Make Merry Gift Swap

I'm taking part in the Make Merry Gift Swap being hosted by Mama at Kingdom Twindom this year. My contribution is a couple of these four-sided placemats.

Cuteness Personified

Does it get any cuter than this?! :)

The Blogosphere's Got Talent

There's a talent show going on over at Kingdom Twindom! The deadline for entries was yesterday and I was too busy to get my blog post about it up in time, but Sarah was kind enough to include my YouTube link anyway. (Thank you, Sarah!)

I'd like to present my sister as a contestant. She has a naturally beautiful singing voice and nurtured it with a couple of years of singing lessons in high school. She's 21 now, but at the time of this video - in which she sings Se Tu M'Ami - she was 17. (I'm sorry that the video quality is poor - it is an mpeg from an old digital camera.)

So, what do you think? Is she a winner? :)


Good luck to the other contestants. Based on the entries I've seen, it's not going to easy for the judges to decide!

It's a Bird... It's a Plane... No... It's a Sky-Diver!

On Friday night, Dad and Joey left a little after 5 PM for Manhattan, where they and twenty or so other guys from here were going to attend a class to learn a little about sky-diving. The class lasted four hours... They arrived home pretty stoked about jumping from a plane the next day. The mortality rate is, apparently, tiny: they had one death in 1992; none since. Those are pretty good odds! (I might add that they did ask a priest about the ethics and morality of jumping from a plane and got the okay from him, given the safety measures that are taken.)They start out with what's called a static line jump: the parachute is triggered at the time that you leave the plane. It's not up to you and it's pretty much fool-proof. They also start with a jump from about 3500 feet elevation and it takes about 3 1/2 minutes to reach the ground. There's a walkie-talkie type contraption attached to the helmets and the jumper gets talked through the maneuvers that will land him safely on the ground.Saturday morning came and they left the house by 7:30, convoying back to K-State for the second part of the preparatory class and then their virgin jumps. Two or three guys who had attended the Friday night class didn't show up Saturday morning, so the class consisted of 19 students. They were divided into flight groups of three - with one "group" of one. At 11:30, the first group took off and made their jumps. The very first guy to go made a near perfect landing - and, as it turned out, the best landing of the day. Joey got to go up with a couple of his compatriots :) - and was the second of the three to jump.That's he with the orange and black parachute...Dad went up in the group after Joey.There he is!They were pretty pumped about it when they got home and the stories were great! They wanted to go and jump again today, but there was only one instructor available at the jump site and for beginners, two instructors are required. Upon hearing their glowing reports about the rush you get from jumping, I'm half-convinced to try it myself...!! :-O

What do you think? Would you do it?

The Simple Woman's Daybook (May 2009 edition)

Outside my window... a beautiful May morning - sunny, mid-60's, and the birds are chirping.

I am thinking... about what I want to try my hand at in the kitchen today: a new kind of bread? pasta? muffins? Or maybe I'll just work in the garden today. :)

I am thankful for... the fact that this week is over. The move of the clinic seemed like a long time in coming and, eventually, just like a wedding, it got to the point where everyone would just be glad when it was over! It's not completely over yet, but the majority is done and I'm glad!

From the kitchen... a tall glass of fresh-brewed peach iced sun-tea.

I am wearing... a jean skirt and a bright, turquoise-type polo shirt with some multi-colored stripes as an accent. It feels very summery!

I am reading... my favorite blogs.

I am hoping... that Dad and Joey have a lot of fun (but stay safe) while sky-diving this morning!

I am hearing... the birds chirping and Charlie Rich on my iTunes. :)

Around the house... laundry to do, tons of stuff (from the move) to find places for, tidying, organizing, and cleaning to be done.

One of my favorite things... snail mail letters!

And here's a picture for the day... sweet corn straight from the grill. Doesn't that just scream "summertime"? :) Yummmm!

Have a happy Memorial Day weekend, everybody!

Loose Ends

Our garden is coming along well. I am quite excited about it! :) It's still very much in its 'baby' stages at this point, but if the start is any indication of what the finish is going to be like, we'll have a successful garden this year.
This evening, Mom and I planted okra, a second batch of carrots, marigolds, and calendula. Our shell peas popped through the ground today and the bush beans started to poke through. The beets look fantastic and healthy and our little lettuce plants are off to a good start. Mom planted seven tomato plants yesterday. There are only a couple of leeks up so far; and it looks like our bell peppers are struggling just a little. The strawberries, however, look awesome! Our fruit trees are holding their own.

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This article on taking things (particularly fear) one day at a time is fabulous food for thought and inspiration for action!!! I highly recommend it (and the whole blog)!

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The merger and move are nearing extremely rapidly and this means a lot of work to be done in a short amount of time! I can't believe we only have seven more business days as JLFP. We haven't really started packing anything up yet... We definitely have our work cut out for us, with packing, moving, unpacking, and orientation to accomplish in the next ten days or so.

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This is just a really fun little video. :) Enjoy! (HT to Linds. :))

The Simple Woman's Daybook

Outside my window... Rain, rain, and more rain!! (But with it, comes such luscious greenery!!)

I am thinking... that I must be getting old, because this weather makes my bones achey. :-/ And I'm thinking about the swine flu, thinking that there's way too much hype about it, but also wondering how bad it truly will get.

I am thankful for... last week's trip to Minnesota and for all the benefits and good things in my life. (And I'm trying to be grateful even for the crosses and unpleasant things. :))

From the kitchen... grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch.

I am wearing... a black skirt and a colorful, plaid top that has kind of big fuschia buttons. :)

I am reading... In Praise of Stay-at-Home Moms... so far, it's really good!

I am hoping... that the things pertaining to the pending merger and move will fall into place and go smoothly.

I am hearing... the sound of the clock and of Mom setting the table and of the gas burner on the stove.

Around the house... ironing to do, pictures to be uploaded to the internet :), errands to run, cookies to make. :)

One of my favorite things... summer evenings.

I came across this idea on another blog and thought I'd give it a shot here, for lack of something more cohesive. I've got a lot on my plate at the moment, so I hope this will prove a good stand-in for a post. :)

Take care and God bless!

For Today...

Outside my window... day breaking; chilly, but fresh, Spring air.

I am thinking... about what I'll be doing at work today and about last night's Parish Mission, the topic of which was Palm Sunday.

From the learning rooms... I'm looking into more information about a degree in radiologic technology and about some local and regional CNA classes.

I am thankful for... a Providential trip to Minnesota and the remainder of a Spring Break spent here in SM.

From the kitchen... buttered toast and hot black tea for breakfast.

I am wearing... black and white.

I am reading... last night, I read an excellent excerpt from Three to Get Married by Bishop Fulton Sheen.

I am hoping... for happiness, at least ultimately.

I am creating... hmm.... well, I'm HOPING to create some new clothes this Spring, when I get the time.

I am hearing... My Immortal. Strangely, almost eerily, apropos. (Not to yours truly.)

Around the house... laundry to do, gardening to be undertaken in a bigger way.

One of my favorite things... meaningful conversations.

A few plans for the rest of the week... a lot more work than usual, the continuation of the Parish Mission, some letter-writing, more research on educational options.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you...Windy, WINDY weather - the herald of Spring! (This particular day, March 23, a local weather station recorded 91 mph gusts!)

Rhetoric... and Its Tropes and Figures

My paternal grandmother completed, several years ago and after a lot of work, her doctorate in Rhetoric. She currently teaches Rhetoric (among other things) at Texas Wesleyan University. When I was down in Texas visiting her almost six weeks ago, she was showing me some of the tropes and figures of Rhetoric. Apparently, the dozen that she gave me as examples was but a small sampling of the approximately 500 that make up the complete list!
Nonetheless, they were quite fascinating to someone like me, who finds language endlessly fascinating and marvelous. We use some of them frequently even in our spoken language without even knowing that we're doing so!

Take, for example, synonymy. I use this one very often in the hopes of conveying more clearly what I'm saying and to avoid misunderstandings... though in my case, it probably comes across a lot more like mindless reiteration than like spoken literature. LOL!
Synonymy — literally means the same name. The rhetor uses words that are similar in meaning as a means of repeating an important point: “Call it treason, betrayal, sedition, or villainy — it is one.” Another example: “You have overturned the laws of the land on their head; you have demolished order of the state at its foundation.”

Some of them coincide with the figures of speech commonly employed in composition:
Simile and hyperbole are two that you are more familiar with. Hyperbole can be defined as a gentle straining of the truth, or exaggeration. For example, Cicero wrote about a skinny man that he had legs like parsley. I heard this once during a summer heat wave: “hotter than the hinges on the gates of hell.” Simile, on the other hand is a metaphor but it uses "like" or "as" in its comparison.

And this is one of my favorites:
Antanaclasis — occurs with the repetition of a word or phrase whose meaning changes in the second instance. For example, “I would leave this place, should the state give me leave.” Or Ben Franklin’s famous statement: “Your argument is sound...all sound.”

Aren't those cool? :) Although these figures are Greek in origin and can be used in any language, I think that English probably has the greatest variety in its presentation than any other western language, simply because it is a combination of several other languages. This gives it the ability to be extremely diverse in its powers of description.

So awesome... :)

Seven Quick Takes (vol 3)

I hope everyone's Lent is going well (and yes, I understand that that typically translates as wishing crosses on you all :D - but it means that I'm wishing many graces on you as well!). Mine is moving right along... Friday in the first week of Lent is already here, and with it volume 3 of my "Seven Quick Takes" - a weekly special over at Jennifer's fantastic Conversion Diary. (Be sure to stop by there and congratulate her on her baby girl, born on Monday of this week!)


~one~
Yesterday was a GLORIOUS day, matching 1956's record high of 84 degrees! It was more than mild - it was really warm; the kind of warmth that soaks into your bones. :) In the evening, I went out on our deck to relish the beautiful air. I only stayed a few minutes, because it was time for dinner. In that amount of time, I got a mosquito bite! We also found a fly in the house after leaving the door propped open for about 45 minutes...! :O Can't we have just one single day in early March without bugs?!? It was 11 degrees on Sunday and 15 on Monday... How did they survive?? :-/
(Speaking of yesterday, it also marked the 21st anniversary of my sister's Baptism and it would have been my granddad's 84th birthday. He passed away 14 years ago this month.)


~two~
Have you seen the real estate prices in Detroit recently??! Oh. My. GOSH. They're practically paying people to live there - evidently without much success! (For those of you who don't visit the hyperlinks, the median price on a home in Detroit right now is $7,500. Not $75,000. Seven thousand, five hundred dollars for the average house that's on the market.)


~three~
How about a flashback photo for Friday? (I have no idea what Friday has to do with looking at old pictures. I just liked the alliteration.) Yours truly in October of 2004. I was 18.


~four~
I love Garfield. :D

This one might be more appropriate if half the precipitation-frames were snow instead of rain! :)


~five~
My younger sister got her Minnesota driver's license today! That's been a rather drawn-out process due to missing paperwork, but the story is complete now. :) All my sibs live in Minnesota... I guess I missed the memo! (Sure don't miss having those winters though!)


~six~
Speaking of winters - or the lack thereof - our tulips are pushing through the ground. They stand about 3 inches high now! Our daffodils are a couple of inches high and our irises are starting to peek through as well. Considering we're supposed to be dipping back down into the 20's next week, it looks like we'll need to get out there and cover them. (How many teasers can we have before the real Spring arrives?? We've been blessed with a very mild winter, but I'm still more than ready for Spring! :))



~seven~
This week, I have picked up again one of my favorite books, The Song of the Rosary by Fr. Daniel Lord, S.J. If you have not read it, I HIGHLY recommend it. It's a 399-page poem, chock full of fantastic images and oh-so-human depictions of the events in the mysteries of the Rosary. It's excellent material for meditating on the Rosary. That being said, I'd like to share with you one of my favorite passages, taken from the end of the chapter on the Second Sorrowful Mystery, the Scourging at the Pillar. Remember - as with all poetry - to read according to the punctuation marks and not as much according to where the lines begin and end...
If Jesus at the end, flung to the floor
Partly by almost death,
Partly by soldiers' pity as they grant
Rest after torture,
Partly by cruelty that laid
Raw flesh upon cold stone...
If then He lifted agonizing eyes to see
Close to the cellar casement, through the bars,
Her [editor's note: His Mother's] watching face...
Or if in vision, as the saints have thought,
She stood close to the pillar
Where they beat Him down,
A writhing worm, no longer quite a man...
Was there for Him a solace in her woe?
Or was it doubled agony that she should share
However willingly
These scourging blows
Rained by lustful men
In penalty
For all the lustful deeds of those
Who loved the flesh too sadly and too well?

Who knows
Save only He who bore the blows
Of our offences
And the lovely she
Whose guiltless body knew, proxy perhaps,
The scourges that His guiltless body bore
For all the guilty bodies of the world
And all our guilty flesh.

Ah, if perhaps, his bloody business done,
One soldier dropped his scourge and cried,
"Forgive!"...
If but one callous guard,
Seeing the bits of flesh
Upon the whip within his grip
Or, catching a glimpse of Mary's tortured eyes
There at the casement,
Flung to the farthest wall
The ugly thing that beat his God...
If that had been...

Or if today somewhere
Lust knows itself as lust and cries the shame
Which pampered flesh
The while it tortured His and hers,
Mary is glad, and Jesus smiles
Up from the column where they whittled Him
To writhing pain.
Mary is glad, and Jesus with joy
Forgives.

Amazing Little Pianist

This kid's incredible! He's amazingly articulate for a six-year-old, but still very much a six-year-old in other regards.

He starts playing about 4:40, but it's worth watching the whole thing. Enjoy!

I Guess I Don't Talk American, But Rather Speak English

Most people who know me would probably guess that I like English a lot... not only the grammar aspect of it, but also composition. So, just for fun, I thought I'd take Hello Quizzy's "Commonly Confused Words Test" to see how I'd do. Honestly, I surprised myself! :) Heh. Wow.

Your result for The Commonly Confused Words Test...

English Genius

You scored 100% Beginner, 100% Intermediate, 100% Advanced, and 100% Expert!

You did so extremely well, even I can't find a word to describe your excellence! You have the uncommon intelligence necessary to understand things that most people don't. You have an extensive vocabulary, and you're not afraid to use it properly! Way to go!


Care to try your hand at it? Take The Commonly Confused Words Test at HelloQuizzy

Just be sure to come back and let us know how you did!