Mermaid Costumes

Some of you may remember This post on Rebecca's Blog about the day we made mermaid costumes for the Peter Pan play. Well, the girls took them home and decorated them. And we finally got pictures of the full costumes. I thought they turned out pretty well :) We are missing one of the mermaids, she also played Nana the nursemaid dog, and she did bows in her dog costume, but you can see her in the bottom picture, she is wearing gold. We voted for a more modest version, Rebecca came up with the drape idea for the top. I was able to find material is gorgeous sunset colors. It was such fun!

Random Laughs

One of my friends posted this on her Xanga. It made me laugh!

Some Of My Favorite Ways To Maintain A Healthy Level Of Insanity...
1- Finish all your sentences with 'In Accordance With the Prophecy'

2- As often as possible, skip rather than walk

3- Specify that your drive-thru order is 'to go'

4- Sing along at the opera

5- When the money comes out of the ATM, scream 'I WON! I WON!'

6- Tell your children over dinner that 'due to the economy, we're going to have to let one of you go.'

7- Five days in advance, tell your friends you can't attend their party because you're not in the mood.

MY favorite:

8- When leaving the zoo, start running towards the parking lot yelling: 'RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!!!! THEY'RE LOOSE!!!'

The wrapper of the chocolate I opened this afternoon said "Always Sing Along With The Elevator Music" :)

Quiz

1. Name someone who made you smile today? Ashley

2. What were you doing at 8:00 this morning? Kit for Kids work

3. What were you doing 30 minutes ago? turning out the lights for bed

4. Name something that happened to you in 1992? Let's see..... well... I learned something.

5. When is your birthday? November 1

6. Four words to explain why you last threw up? ewww! I was very sick.

7. What color is your hairbrush? black and silver

8. What was the last thing you bought? Food

9. Here do you keep your money? The bank

10. What was the weather like today? Cloudy, rainy, and cold.

11. Where did your last hug take place? At Mom's

12. What are you excited about? Sleep

13. Do you want to cut your hair? Umm... not really, I need more layers though...

14. Are you over the age of 25? Nope

15. Do you talk a lot? Probably

16. Do you watch The O.C.? Nope

17. Does your screen name have an "x" in it? No

18. Do you know anyone named Kelsey? Yes

19. Do you make up your own words? Yes

20. Are you ticklish? Yes, but I won't tell where.

21. Are you typically a jealous person? Isn't everyone

22. Name a friend whose name starts with the letter "C": ummm.. hops over to Facebook.. Chris

23. Who's the last person to call you? Dad, most likely.

24. Do you chew on your straws? Nope

25. Do you have curly hair? Not really

26. What is the next concert you're going to? Joe has a choir concert on the 20th... I was maybe going to Beethoven's 9th last weekend but it didn't happen.... :(

27.Where did you go today? Work, and DBQ for violin lessons.

28. What is something you say a lot? _____ Dairy Queen this is Katie how may I help you.

29. Have you seen the movie 'Donnie Darko'? Nope

30. Do you have to work tomorrow? No, Praise the Lord!!!!!!!!

31. Who was the last person you said "I love you" to? Luke

32. What should you be doing right now? Going to bed.

33. Do you have a nickname? Yes

34. Are you a heavy sleeper? Usually

35. What are you listening to? Silence

36. What is the best movie you've seen in the past two weeks? Sense and Sensibility

37. Is there anyone you like right now? Nope, I don't like anyone at all ;)

38. When was the last time you did the dishes? Yesterday

39. Did you cry today? almost

The Finest Silver

I was thinking about this story the other day, then tonight when I was doing a little computer Spring cleaning low and behold, there it was :)

The Finest Silver

There was a group of women in a Bible study on the
book of Malachi. As they were studying chapter three,
they came across verse three which says: He will
sit as a refiner and purifier of silver. This verse puzzled the women and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God. One of the women offered to find out about the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible study.
That week this woman called up a silver smith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn't
mention anything about the reason for her interest in
silver beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver.
As she watched the silver smith, he held a piece of
silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities.
The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot - then she thought again about the verse, that he
sits as a refiner and purifier of silver. She asked the silver smith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined. The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left even a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.

The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silver smith, how do you know when the silver is fully
refined? He smiled at her and answered, "Oh, that's easy -
It's finished when I can see my image in it."

A weekend picture

o.k. besides the fact that I look like I have a double chin and am falling off the chair; I love this picture! Me with the "Darling" Children :)

Anne of Green Gables

Who are you in Anne's Circle of Friends?

My house (I think I was suppose to post this....)

O.k. so.. forever ago I took pictures of my new house to show everyone, especially Deb :-) I downloaded them to the computer and they disappeared.... :-( Well, I stumbled onto them tonight. So you all get to FINALLY see what our house looks like :) Minus the new improvements :)

Kitchen table :) our grandparents gave it to us!
I love free furniture.
That door goes to Rebecca's bedroom.

The other side of the kitchen :) Yes, we painted 2 walls red :)



The bathroom is little bitty, and really hard to take pictures of.. but here are the curtains I made. I took this picture through the space between the door jam and the door :)


Living room... that is now rearranged and we got new chairs :)
You can see them here on Rebecca's blog :)



And just cause :) here's my "bulletin board" :) yes, the walls in my room are purple... Not my favorite color... but nothing else went with the carpet :)

More Messiah Pictures

I found a guy on Facebook who had uploaded pictures he took at the last Messiah rehearsal. So, I swiped a couple :) Enjoy!

Oreo Cookie Dessert

Oreo Cookie Dessert

Recipe:
2 children to help preferably ages 6 and 2
1 package of Oreos
1 8oz. container of Cool Whip
I jar Hot Fudge or Caramel topping
1/2 gallon of vanilla ice cream, softened
1/2 cup butter, melted
Nuts (optional)

First take the two helpful children and put them in aprons that are too big for them. After all, we don't want them to get dirty before Lydia's birthday dinner!!!


Next get all the ingredients out.
Cruch Oreo cookies and keep out one cup for the topping.
Don't let the children be in charge of the Oreos..... the cookies tend to disappear :)

Mix remaining Oreo's with melted butter. Press Oreo mixture in 9x 13 inch pan. Put ice cream on top of Oreo Mixture. Put in the freezer for one hour.

During that hour make sure to check the ball game.And hug your mother lots!

Put hot fudge or caramel on top of ice cream.


then put Cool Whip over that. Top with nuts and remaining Oreo mixture.
This part is the helpers' favorite! So make sure you let them do it all!!


A second supervisor in the form of a brother in an orange shirt is always helpful.

Warning, little baby fingers and crushed Oreo's in container don't mix well. You might need to assist.


Put back in freezer until ready to serve.



Enjoy!!!

The most interesting box came in the mail last week...

Last Friday the mail carrier delivered a unexpected large package.

When we opened it we found a great delight!

And immediately began paging through the contents on the inside...



Sarah thought the contents were great! And immediately claimed an object for herself.



As for the rest of us. We're ecstatic!




Our coloring books are finally here!!!! Project completed!!!

Fixing the laptop....

Apparently, I look like this a lot :)

I just wanted to let everyone know that Benjamin came home and he doing fine. The doctor was very encouraged by his appearance and that he was back to his smiling self. Rachael told me that the doctor said they can't usually resuscitate a little baby that stops breathing and that they were very lucky. But they are giving God all the credit, they know that He really intervened in their situation. Keep them in prayer. Rachael is a little overly worried about Benjamin, and she knows it, but it's just her mommy instincts... he does have to sleep with a monitor for the next 3 months. It monitors his heart rate and his breathing, and sounds an alarm if anything were to happen. So, that is a comfort to her.
Rachael told me that word spread fast and that lots and lots of people were praying and that has been that has been a blessing to them so thank you!

A prayer request

One of my best friends called me today... a mere 6 hours after we had said goodbye. They were having an Easter get-together at his parents house. Their little boy(Benjamin) who is almost 3 months old was taking a nap. She had checked on him about a half-hour ago, when she suddenly got a strong feeling that she needed to go check on Benjamin. She went right away. He wasn't breathing, his skin was pale and his lips were turning purple. She scooped him up and ran to the other room. One of her sisters-in-law who knows CPR went right to work. A brother-in-law called 911 and the rest of them went to praying. Thankfully he started breathing and they think that he is going to be alright. They took him in the ambulance to the hospital but they don't know why he stopped breathing. He had been suffering from a cold so it might have just been that but they aren't sure. The hospital wanted to kept him overnight and put him on a monitor to make sure that he is o.k. and possible figure out what caused it. Rachael was doing better when she got around to calling me about 3 hours after she found him, but she sounded like she had been pretty shook up. They were in the ER wanting for the doctor to come talk to them about the monitor. She was asking us to pray, for them, for Benjamin, and that everything would be alright.

It really struck me. How quickly his short life could have been over with. He's not 3 months old. A few minutes more and he would be in heaven. Or if they hadn't been at the farm with the sister who knew CPR.... Life is so precious, and to think what might have happened. God was so good to them today! I'm thinking it would be a good idea to actually learn CPR, not just slightly know it....

So, this is a praise report and a prayer request. Please keep them in prayer, the situation and that Benjamin would be o.k.

New Hair Cut

O.k. so.. bad picture of me, but you get the idea :)

Quote of the Day

"War is an ugly thing but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. A man who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing he cares about more than his personal safety, is a miserable creature who has no chance of being free, unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men."

~John Stuart Mill

Messiah Pictures

O.k. all! I'm sorry but these are the only pictures I could find, so far. If I find more, I'll post :)

You can actually see me in this picture, if you look really hard :) Directly behind the lady in white there are 2 violinists. I would be the one on the right without red hair :)

Yes I Know

Katie post something interesting! What's going on in your life?

O.k. well...
I've been gone every night this week. The University did a performance of Handel's Messiah, and I got to play in the orchestra! Let me tell you if was a huge treat! And possibly the most fun I have ever had preparing for and playing in a concert! We had a 26 person orchestra, complete with harpsichord. And a 210 (something like that) person choir!! Talk about stereo!!! Anyway... I'm hoping that I can find a picture one of these days and I will upload it. It was such fun that I wouldn't mind performing it 3 or 4 or 5 more times!

Interesting Scientific Bible Fact

I read this on a blog, tacked on to the bottom of 90 Day Bible Challenge info. I thought it might interest you all :)

"Just for your amusement, my brother who is currently studying at Moody told me that there have been scientific studies done that prove that reading Leviticus puts you to sleep."

Random question

Hey everyone! I was thinking of what I should post and I came up with a random question? What's on the background of your computer screen? Your desktop background, whatever you call it....

Here's what is one mine.... you don't have to post a picture, just describe it.

New Stuff...

New Profile Picture



New theme


What do you think?

Josh Groban on Michael Buble's Concert

O.k. this just makes me laugh!

Groban can do Jazz, but Buble can't do classical....

My favorite places in Washington D.C. #3

What can I say... we love history....I mean come on! How much more exciting can it be? We were STANDING ON THE 700th BLOCK OF CONSTITUTION AVE. IN DOWNTOWN WASHINGTON D.C.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh, and that's the National Archives in the background...

Hello all!!!

No, I have not forgotten about you. I've been terribly busy, I'm not sure why, but it's been a LONG month!

Anyway, I've been thinking recently about music. And well... I reread Brock and Bodie Thoene's book Vienna Prelude a month or two ago. And well, the musicians in the book talk about music expressing the thoughts or words of your heart. That as a musician you can express what is on/in your heart through the music that you play. The music of the heart.... So anyway, I've just been thinking about that,... and wondering, what my heart says....

A quiz that I stole from VB and she stole from Deb....

1.) If I were a doll, the accessories packaged with me would be: A needle, thread, laptop, and violin.

2.) I have an irrational fear of:
The dog attacking my face.

3.) What type of food do you eat at your grandparents house?
Yummy food :) Whatever new recipe Grandma has found.

4.) What weight were you when you were born?
6 lbs. something

5.) What would you do if you were stranded on an island with the person you hate most?
I would pray and fast that God would help me overcome or help that person overcome, whichever it needed to be.

6.) What would you do if you found out you had been cheated on?
I prefer not to think that way....

7.) Do you stalk anyone on MySpace?
Nope, I don't stalk.

8.) I find the thought of childbirth:
ummm... I don't really think about it.

9.) Next door to my house is:
Another house and a construction site.

10.) My feet are:
Normal

11.) My preferred style of jeans is:
Not tight

12.) Do you play a musical instrument?
Yes, several as a matter of fact.

13.) Know how to cook?
Yep.

14.) I am annoyed with:
life right this minute

15.) What is the worst way you were dumped??
Never been dumped, unless you count when our violist decided not to do quartet anymore and didn't bother to inform us.

16.) What child-related smell do you not like?
Carrot-Raisin Salad

17.) What sea creature scares you?
Shark

18.) What color hair do most of the people you are around have?
Brown

19.) What object have you broken most recently?
Icing bag

20.) Name one of the Spice Girls.
Who?

21.) What was the last thing to make you cry?
um... *clears throat* a RH clip on YouTube...

22.) What are the stems on wine glasses for?
To run your finger up and down on while you are talking ;)

23.) My favorite shoes are:
None :)

24.) Can you use chopsticks?
umm... I think so..

25.) Do you prefer beaches or forests?
Forests

26.) What serial killer do you find most disturbing?
All of them. But I know God protects me.

27.) Who knows a secret or two about you?
Now, that would be telling wouldn't it...

28.) Have you ever burned yourself?
Yep lots of time.... check back to last summer for one of the two worst.

29.) (Deleted)


30.) Who is your hero[s]?
Roger ;)

40.) Do you believe that things last forever?
Somethings do.

41.) What are you listening to?
Bruch Violin Concerto and Rebecca typing.

42.) What do you smell like?
Myself

43.) Are you married?
:(

44.) Does anyone regularly tell you they love you?
My mom :)

45.) What's the most confusing to you?
Life.

46.) Do you have any bad habits?
doesn't everyone...

47.) Have you ever wanted to be a teacher?
Yes, I am :)

48.) What is one thing you've learned about life?
That things don't always work out the way you think they should.

49.) What's your favorite color?
Yellow

50.) Have you ever been stuck in an elevator?
Nope.

52.) Has anyone told you that they like you more than a friend
No, thankfully not. I would pity the poor person.

53.) What are you looking forward to?
SPRING!

54.) How are you today?
Sore

Violin Update

I just wanted to let everyone know that I started violin lessons in DBQ 2 weeks ago. They have been going very well, and I am feeling much better already. Ann has helped me a great deal. I'm not all so terrible after all.... thanks for the prayers.

I've been tagged

I've been tagged by Rebecca

So,


Here are the rules::

• Link to the person that tagged you.::
• Post the rules on your blog.::
• Share six non-important things/habits/quirks about yourself.::
• Tag six random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs.::
• Let each random person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their website.

Random things about myself...

• I go through a tooth brush every month, but no I don't chew on them.
• When I am stressed, angry or excited I talk about myself in the 3rd person.
• When I'm sewing I need to eat sugar.
• I've never been able to get through one of the great novels (Dickens, Hugo, etc) but I have read Austen.
• I talk too much during movies. Running commentary if you will, I'm working on that.
• I sing loud and dance when no one is looking.

I tag:

Dave (when he gets home)

Hannah

Moriah

Trina and Company

Lauren

My favorite places in Washington D.C. #2

Upon a February morn

A tiny baby boy was born
Abraham, Abraham

When he grew up this tiny babe
Folks all called him Honest Abe
Abraham, Abraham

In eighteen sixty, he became
The sixteenth president
And now he's in the hall of fame
A most respected gent

That's why we celebrate
This blessed February date
Abraham, Abraham

I figured since today was Abraham Lincoln's birthday I would honor him by posting about my favorite place in Washington D.C. We quite enjoyed standing there staring up at the huge impressive statue of Lincoln looking out over Capitol Hill.
We only had 45 minutes before our bus left. I could have stayed there for hours! The aura of the memorial is one of greatness, of hope, the ability and faith in which Lincoln governed America still lives on in his memorial. The sad part is, most people didn't realize it. There was a lot of noisy people who didn't bother to pay respect to a man who gave us the country we live in today. Let me tell you Mr. Lincoln, was a very intelligent man and he truly understood the situation that his country was going through. And how to fix it.

In fact after reading his 2nd Inaugural Address I would say he knew what was coming in the future as well.

My favorite places in Washington D.C.

I've been thinking a lot recently about our trip to Washington D.C. this summer. We only spent 2 days in D.C. but they were unforgettable and I have to remind myself that it was only 2 days. I've been thinking about the things that the buildings and memorials represent. About the different impressions that each place gives. Anyway the next couple of posts will be my favorite place in D.C.

The National Archives of the United States of America

It was really great that we were able to actually to the National Archives. We knew we wouldn't have time to go EVERYWHERE we were hoping too. And the Archives wasn't exactly top of the list. But thankfully, we got done at the Air and Space Museum with time to spare. I sat down and pulled out a National Museum's Map to see what was nearby. I noticed the Archives was on the map and after just a second of looking I realized it was only a couple blocks away!! I quickly showed mom and she said "Ask Dad." So, I did. Only a few blocks we can definitely do! I was so excited! And yes the inside looks the same as it does in National Treasure 1, just not as bright :) We couldn't take pictures. But to see the Declaration and the Constitution. To see, John Hancock's signature and the paper that declared out freedom from England and the setting up of our democratic nation. The Constitution in all it's glory. One of the original Magna Carta's, a document that is over 700 years old. Sometimes the original Emancipation Proclamation is displayed, but only, I believe, for 4 days a year.
Luckily for us they have recently opened the "Public Vault" a exhibit that contains information on how people use the archives to locate family, how the documents are restored and maintained. Video footage of President Theodore Roosevelt. It was amazing! All in all, it was one of the most informative, places we were able to visit. That and the Treasures of American History display at the Air and Space Museum. We got to see a real Stradivarius violin. Washington's uniform, Mary-Todd Lincoln's Inaugural Ball Gown, Polio Vaccine, Mr. Roger's Red Sweater, even the chairs Grant and Lee sat in at Appomattox Courthouse. WOW! It's absolutely worth seeing. At least check it out online at http://americanhistory.si.edu/index.cfm

We will never foreget

"As the sun goes down we shall honor and remember them."

WW 2 Memorial (Washington D.C.) - this was one of my favorite memorials

"The world will little note, nor long remember, what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here."

So....

What would you like to hear about? Any particular topics you think I don't discuss enough? More pictures? Less about Luke and Sarah? Deep theological discussions? What's your opinion? What would you like me to talk about?

I love my babies!

Yesterday we went over to Mom and Dad's for supper. Well, of course before supper was mostly spent playing with my darling baby sister who I miss so much!

For those of you who have been to our house, you might remember Luke loves to come "knock" on the "door". And when you open the "door" and say hello he will introduce himself as "Yadier Molina" "Brett Favre" "President Bush" or some other well know hero of his. And then ask if he can come over for dinner. Well, we of course always say yes let him "in" and then introduce him to everyone. Well, yesterday Sarah decided that she wanted do it as well. So she "knocked" on the "door" and when I answered it she declared "Brett Favre!"
And just for fun a picture of Sarah and Josh playing the piano :)

The Canada Quiz Answers

Just so you all can say that you know all the provinces, etc. here they are :)



1) Prince Edward Island
2) Nova Scotia
3) New Brunswick
4) Newfoundland and Labrador
5) Quebec
6) Ontario
7) Manitoba
8) Saskatchewan
9) Alberta
10) British Columbia
11) Yukon Territory
12) Northwest Territories
13) Nunavut Territories

Geography Quiz!!

How many of the 10 Canadian provinces and 3 territories can you name? Without using Google, a map, your history or geography book, PDA, smart phone, etc. A.k.a. no cheating. How much do you remember from school??

O.K. God, I'm finally listening...

For the last 2 months I was been having trouble with my right wrist. It was shooting pain up my arm and I was very very sore. There were times when moving my wrist was very painful. I thought I had pulled something or aggravated something and that it would get better if I rested. Well, schedule didn't permit rest. In fact I had to practice my violin more. My teacher thought it was a psychological thing and it would go away.

Anyway, 6 weeks later after 2 weeks of some rest over the holidays my wrist was still quite sore. So, I went to the Chiropractor. Who helped me some, but the soreness was still there. I tried playing my violin a couple times but my wrist has become weak and it is hard to play, my wrist felt like a shell of it's former self. It's difficult and discouraging to play when you can't play like you used too. So, I called my aunt who is a Physical Therapist. After asking a few questions, she said that my wrist was healing, it wasn't pain anymore, just achy sore. She gave me some exercises to do, they hurt but they should strengthen my wrist. So, for now, I wear a wrist guard/stabilizer close to 24/7. So, I try very hard to have a good attitude, and trust in God. I keep telling myself what Mom tells me, God doesn't take away a gift. The gifts and callings of God are without repentance

So, on Sunday at the end of the meeting my wrist was suddenly and unexplainably in a lot of pain, something it hadn't done in a few weeks. After the meeting the elders prayed for me and I am really trusting in God. The thing is, after the elders prayed for me, Krystina was asking me about my hand. And she asked me if I had been asking God what He was teaching me, what I was supposed to learn in this. And truthfully... I hadn't really been thinking/praying about it. The thought had come to mind, but that was about it. And the more I think about it, the more I've realized that there is definitely something I am supposed to be learning.

I was thinking about that on and off all day on Sunday. And then, when I got home, I slipped on the snow and fell. When I fell my neck connected with the open box top I was carrying. Needless to say, it hurt. I have a cardboard burn on my neck and I bruised my throat. All day Monday I was very sore and thinking. God, is definitely trying to teach me something, I've never been this "hurt" in my life. God is breaking me down and making me vulnerable. Cutting down my independency and self-sufficiency and making me dependent on Him and Him alone. It's amazing, how long it takes for me to get past my self and my "pain" and realize that God is trying to talk to me, to get through my thick brain and make me more like Him. It's amazing how long it takes till I can finally say "O.k. God, I'm finally listening."

Could someone please explain

Why it is currently 29 degrees colder here than it is in Alaska? And 37 degrees colder than Moscow, Russia??? Something is wrong with this picture....

Oh, and btw with the wind chill it's almost 20 below here.... BRRR!!!!!

So, I've been thinking...

And no that's not a bad thing. The last 2 days I've spent quite a bit of time on the sofa, with a pillow, blanket, some warm tea, and sleep. Yep, I've been sick, pretty miserable actually. And maybe it's the sickness or maybe it's that I actually have time to think. But...


I miss all my people!!!!! It's been too long since I've seen everyone. And since I am sick you all get cyber hugs so that you won't get sick too..



I hope I got everyone. Pipe up if I missed you and I will send one your way.