Personal Writing


All quotes taken from Writer's Inc.

"There is one type of writing, however, that may have more to offer than most movies. It is called personal writing, or writing that comes from within, carried out because you have a personal need to explore or share your experiences."

"Once you get into personal writing, you'll soon realize your thoughts and experiences are no more than starting points. You'll begin to turn these initial ideas inside out and see them in new ways. This might sound like heady stuff, but it really isn't. Personal writing is simply an effective way to examine your world."

"Journal writing works best when it is done on a regular basis....The important point is to get into a writing routine."

"In the best of all worlds, journal writing will become a very important part of your life, right up there with good friends and good food. But we will settle for something far more practical and down to earth: That through journal writing you will begin to feel more comfortable with the physical act of writing and more confident in your ability to express yourself."

"Put it before them briefly so they will read it, clearly so they will appreciate it,...and, above all. accurately so they will be guided by its light."
-Joseph Pulitzer


************

One reason why I started to blog...and why I continue to blog....

Therefore, encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.
1 Thessalonian 5:11

Another reason...

You.

I have received so much more than I have given!
Thank you all for dropping by, for leaving a note, for saying a prayer... and for the love.

XXOO


Encourage one another,
Donna