More Tags....

I was tagged by Wife/Mom/Domestic Engineer at Heritage Academy to do a CRAZY number of memes....okay, so only 5...one of which I have done once in the last month (see my E for Excellent Award?), so I am "just" going to do 4 of them.....
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MEME #1

Here are the rules:
1. Pick up the nearest book (of at least 123 pages.)
2. Open the book to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the next three sentences.
5. Tag five people.



My nearest book is "Revolution in World Missions" by K.P. Yohannan.


Page 123, sentances 5-7.....

"But now they were even worse off--they were presented a completely wrong picture of what it means and what it takes to follow Christ. Could that be what we fear in North America: no gyms--no softball teams--no converts? The lesson from the mission field is that meeting physical needs alone does not get people to follow God."

Tagging:

The Mocha Mom
Heth from Under the Laundry Pile
Driving with the Brakes on
Don't make me get the flying monkeys!
South Carolina Mom
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MEME #2


Blogging With Purpose AwardRules:
1. Awarded parties must nominate five people who have not received the award.
2. The blogs that receive the award must serve some purpose.
3. In their post about the award they need to link back to this entry.
4. Awarded parties must post the award banner on their site. The banner must remain linked to the above linked site.

Tag...you're IT:
...."And Miles To Go Before We Sleep"...
Cricket's Hearth
Sorta Crunchy
To Know Him
The Preacher's Wife

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MEME #3

Here are the rules:
1. You must post the rules before you give your answers.
2. List one fact about yourself beginning with each letter of your middle name. (If you don't have a middle name, use your maiden name).
3. At the end of your blog post, you need to tag one person for each letter of your middle name. (Be sure to leave them a comment telling them they've been tagged and that they need to read your blog for details).

(THANK YOU, Mama and Daddy for my very short middle name!!)

1. L-Lazy...I am really a very lazy person.
2. E-eat...to my detriment, I really, really like to eat.
3. E-exercise is what I need to do more of, BECAUSE I like to eat!

I now tag:

1. Daisy at Lazy Daisy Log
2. EVERYONE!! (Do you know how hard it is to find blogs/bloggers that begin with the letter E?!?....especially when one has been on one's computer all FREAKING DAY LONG, and is tired, and just wants to go to bed!)

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MEME #4

First, the rules, which are important, because they also tag — randomly — six more people to join in the fun:

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

So, again, I was tagged by the awesome lady at Heritage Academy.

My six things/habits/quirks:

1. I wear socks to bed, every night, winter or summer, because me feet get cold.
2. I got my ears pierced, for the first time, when I was 22 years old.
3. Riding in any car with my husband driving makes me feel like we are going to rear-end every car that dares venture in front of us.
4. I LOVE to watch HGTV, every chance I get....every time hubby is out of town!
5. I collect books...piles and piles of books. More books than all my bookshelves will hold. I'm pretty sure that most of the weight of our many moves is made up of the boxes and boxes of books I own.
6. My favorite purchase this year is my SHREDDER!! No more fodder for those identity thieves!

More people who are now IT:

1. Such Simple Pleasures
2. Cafe at the End of the Universe
3. My Little Drummer Boys
4. Wendy at The Adventures of MomLady
5. Our Seven QTpies
6. Beth at The Young Family

FINALLY, DONE...after working on this, off and on, for HOURS. Time for BED...I'll be contacting people tomorrow....

What does community look like, to you?

What is community? According to the Meriam-Webster On-Line Dictionary...

1: a unified body of individuals: as a: state commonwealth b: the people with common interests living in a particular area; broadly : the area itself c: an interacting population of various kinds of individuals (as species) in a common location d: a group of people with a common characteristic or interest living together within a larger society e: a group linked by a common policy f: a body of persons or nations having a common history or common social, economic, and political interests g: a body of persons of common and especially professional interests scattered through a larger society

I am part of a lot of different communities. I am part of a military community. I am part of a church community, and a school community (2 different schools for my children...will be 3 schools next year), plus several different communities online. I am part of the military community online, and a separate community of parents, and several specialized groups.

In each of those groups, people know different sides of me. Rarely do any of these people in the different communities know ALL there is to know about me. The draw of the online community is the ease of communications, with relative anonymity, and the ease of finding a community of likeminded people. The downside is that communicating emotion and tone of voice is very difficult....and people end up getting their feelings hurt.

So, what kind of communities are you part of? What draws you to YOUR communities? What are the positives of each different type of community? What about the negatives?

My celebrity look-alikes!

Memories (installment 6)

Once there was a family. Mom, Dad, Big Sister, Little Brother. Then they added a little baby, and lived happily ever after.

Isn't that how the story is supposed to go? Everyone grows up, and gets married, and everything is just peachy. As we all know, life doesn't often deal us that perfect hand. So, reality...

I was 6 years old, and we were going to the Mennonite church. I started school at the school operated by a neighboring church. My dad was working in sales. Mama was home with my younger (by 13 months) brother. Mama got pregnant and everyone was excited.

Fast forward 9 months...to January, 1975....baby brother is born. He looks normal, healthy, happy. The only thing of any note was that his ear was folded when he was born. Apparently that SHOULD have been a clue to the doctors, had they only known.....

Mama and baby John came home from the hospital, and things were uneventful for a little while, but soon clues started to pop up...he was not responding normally to things.

"Doctor, there are things that just aren't right."

More doctors' visits, tests.

"Ma'm, we're sorry to tell you this...your little baby was born with a heart defect."

John was happy, but he wasn't healthy. The doctors wanted to try to fix his little heart, but he needed to gain some weight first. So, a couple of months later, brother and I stayed with the pastor and his family, and my parents took John to the University Hospital in Charleston, SC, for his surgery.

I never saw him again. The doctors' attempt to repair John's heart didn't work...he died on the operating table.

I remember Mama and Daddy coming in, and they didn't have John with them. I kept asking, "Where's John?" I was only 7, my brother was 6. How do you explain to LITTLE children? What do you tell them?

There was a memorial service....there was no body. His body had been donated to the University, hopefully to help others....

Fall-out. There is always fall-out from these types of tragedies. Daddy's sales job went away. At least the insurance lasted long enough to cover most of the bills. Still, my parents came away from that hospital stay with $8 to their name, and 2 more children, and a farm and animals....there wasn't time to be able to take off and grieve. Work had to be found, and money made to pay the bills.

I miss my baby brother. I grieve his short 5 months of life. He would have turned 31 this year. John Joseph....we'll always miss you.

I also think of my parents, living through what had to be heart-breaking pain. Mama was 30 when John died. Daddy was 34. How do you go on? Pull yourself together, and parent your remaining children, who are too young to understand? I hurt for them, too.

Brain-dead?

You Scored an A

You got 10/10 questions correct. It's pretty obvious that you don't make basic grammatical errors. If anything, you're annoyed when people make simple mistakes on their blogs. As far as people with bad grammar go, you know they're only human. And it's humanity and its current condition that truly disturb you sometimes.

The It's Its There Their They're Quiz

Scrolling Saturday, Edition 4

Originally posted on my other blog, December 27th, 2007.

Brain-drool (or random ramblings)

I talked to Mama tonight...she sounds more like herself, though still very tired-sounding. She hopes to go home tomorrow. They had planned for her to go home today, but her blood sugar was dangerously low, and they decided to keep her for another day, to give her more time to get that under control.

I also talked to Daddy...the boys were at the house today, doing more to help get the house ready for Mama's homecoming. They finished up the porch, and worked a bit more inside, cleaning out more stuff, packing some up to go out into the storage, and loading up some more trash. They also were able to move all the cars out of the front yard. While they were working, James (married for all of a week) lost his wedding band in the garden. Fortunately, he was able to find it relatively easily.

This whole thing of my parents' hoarding/pack-rat tendencies really bothers me. I have been reading articles and web-sites dealing with children of hoarders, and how to help hoarders. I am scared to death that I will get back into that level of saving/grime that I lived in for so long. I know Jason won't let it stay that way, but I do know my tendencies. I am also shaken by the thought of having to clean out the wreck that is my parents' home, when they pass away, or can no longer care for it themselves. That day may come a LOT sooner than we expect....Naomi is looking into art schools...in Florida and California. That day of her leaving is probably in less than a year from now.

Right now, Daddy is doing a lot better...his tri-geminal neuralgia is not bothering him at this moment...for which we are IMMENSELY grateful! If/when that starts acting up again, he has a VERY difficult time dealing with eating, dressing, showers, etc....caring for the animals and house become almost too much for him.

Unfortunately, my brothers disagree STRONGLY on how things should be approached with my parents. David is pressuring Daddy to get another well drilled on the place. James is willing to consider other methods of water collection. My thought, right now, is that there is NO water to be collected right now...there has been so little rain in the last 2 years that having any kind of water collection system is useless. At the moment, Daddy DOES have a little money that could be used to drill a new well....one that has been needed for close to 20 years. Daddy is a TERRIBLE procrastinator. He tried to drill a well in several different spots, himself, but wasn't able to go deep enough to reach water. Since then (at least 15 years), he has only worked at hauling water from the well 1/2 mile up the road, at the old Simmons' house. That house is falling apart, but if some work was put into it, they could move up there, and have running water and a be able to wash clothes AND shower AND wash dishes. As far as procrastinating goes, Daddy still hasn't finished Mama's kitchen, which he was working on when I was in high school, in the mid-80's....nor has he finished the basement, which has been in the works since I was 3 years old.

Someday.....


To see more Scrolling Saturday, go here.

It's payday!!

Hubby and I just got home from the Commissary...it's payday...I HATE shopping in the Commissary on payday.

But, we had no food left in the house, and we're having a Super Bowl party on Sunday. My husband is the entertainer in the family, though we all enjoy having people over.

We're going out tonight, trying out a new-to-us restaurant, Smokey Bones.

Afterward, we're bowling. Last week, Jason was picked up as a permanent substitute for someone who broke an arm, so he'll be able to finish out the season, and we'll start the new season in March.

Tomorrow is cleaning day, and we've got to get the rent in to the housing office.

What do you do on your payday?