“Search for the Lord and for his strength; continually seek him.” Psalm 105:4
Christmas Carols December 16, 2009
I love Christmas carols. Big time. Like really big time.
And this just made my day.
Apostrophe (what is it used for?) December 11, 2009
Absolutely everything!
I had a great discuss with some gals on the proper use of the apostrophe*. Can I confess that this is one topic that drives me crazy? Not sure why, but the overuse and/or improper use of apostrophes sounds to me like nails down a chalkboard in written form. So, I decided to inform the world around me of proper apostrophe usage.
The apostrophe has three uses:
- to form possessives of nouns
- to show the omission of letters
- to indicate certain plurals of lowercase letters
The first use of the apostrophe seems to cause the most confusion. The case my friends and I were discuss was in regard to last names – specifically when addressing cards. Is it Windhams, Windham’s, Windhams’?
Windhams – Used when addressing the entire family; “We saw the Windhams at the park.”
Windham’s – Used when showing singular possession; “That is Sarah Windham’s jacket.”
Windhams’ – Used when showing plural possession; “That is the Windhams’ house.”
With those examples set in place, that would mean, when addressing Christmas cards (or the such), you would simply write “The Windhams”, no apostrophe, just make it a plural noun.
One that trips up a lot of people are names like Jones or James (ending in “s”).
Joneses – Used when addressing the entire family; “Keeping up with the Joneses.”
Jones’s – Used when showing singular possession; “That is Bridget Jones’s diary.” (Here, it is also acceptable to put Jones’ or James’; “that is James’ book”)
Joneses’ – Used when showing plural possession; ”That is the Joneses’ car.” (No ’s is needed, just ‘).
The second use of the apostrophe is more straight forward:
would not = wouldn’t
I am = I’m
he will = he’ll
it is = it’s
1999 = ‘99
The third use of the apostrophe is to form plurals of lowercase letters, and is more typographical than grammatical. Such as “minding your p’s and q’s”.
*Jonathan said I should back up my information with sources, so if you want go here, here and here for more information!
Truthful Thursday – Psalm 5 December 10, 2009
“Because of your unfailing love, I can enter your house; I will worship at your Temple with deepest awe. Lead me in the right path, O Lord, or my enemies will conquer me. Make your way plain for me to follow.” Psalm 5:7-8
I’ve often wondered…. December 5, 2009
What could be considered child abuse.
I’m fairly certain this most definitely qualifies…
And if torturing just me wasn’t enough, my mom drug poor Fletcher and an innocent carousel horse into the mix.
The wrong side of right December 3, 2009
I find that I’m constantly evaluating my life.
Why do I teach Julia the way I do?
Why do I believe this or that?
Why am I here?
Why, why, why?
More than a year ago, I started Truthful Thursday. I did it as a means to openly praise God, as a reminder of who He is and who I am. I did it for Him.
But since I started using Mr. Linky and trying to actively make Truthful Thursday something more, I’ve stopped wanting to do it. I’ve caught myself wondering why more people haven’t “linked up”, why things aren’t catching on, how to expand TT and how to bring more attention to my blog. TT stopped being about God and started being about me. In fact, today I almost didn’t post. And truth be known, I just re-posted an older TT. Why? Because I really didn’t want to post, but felt like I had to.
So, today is my last day to link up for TT. I plan on still writing TTs, but don’t want it to be so rigid. If I don’t get to it one week, that’s okay. I want it to be heartfelt and praising to God. Not to me. Not to the world. But to Him alone.
Truthful Thursday – Proverbs 15 December 3, 2009
“A gentle answer deflects anger, but harsh words make tempers flare.” Proverbs 15:1
For more information on how to participate in Truthful Thursday, click here.
Don’t forget to comment on my blog and mention TT on yours!
No Cook November turns into “Do It All December” December 1, 2009
November came to a close yesterday, with me cooking very little, obtaining an awesome new crockpot (thanks babe and Black Friday!) and realizing how much I love having dinner done by 9am. I’d say No Cook November was a pretty good success, with just a few hiccups. It took me a little time to figure out just how to use the crockpot (what settings were best, how much liquid I really should add, etc). But once I got things more under control, I loved it and started experimenting more and more.
But November has come and gone, leaving us with a new month and a new goal.
Since we’re moving out this month, and will not have the benefit of our extra freezer, all our frozen meats/veggies, along with most of our canned goods, needs to go. That means, this month I am introducing:
Do It All December
Have a can of rotel?
Let’s use it!
Leftover bag of stuffing?
Toss it in the mix!
Packet of onion mix collecting dust in the back pantry?
One beef stew mixture coming right up!
This month I am cooking completely spur of the moment – for me at least – and forgoing my monthly meal plans and simply cooking what we have on hand. This could get interesting…. Yesterday we had chicken and veggies (in the crockpot to finish off NCN) and today I have beef stew (again, in the crockpot, because, hey, why not?). Tomorrow’s menu? Who knows? Pork and stuffing? Spaghetti? Pad Thai? We’ll see what mood strikes. We’ve got plenty of meat to carry us through and will only need to restock some can goods and vegetables. I’m hoping we’ll see our food budget drop as we get only the essentials over the next three weeks. I’m pretty excited about this new adventure and hope it turns out as well as NCN.
Here I come, Do It All December!
My greatest lover November 29, 2009
Before leaving for Tennessee, Jonathan and I prayed for several different things, one being to have a blessed, joyful time. Yesterday, I realized that joyful doesn’t mean happy, carefree, but God centered and God focused.
Here are some highlights from our Thanksgiving week:
Wednesday – Julia fell off the front porch step and busted open her lip.
Thursday/Friday morning – Hannah was up every 1-2 hours because something I ate for dinner bothered her tummy. We were all up from 3:30-5. Started the day at 7. I woke up to: having started my cycle (what the what?!?) and a sinus headache. That lasted all day. Sweeeet….
Saturday – Julia got attacked by the family dog. You read that right. Not by Jack, mind you, but my parents’ old Golden Retriever mix dog, Buddy. Apparently, she was playing with him like she does Jack. Buddy didn’t like it so well, and in one split second had Julia pinned to the ground, teeth in the back of her head.*
Still, Saturday afternoon as we were packing, I thought “I’ve had a really good trip.” Then as I reviewed the last four days, I realized, there was a lot of bad mixed in with the good. A lot of “not happy” moments that took precedence over the “happy”. But for whatever reason, my heart wasn’t focused on those. My heart was focused on the good. And then I realized that God had answered our prayer. Our trip had been blessed. We arrived safely, we stayed unified as a couple and family, we enjoyed the company of our family – even more it seemed than usual, and God’s grace was being played out minute by minute. From keeping us joyful while the girls’ sleep patterns went askew, to ensuring the right parent was outside when Julia had both accidents (that would be Jonathan!). On our drive home last night, I listened to David Crowder Band’s new song How He Loves from their album Church Music. This song capitivated my heart and made me see that God is my great lover, the protector of my heart, the one who guides me through life and allows me to see His grace over shadowing the muck of this world.
He is jealous for me, Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree,
Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy.
When all of a sudden, I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,
And I realize just how beautiful You are,
And how great Your affections are for me.
And oh, how He loves us oh
Oh how He loves us,
How He loves us all
He is jealous for me, Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree,
Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy.
When all of a sudden, I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,
And I realize just how beautiful You are,
And how great Your affections are for me.
And oh, how He loves us oh,
Oh how He loves us,
How He loves us all
He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves.
And we are His portion and He is our prize,
Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes,
If His grace is an ocean, we’re all sinking.
And heaven meets earth like an unforeseen kiss,
And my heart turns violently inside of my chest,
I don’t have time to maintain these regrets,
When I think about, the way…
That He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves.
Yeah, He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves.
Yeah, He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves.
*For the record, after a nap Julia was fine. With my supervision, she petted Buddy without reservation and played with the little dogs completely without fear. Jack is still her Jack. And we realized, now more than ever, we really have to teach her about interacting with other dogs. Lesson learned for all of us!
