"Dat is Pun!"

Following written by Mum yesterday:

It’s been a long time since my oldest child at home was three years old! Right now, however, our oldest five are working for our landlord, pulling wild turnips out of a paddock he has planted in Bok Choy for seed. The turnips are blooming right now, but the Bok Choy hasn’t started bolting yet, so it’s very easy to see what to take out. He doesn’t have time to do the job himself, so he stopped by last evening and asked if we could do it. The children were glad to have a paying job, so I took them over just after lunch. That leaves me with only two here–it is quiet in this house! We worked on the bananas I got on special at the supermarket a couple of days ago–the three-year-old cut them and filled a dehydrator tray for me. He was quite excited about that, exclaiming over and over, “Dat is pun! Dis is pun!” (fun). Baby played outside for awhile, and came in with a dirty face, laughing at me as he tugged at my dress. After I tried to get a picture of him (he wouldn’t laugh for the camera), the older one wanted me to take a picture of his face “to see if it was clean” after he washed the chocolate off! And now, I got a message that the children are done for the day and I need to go get them!

INSERTED BY ME: Don't you love his expression?! :)

> > > > READ THE REST HERE... < < < <

When Writing Fails…

…a Proverbs 17:17 friend doesn’t.

I wrote the following yesterday—didn’t have time to post until today.
Read Tiffany’s version here.

Something I do quite a bit is chat (online, not through the telephone) with one of my best friends, Tiffany. We always seem to come up with things to talk about! Well, today we were talking, and after a while we both needed to go (I to my writing, she to her brainstorming [? not positive on that]). She said, ‘turning chat off.......bye’.

Fine, I thought, I need to write, anyway…though I have no idea what to write. After staring at a blank sheet of paper (with one small scribble at the top corner) for several minutes, I wrote this down (please, do not notice spelling errors; I was writing fast!):

          HISTORY:

1. King arriving 
2. delivers speech 
3. helps rebuild temple
4. leaves
5. temple meeting (CLIMAX [for the day’s writing, not for the whole story])

Great, I thought as I looked at the page. This will help me a lot! After thinking and praying for several minutes, I still had not come up with any more ‘filler’ for the story. What should I do, Lord? I cried silently. Show me what to write! I gave this story to You, and told You that You’re the One writing this! I can’t do it; You’ll have to give the inspiration! After more thinking and praying, the idea burst upon me. Of course! Why hadn’t I thought of it sooner? I need to have a plot—inside of the main plot! A story—a conflict, inside the main conflict! I need a problem for my Main Character (MC) to solve!

After fruitless searching of the WWW (World Wide Web) for ten minutes or so, I was ready to give up. I can’t do it. I can’t find a conflict. I stared out the dirty window, not noticing that it had been about a year since I had washed it (it still needs washed). What kind of a conflict would be good for me [I learn through my character’s experiences], and good for my character? How would it add interest to the story? How would it tell the history, but from a point of view that I find gripping, and that the readers won’t just throw the book down in disgust over? These questions haunted me, and I had no idea what to do or where to go to find the answers.

There’s only one chance I have, I thought. I’ll send a quick chat to Tiffany asking her for help, and then I’ll go outside with my Bible, a notebook, and a pen. (I’ve always found being outside is the best place for a story to be written—my ideas seem to flow best there. It especially helps to have my Bible handy for quick encouragement, and I can easily flip through the pages reading precious jewels of the Word while balancing a notebook on one hand.)

I settled back down in the creaky chair (that especially sounds loud when you’re sitting on it at night!) to send my “chat”. Here’s what I said, thirty-one minutes after she said ‘bye’ (usually, after she says ‘bye’, it’s bye. She’s gone for the day.):

{4:20 PM}  Me: You still on? I need to ask a question.
*impatiently* In a BAD WAY!!!

{4:21 PM} Hmmm....you’re not responding.
You must be gone.

…10 minutes later (after more fruitless internet searching)…

{4:32 PM} Me: Okay, you probably won’t get this until tomorrow, but anyway—my problem is this:
I know what the history is, and how it’s going to work, but I don’t have a ‘problem’ for my MC [main character—writer’s lingo]. You know how it’s good to have a plot-inside-a-plot? That’s what I’m talking about. I don’t have anything “small” for her to resolve while I tell the real story along side. Nothing for her to fix. I’m stuck. HELP!!!! I’ve prayed about it, but nothing has come…yet. In a moment I’m going to go to a secret hidey-hole with my Bible and try to think…

{4:33 PM} your prayers would be very much appreciated (and I’m praying for you, too [she had mentioned yesterday that she was having trouble]).

…12 minutes later (after I was long gone)…

{4:46 PM} Tiffany: hello?
hellooooooooo?

{4:47 PM} I have a please please please please answer question, I will like have to ring you if you don’t answer
I think I might do that anyway

———————————————————

She must have gotten bored waiting for me to respond, so before I knew it (and before I knew she had replied), Mum came out on the porch with the phone.

“ESTHER! PHONE FOR YOU!” A phone call? For me? Maybe it’s my piano teacher saying she has to cancel this week… I hurried to the porch, got the phone, and was pleasantly surprised to hear Tiffany talking. She asked what my problem was, listened through my story, then I listened through her problem. We ended up talking for 1 hour, 31 minutes, and 4 seconds. (That’s what the phone said, anyway—I still wonder if it didn’t decide to use a little deceit and make it look like we talked a lot longer than we actually did. All I know is that it was about 6:00 PM when we finally got done.)

The good thing was that we both went away from that talk with (I believe!) a clearer idea in our heads as to where our novels were and are going. I did, at least. I didn’t get anything written today, but at least I have all my tangled thoughts straightened out again. I hope Tiffany feels the same way! I’m looking forward to tomorrow’s writing session. It will really be interesting to see where this story ends up!

I’m really blessed to have such a good friend as Tiffany. I could not ask for a better writer, editor (for all my crazy, dis-jointed stories!), or sister. Even though we are almost opposite in everything (totally different backgrounds, genres of writing, ways of writing [she writes for older people, I for younger], and even in our relationships with family and friends we’re different—everything, almost!), we’re still good friends. And sisters in Jesus. And that’s what counts. Thank you, Lord for giving me such an understanding friend and sister! I’m really privileged to be able to have such a friend.

And to imagine…I would have never met her if we hadn’t moved half-way around the world…. Amazing are the ways of God!

“O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!”

(Romans 11:33)

Thank you for calling, Tiffy!

You know it's Christmas when...

...you hear the song “The First Noel” (below) on the radio, and then you go around humming it for quite a while. ☺ Love that song!

The First Noel

The First Noel, the Angels did say

Was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay

In fields where they lay keeping their sheep

On a cold winter's night that was so deep.

Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel

Born is the King of Israel!

They looked up and saw a star

Shining in the East beyond them far

And to the earth it gave great light

And so it continued both day and night.

Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel

Born is the King of Israel!

And by the light of that same star

Three Wise men came from country far

To seek for a King was their intent

And to follow the star wherever it went.

Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel

Born is the King of Israel!

This star drew nigh to the northwest

O'er Bethlehem it took its rest

And there it did both Pause and stay

Right o'er the place where Jesus lay.

Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel

Born is the King of Israel!

Then entered in those Wise men three

Full reverently upon their knee

And offered there in His presence

Their gold and myrrh and frankincense.

Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel

Born is the King of Israel!

Then let us all with one accord

Sing praises to our heavenly Lord

That hath made Heaven and earth of nought

And with his blood mankind has bought.

Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel

Born is the King of Israel!

...and here's the music:

P.S. this was my 203rd post...I've come a long way since January when I started this blog! ☺

Will You Please Help Us? {New post on the JOJ blog}

Well, I’ve just had a sudden inspiration. Tiffany and I would like to have more things from other people in our magazine (and I’m sure that anyone who has ever written a magazine, blog, or other such-like stuff could identify!). So, I was thinking…what about an article-writing day? Both Tiffany and I would write an article, and if you would like to participate (which I REALLY hope you want to!☺) that would be great. So, here’s what we would do:

Please read the rest here...

(Should I beg? ;))

Hopefully,

Guess What?

I DID IT!!!!!

Commence, wildly clapping hands and shouts of "wo-hoo"!

Yup, I did it. And I finished with 30,032 words.

(you can check it out yourself on my profile)

I still have 100's of words left to write (actually, that number should be more like 1,000's or 10,000's!!! :D), but I've written the word-count I needed for NaNoWriMo, and beyond that I'm on my own. :D But I really want to finish it! The best is yet to come. I'd say that I've written about 1/2-3/4 of what I've plotted--but who knows if it's exactly 1/2 or 3/4 of the whole book? It might end up being 1/4! (though I REALLY doubt it!)

Anyway, I'm VERY excited and looking forward to what the LORD has in plan for me next...'cause I'd never have made it this far without Him!!!

> > I never, ever dreamed (even in my wildest dreams) that I would write so much in such little time. God is good! < <

Though that name is subject to change....

And next year? I might just want to do it again....as the Lord wills, of course! :D

I've NEARLY Done It. {Quick Update on NaNoWriMo}

Yup, I've almost finished my NaNoWriMo word-count!

I'm at 26,158 words right now--just 3,842 words left. I can hardly wait until I get those last few done! The problem is: I'm only about 1/2 (3/4 at the most) of the way through the story! :-\ Though, I guess it isn't bad. I wonder how many words it will end up being???

Yesterday, I wrote 2,638 words--highest ever in a day as far as I know--in 2 1/2 hours.

Now I need to write more...I wonder what the word-count will be by the end of the day?

NaNoWriMo, day 19 (and Write or Die)

E.L.E.V.E.N.  D.A.Y.S.  L.E.F.T.

Time has gone SO fast! How could it already be day 19?!

Okay, in terms of CWP (Cumulative Word Count), I'm currently at 14,082 words. Which isn't bad, if you ask me. But it could be a lot better. I should be at 19,500 words. :-/ Long way to go! 

Today was my record high--1,762 words! So much for my 2,000 or 2,500-word goals. :-/ Oh, well. At least I got that much done; usually I'm not nearly that good. I usually get maybe 700 words written in a day...! And it looked like it would be another day like that, but I found something that has really helped me to write (we'll see how long it works! :D). It's called Write or Die. I know, funny name. But it works. The aim is to fight Writer's Block, and I think it does the job! Currently, I'm using the free web app, but if I find it really useful for other writing projects, I might buy the $10 desktop edition. I might wait and decide in a year. ;) At the moment, I'm finding it REALLY useful!

Here's a little about what they say about it:

Write or Die is a web application that encourages writing by punishing the tendency to avoid writing. Start typing in the box. As long as you keep typing, you’re fine, but once you stop typing, you have a grace period of a certain number of seconds and then there are consequences. 

Many people find themselves unable to write consistently. I believe that this is because their reason to write is intangible. For instance, I want to write and finish a book because I want to be published and make a living as a writer. That goal is a long way away so I often find it difficult to sit down to the task of writing. 

Conversely, I’m in a creative writing class for which I manage to consistently write and finish projects (albeit at the last minute). I therefore draw the conclusion: 

A tangible consequence is more effective than an intangible reward. 

If I don’t write stories for class, I will receive scorn from my teacher and a bad grade in the class. If I don’t write my own stories I am only disappointing myself. I experience perpetual disappointment in myself so I’m kindof used to it. Add to that the fact that I simply have neither the self-discipline to write consistently on my own nor the capacity for self-deception that would enable me to create artificial deadlines. That is how Write or Die was born.

Read the rest here. 

I'll leave you with what I wrote today:

The high walls of Lod grew on the plain. Crowds of people were in the market-place, and Taliah grabbed Rachel’s hand so she would keep track of her. The family bunched together. As crowds enveloped them, Taliah glanced around anxiously. Where was Joel? She didn’t see him for a moment, but sighed with relief when he emerged from behind her father. It reminded her of the time when she was lost in the market a year or two before Rachel was born, when they had made the annual trip to her Grandparent’s house for barley harvest.

It had been another warm spring day. In the fuzzy matter of memory, Taliah remembered walking with her mother through the crowded, dusty streets and stopping at various stands. She had begged to carry the market-basket, and her mother had relented. Soon, though, the produce had made it too heavy for her small frame to carry. She had gladly given the basket back to her mother, and then walked along, trying to keep from being trampled under the donkey’s hooves. She turned to watch some strange-looking long-necked and long-legged animals entering the market, and then turned around to follow her mother—to find that she wasn’t there! Panic seized Taliah’’s heart, and she frantically started calling above the din, “MUM! MUM! WHERE ARE YOU?” Turning wildly around, she almost collided with a woman coming from the opposite way. “Excuse me!” the woman said, and walked away, soon to be swallowed by the crowd.

Taliah was terrified. Her mind started painting horrid pictures of what might happen to her. She would be kidnapped, and taken to a city far away where she would be sold, and become a slave. Night would fall, and she would get so hungry she would die. The Romans would take her to Rome, where she would never see her parents again. Tears pressed against her eyelids, then swiftly started trickling down her cheeks. She hunched down, and buried her head in her hands. Of one thing she was certain: her mother wasn’t coming back.

Suddenly, a hand was laid on her shoulder. She screamed, and threw her head up, her hair flying away from her tear-stained face. Who was it?

“Taliah! What’s the matter?” Judith stared in alarm down at the pitiful figure at her feet.

“Oh, Mummy!” Taliah flew to her feet, and landed, laughing and crying with joy in her arms. “I thought you would—would never come back.” The last was spoken in almost a whisper. Judith held her daughter close, whispering words of comfort to her. The rest of the day, Taliah stayed very close to her mother.

The memory still haunted her memory, and she held tighter to Rachel’s hand. The dust stirred up by hundreds of feet billowed around them, and the fitful wind blew their hair loose from the veils. Sneezing, Taliah was grateful when they were out of the city and on the country road leading to the small village where her grandparents lived. After being on the road for almost four days, she was ready to see her grandparents, and be able to rest in peace, knowing that there won’t be another day’s journey before they could see them. Wondering how her grandfather was doing, she held tightly to Rachel’s hand and tried to make her hurry. “Come, Rachel! The faster we walk the sooner we’ll be there!”

“Taliah,” the little girl whined, “I can’t go fast. My feet hurt, and the dust and sun make me tired. Pick me up.” Taliah glanced down at the tired, dirty face and felt pity for the little girl. It was hot in the sun, she knew. Stooping, she scooped the little girl up and started off on a brisk walk. They would be there soon; the setting sun shown on the small village just ahead.

As they neared the village, Taliah walked as fast as she could—which wasn’t very fast, because Rachel was getting heavy. The little girl laid her head on her shoulder, and Taliah wondered if she wasn’t going to sleep. But she decided to not ask Joel to look, because they were so close to the village. She could hardly wait to get to her grandparent’s home, and find out if her Grandfather were still alive or not. She wondered how he would be, and her mind raced. Would he be dead? Her uncle said that he wasn’t doing very well. Her eyes filled with tears as she remembered with longing the last time she had seen him. It was almost a year before, and they left for home under brilliant blue skies. He had been leaning on the plum tree, looking off across the fence that enclosed their home, waving goodbye. His white hair had been in distinct colour difference to the blue sky and green leaves above them, and as she had left her heart stuck in her throat. Grandmother had been there, too, her kind wrinkled face framed by the always beautiful veil.

Taliah sighed, and wished she were there right now. They passed many rows of houses before finally coming to her grandparent’s home. It was a simple house, but to Taliah it seemed like heaven. They were there! Bursting through the doorway behind her brothers, she stopped in amazement at what she saw. Her grandfather lay on the mat, his usually robust face thin and lined with pain. It surprised her; she had never seen him look like that! But then, she hadn’t really known what to expect. She felt deep pain as she realised how white and drawn he looked. “Poor Grandfather!” She thought to herself, “Oh, how I wish I could help him!” He hadn’t noticed their entry—she wondered if he noticed anything besides the pain these days.

Mother hurried over to where he lay. “Oh, Benjamin, how are you?" Bending over the hurt man, she felt his forehead. “Cool,” She announced. “At least he isn’t feverish. That would mean that he has an infection.” She tried her best to ease the man, and looked at the bruises and open wounds where he had been hurt.

Taliah hovered close, after laying the sleeping Rachel on a cot in the next room. She watched as her mother, with gentle but firm hands dress the wounds with herbs just as her Grandmother had long ago taught her. Many people had come to get help from her in the past, and she always was willing to lend a hand where help was needed. As she watched Judith work, Taliah wondered how her mother could ever be so smart. She knew that not all girls were as privileged as she to have such a good, kind mother. And she was learning, too—her mother enjoyed teaching her, and someday she would be able to take over when Judith became too old to help. They had gotten a pot boiling outside, and Taliah helped get the herbs ground that were needed, along with supplying hot water for all their needs. She didn’t particularly enjoy the work, but she was glad that she could do something to help ease her grandfather’s pain.

As she worked, she wondered what the boys were doing. After coming, they soon left the sick room because, as they said, “We’d be more of a hindrance than a help, and Mother doesn’t need any of that with you, Grandmother, and Aunt Joanna.” Taliah had agreed, but she was glad that, as a girl, she could help out somewhat.

The days slowly passed, and Benjamin did not improve. He stayed the same, and Taliah feared that he would never get better. Each day he grew a little weaker, and soon all he could do was drink water. Two days after they arrived, her father and brothers came in for the family worship—this had become a custom in their home after her parent’s conversion. After reading, he prayed, then sat silently, watching his father. “Dad,” he finally said, addressing her grandfather, “I’ve been thinking. Apostle Paul said that if someone is hurt, then we need to anoint them and pray for them. I would like to do that for you, if I can.” His father, weak as he was, slowly raised and lowered his head. Taliah wondered if he wasn’t saying “Yes.” She had not yet once heard him talk, but she wished she could hear his soft, kind voice again.

Her father took it as a “Yes”, too, and he asked Ezra to get him some oil. The boy soon returned with a little in a cup, and he silently handed it to his father. The family gathered around, sensing that this was an important moment. Taliah wondered if it would do anything. She had heard about what her father was referring to, but hadn’t really thought much about it. Who knew if this Jesus person could do anything, anyway? She didn’t think it would make a difference, but decided to not let the other people know what she was thinking. Her father glanced questioningly around the room, and his eyes fell on Taliah. She squirmed under his gaze, and he asked seriously, “Does anybody here believe that this won’t work? If you don’t believe, then please leave the room.” Looking down, her face burning with shame, she wondered what to say.

“I believe,” many of the others said. She knew she didn’t really believe that it would work, but in her heart she wondered if it would. Curiosity gripped her, and she whispered a prayer. God, if Jesus is true, then let this work. If not, then let it fail. Raising her head, she said quietly, “I believe.” He father looked at her curiously, but then turned back to the sick man.

“Benjamin, in the name of Jesus Christ, I anoint you, trusting that you will be healed.” After pouring the oil on his father’s forehead, he prayed, asking God to heal his father.

After the prayer, the room was hushed, waiting to see if there was a change. Taliah wept silently, wondering if this really would work. Her grandfather’s face was still twisted in pain. After a little while, the men and boys left to do the jobs that needed done around the farm. Her mother and grandmother left, promising to come back soon. She would take a turn watching the ailing man, and then her aunt would come to be with him for a while. “Oh, Grandfather.” She whispered, “How I wish you were better now!”

So, what do you think? Yes, that is just a teaser. ;) You can read another excerpt if you like, on my profile.

GreaThings--Day 8. (November 15)

Day 8

Blessings that start with the letter "H".

1. Hot. I would really feel cold if I didn't have a heat pump {in other words, my heart} in side of me going day and night! I'm sure glad there is such a thing as heat in this world of ours!
2. Help. Do you know where I'd be--and probably most all of us would be if we didn't have help from the most High? Out there--in the world. *points finger* Aren't you glad God saved you from that? Wow; praise the Lord!
3. Heights. There's something about them that makes you feel as if you're on top the world. But you can't feel you're on top the world before living in the valley for a while. And you can't get up on the mountain itself without first looking up to the mountain from the valley.
4. Hope. It's hard to have hope--no, more like impossible--to have hope without a little faith. Hope is the desire of something, and faith in the possibility of its fulfillment. Without hope and faith in Jesus Christ, I would be lost.
5. Health. I have rarely been sick--okay, maybe it does even out to being really, badly sick once a year. There are a few times. But over all, and all because of God's wondrous grace, I and my family have been very healthy. Thank you, Lord!
6. Happiness. Aren't you glad that there is a reason to be happy? All because of Him!
7. Holy. I am not, but He is. And that's all that counts. PTL!!! God is good.

GreaThings--Day 7. (November 14)

Day 7

Blessings that start with the letter "T".

1. Tuesday nights. Almost every Tuesday, several church friends come over, and we have a wonderful and precious time singing and reading/discussing the Word! Precious memories...
2. Tangerines. They're SO yummy!
3. Uncles--Titus and Timothy. Though I haven't seen them in almost three years, they're still my uncles! :D Whenever I take my dream 2-3 month trip back to the States, I'll make sure I can see them.
4. Trustworthy. The One Who can be trusted in anything and everything.
5. Truth. I'm sure glad there's still a little in this ole world! *bulgy eyes* What would it be without truth? Miserable.
6. Thankful. I am so glad there's a reason to be--because He lives!
7. Things--you wouldn't be reading this if you didn't have a "thing"! And imagine life without things--actually, if there were no thing, we wouldn't be here. And there would be no world and no...oh, okay. My mind is blown out the closest window, too. Aren't you glad there are just a few things in this life of ours?

GreaThings--Day 6. (November 13)

Day 6

Lyrics that have meant something special this year.

Oh, yay! My favourite subject! (Well, you might not guess it...but it's true.) Which one should we sing first? Just a quick note before I start: not all the songs in the videos have the same verses as I supplied. I hope you won't mind this! :D And yes--I do like Jim Reeves songs.

       1. Precious Memories.

Precious mem'ries, unseen angels
Sent from somewhere to my soul
How they linger, ever near me
As the sacred past unfold.

Precious mem'ries, how they linger
How they ever flood my soul
In the stillness of the midnight
Precious, sacred scenes unfold.

As I travel on life's pathway
I know not what the years may hold
And as I ponder, hope grows fonder
Precious mem'ries floods my soul.

Precious mem'ries how they linger
How they ever flood my soul
In the stillness of the midnight
Precious, sacred scenes unfold...

       2. The Padre of Old San Antone.
I strolled to an old mission garden and as I was kneeling alone
An arm gently fell on my shoulder it was the padre of old San Antone
We went for a walk in the garden and as we were talking alone
He told why he came to the mission to the mission in old San Antone
Then the chapel bells they rang and an angel chorus sang
"Mi amor mi amigo" from the sky
Then he kneeled down to pray in the garden and whispered Mi amore mi Corazonne
Then I knew that his love was an angel the padre of old San Antone

        


       3. Teach Me How to Pray. A sad reminder, but I love the song.
(Daddy, my daddy, teach me how to pray.)
One night a sleepy little boy knelt beside my bed.
He smiled, and looked into my eyes, and this is what he said,
'Daddy, my daddy, you've taught me lots today,
So Daddy, my daddy, teach me how to pray.
You brought me home a brand new kite, showed me how to fly.
And there ain't no other kid who's dad can knock a ball so high!
I'd like to thank God for you, but I don't know what to say.
So Daddy, my daddy, teach me how to pray.
I had to turn and leave his room, and he began to cry.
I didn't want my boy to know--but so did I.
His best pal had forsaken him, but what was there to say?
For Daddy, his daddy, had forgotten how to pray.
(Daddy, my Daddy, teach me how to pray.)

      4. The Value of One. This has to be one of my most favourite songs this year. Whenever I hear it on the online radio, a few shivers run up and down my spine. It's so hauntingly beautiful! (don't worry about the radio; Old Fashioned Christian Music Radio is a all-music station that plays great old fashioned Christian music with NO 'Christian Rock', and Dad and Mum have approved it--it's the only radio I ever listen to)
                         THE SONG:
Could it be that up in heaven, God is sitting on his throne
Anticipating another sinner will soon become his own.
Years of wasted living and years of toil and strife
Are just about to be over as he receives the gift of life.

Chorus:
Go sound the horn strike up the choir.
A sinner is saved. Saved from the fire ,
No more in darkness--he's received my Son,
All heaven rejoices; that's the value of one.

The Holy Spirit has been working to soften up a heart.
All He needs is a willing servant to simply do his part,
Can you imagine up in heaven the joy there is that day,
As a sinner bows his head to pray, can't you hear the father say...

Start construction on the mansion, there on hallelujah street.
He doesn't know yet what is waiting, when the Saviour he'll meet...he'll meet 

   


       5. How Deep the Father's Love for Us.
How deep the Father's love for us,
How vast beyond all measure
That He should give His only Son
To make a wretch His treasure
How great the pain of searing loss,
The Father turns His face away
As wounds which mar the chosen One,
Bring many sons to glory

Behold the Man upon a cross,
My sin upon His shoulders
Ashamed I hear my mocking voice,
Call out among the scoffers
It was my sin that left Him there
Until it was accomplished
His dying breath has brought me life
I know that it is finished

I will not boast in anything
No gifts, no power, no wisdom
But I will boast in Jesus Christ
His death and resurrection
Why should I gain from His reward?
I cannot give an answer
But this I know with all my heart
His wounds have paid my ransom

   


       6. In Christ Alone.
In Christ alone, my hope is found, He is my light, my strength, my song
This cornerstone, this solid ground, Firm through the fiercest drought and storm
What heights of love, what depths of peace, when fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My comforter, my all in all, here in the love of Christ I stand.

In Christ alone, who took on flesh, Fullness of God in helpless babe!
This gift of love and righteousness, Scorned by the ones he came to save
Till on that cross, as Jesus died, The wrath of God was satisfied
For every sin on him was laid; Here in the death of Christ I live.

There in the ground, His body lay, Light of the world in darkness slain;
Then bursting forth in glorious day, Up from the grave he rose again!
And as he stands in victory, Sin's curse has lost its grip on me;
For I am his and He is mine, Bought with the precious blood of Christ.

No guilt in life, no fear in death, This is the pow'r of Christ in me.
From life's first cry to final breath, Jesus commands my destiny.
No pow'r of hell, no scheme of man, Can ever pluck me from His hand;
Till he returns or calls me home, Here in the pow'r of Christ I'll stand!

      7. We Have this Moment.
Hold tight to the sound of the music of living,
Happy songs from the laughter of children at play;
Hold my hand as we run through the sweet fragrant meadows,
Making mem'ries of what was today.

Chorus:

We have this moment to hold in our hands
and to touch as it slips through our fingers like sand;
Yesterday's gone and tomorrow may never come,
But we have this moment today.

Tiny voice that I hear is my little girl calling,
For Daddy to hear just what she has to say;
And my little son running there by the hillside,
May never be quite like today.

Tender words, gentle touch and a good cup of coffee,
And someone who loves me and wants me to stay;
Hold them near while they're here and don't wait for tomorrow,
To look back and wish for today.

      8. I Give You Freedom (The Whippoorwill Song).
I set the boundries of the ocean vast,
Carved out the mountains from the distant past,
Moulded a man from the miry clay,
Breathed in him life, but he went astray.

CHORUS:
I own the cattle on a thousand hills,
I write the music for the whippoorwills,
Control the planets with their rocks and rills,
But give you freedom to use your own will.

ENDING:
And if you want Me to, I’ll make you whole,
I’ll only do it tho’ if you say so.
I’ll never force you, for I love you so,
I give you freedom - Is it “yes” or “no”?

I hold the waters in My mighty hand
Spread out the heavens with a single span,
Make all creation tremble at My voice,
But My own children come to Me by choice.

Even the oxen knows the master’s stall,
And sheep will recognize the shepherd’s call
I could demand your love - I own you twice,
But only willing love is worth the price!

My holy word now I give to you,
As a shining lamp to guide you through,
My yoke is easy and My burden is light,
Keep looking up, your Heavenly home’s in sight.

(Don't you love the simplicity of that solo?!) :)

      9. Don't Hang Your Harps on the Willow Tree.
I sat with the heart broken weary saints,
The song of the harpers was gone,
I wondered how sweet songs of Zion’s chior
Could possibly ever go on.
Together we wept in the silent night,
As Babylon flowed by our side,
The harps gently swayed in the willow trees
That stood on the strange river side.

Chorus:
Don’t hang your harp on the willow tree,
The music of Zion goes on;
Don’t hang your harp,
When hope of the future is gone.
The song that you sing if your heart is sad
Will carry the burden away;
Don’t hang your harp,
Revive the music today.

The breezes are blowing from Heaven’s shore,
The pilgrims remember the song,
They reach for the harps in the willow branch,
Tho’ ev’rything seems to be wrong.
In tune with the music of Glory land,
The loveliest song ever heard,
Resounds from the shore of the river bank
Til ev’ry sad pilgrim is stirred.

The theme of the song they are singing now
Is over and over the same,
“All power and glory to Christ the Lord,
All praise to Emmanuel's Name.”
The place where they sat is no longer sad,
It’s changed by the power of God,
Since pilgrims of Zion are tuned to sing
His wonderful praises abroad.

As an afterthought, you probably haven't heard that last song before. (That's why there is no video. I couldn't find any of anybody singing it!) It's by Mrs. Lena Martin, taken from one of the many (and diverse!) songbooks that Dad has. The songbook is Echoes of Triumph, No. Two. All that info was for if you were curious. ;)

A BIG thank you to whoever came up with today's subject; it was a blessing for me to put the above together.

GreaThings--Day 5. (November 12)

Day 5

Answered prayers and miracles.

1. Too many to count! :D
2. Just a month after we came, we had no house for about two days--and God miraculously gave us one!
3. Just after the above happening, we ran out of money. Yup! Clean. Dead. Broke. We expected the money transfer to get here quickly, but due to complications, it took a month! I count it as a miracle that it actually came!
4. Oh, whoops. They were supposed to be from this year. Alright! :D
5. January 12, 2012 will always be stamped on my memory. It was the day we were officially granted permanent New Zealand residency! YAY!!! That was a complete miracle AND answered prayer, but I don't have time to go into the details now.
6. Nathan, born on March 25. Complete act of God, that boy is! I wonder what his future has in store?!

GreaThings--Day 4. (November 11)

Day 4

Blessings that start with the letter "E".

1. Emma, Elijah. My mum and my brother. Without Mum, I wouldn't be here, and without Elijah? Hmm... I wouldn't have someone to discuss literature with? :D
2. Eggs. Imagine cooking without eggs. I don't think I'd like it--I don't think the Pavlova would be very good, either! Yuck! 
3. Enemies. I know, they aren't great things. But really, if you think about it for very long, they have helped you to grow somewhere, even if in a very small way.
4. Everlasting. Eternal. God. I wouldn't be able to do anything without Him!

GreaThings--Day 3 (November 10)

Day 3

Scriptures that have been a blessing this year.

>>How am I ever supposed to answer this one? There are so many!<<

1. Mark 11:24. "Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them." I found this verse very encouraging. I don't know exactly why, now, but when I was reading through it, it just struck me. "Ye shall receive them." Wow! It wasn't that I was unbelieving before, it was more of a "Yes, God really does hear my prayers!" time. Praise the Lord!
2. Psalm 59. It starts out as a prayer for help, but goes way beyond that. In the end, the psalmist is rejoicing in how good God is! And, oh, how truly I could see myself in that Psalm. Sad, but choosing to rejoice in the riches I have in Christ! (which is the next point. :D)
3. Romans 11:33. "O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!" What a beautiful verse! And what a beautiful book... God's Word is so precious!
4. And now...on to one of my most favourite books of the Bible--Timothy! :D   1 Timothy 3:16. "And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory." I liked this verse so much the first time I saw it that I actually copied it into my (rarely used) journal! It's just one of the many precious gems found in that book.
5. 1 Timothy 6:6. "But godliness with contentment is great gain." I memorized this verse. Not hard, I know. But it was (and still is) a great encouragement--and at the same time, challenge! Having contentment is something I must daily struggle to have. It is ever-so-easy to start wishing for a different lifestyle, pet, computer program, etc., and forget that the Father in Heaven owns the whole world and everything that's in it! :D But, praise the Lord, He is always faithful to lead us back to the right paths.

GreaThings--Day 2

Well, it seems as though I'm a little, um...slow. Yup. Sorry 'bout that. Anyway, I should be able to get this done! :D It's better late than never, right?

Okay, here we go (please forgive me if I don't have a whole lot for each day! :D):

Day 2

Blessings that start with the letter "R".

1. Rubber boots. If I didn't have my pair, my feet would sure be cold on the frosty mornings! :D
2. Rainbows. They remind me of so many things...and they're beautiful!
3. Remembrances. Imagine if you didn't have a memory--you couldn't remember the last time you heard a baby laugh, or the sound of a content baby suckling. Or the time when you had that wonderful time with your family. Most important of all, you wouldn't remember who Jesus was--and why He came. Isn't God good to give us memory?!
4. Ruggedness. Here in New Zealand especially, the terrain is so rugged. And so diverse. There's something about the rough, bumpy, different-wherever-you-look that is beautiful. Wild and beautiful. I love it.

Two Little Brother Funnies

Last night, while on the beach:
Joe was talking to Mum about his sandy feet.
Mum: "There's water in the van, we can wash your feet off when we get there."
Joe (after thinking a moment): "Is it called milk?"
He knew we had brought a jug of milk along for tea, but hadn't realized that we had also brought along some water!


This morning (it's cold and rainy outside right now):
James (slamming the door): “It's FREEZING out there!”
Joe (going to the door, and stepping out on the porch): “It's not cold out here when I'm out here!” (it sounded as if he heated the outside up by his own body heat!!! :D)

GreaThings--Day 1 (November 8)

Yes! I'm participating in GreaThings this year! (Read all about what it is here)

source

This reminds me of the song (I know. I'm always thinking of songs.), "To GOD be the Glory!"

To God be the glory, great things He hath done,

So loved He the world that He gave us His Son,

Who yielded His life our redemption to win,

And opened the life-gate that all may go in.

Praise the Lord, praise the Lord,
Let the earth hear His voice;
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord,
Let the people rejoice;
Oh, come to the Father, through Jesus the Son,
And give Him the glory; great things He hath done.

Oh, perfect redemption, the purchase of blood,

To every believer the promise of God;

The vilest offender who truly believes,

That moment from Jesus a pardon receives.

Great things He hath taught us, great things He hath done,

And great our rejoicing through Jesus the Son;

But purer, and higher, and greater will be

Our wonder, our transport when Jesus we see.

Source 

Okay, onto today's GreaThing:

Great memories and moments you're thankful for this year.

How many memories/moments am I supposed to do? or does it not matter? The last one is probably the case. ;) Alright, I'll do seven things:

1. Our recent family walk at Oaro, where we found train cars and other interesting things. Wonderful memories! (my Mum posted about it, but I have LOTS of other pictures I could share--do you want me to share those, or are you content with the ones she shared? Comment, and tell me! I may end up doing a post about it anyway, if enough people are interested.)
2. Rocking the baby when he was crying just a few days after he was born, and realizing that he has fallen asleep. ♥
3. Playing with my goats
4. Smelling the rose we have outside at the moment, and remembering that there is something in the Bible about the rose of Sharon.
5. The setting sun light lighting up the sky into a purple mass, with gold-rimmed edges. ♥
6. Reading Romans through, and being amazed at the simplicity of salvation.
7. Bouncing a baby on the trampoline, and loving his high-pitched giggles. ♥

A Smile for your Saturday

Today, at lunch:
James (6), picking the bottle of rennet from the bench: "Here, I'll have some of this water for a drink." (all the time knowing it was rennet)

Me: "You'd better not! That stuff costs lots of money! Anyway, it wouldn't be good for you. It'll thicken all your insides."

James: "Oh. Then maybe I won't. Here, I'll give it to the plants." (he ended up putting the bottle in the fridge)

Two Three 3-year-old funnies:

A while ago, when I took the two youngest on a walk:

Joe (matter-of-factly): "I just saw a house. It was a strawberry house."

Me (looking around, and noting that there were no houses in sight): "A strawberry house?"

Joe (still totally serious): "Yes, a strawberry house!"

Me (trying to hide my laughter): "I've never seen a strawberry house!"

Joe (with a sigh): "Not in a long time."

Me (thinking to myself, trying to not let the laughter inside of me burst out) "I wonder where he came up with that?!"


Last week, after we came home from the A & P show (recorded by Mum):
I was out on the porch taking down some dry laundry. The van was still in the driveway, and Joe walked in front of it. He called out to me, "I think the remote on the van went out!"

I wasn't sure what he was talking about, so I asked him, "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

After a moment's thought, he replied, rather uncertainly, "I don't know."


UPDATE: Here's another one Mum reminded me of!
On his birthday:
Joe: "What are we having for lunch?"

Mum: "Rice and tomato soup!"

Joe: "Oh, YUM!"

Then, after a moment's pause, "But I don't like rice..."

:D Oh...precious three year olds... :D Love him!

Have a blessed Saturday!

Tutankhamun by David Murdoch {Book Overview}

Photo Credit
(yeah, I had to get the picture
from Google Books. The
Amazon picture was too
s.t.r.e.t.c.h.e.d!!!)

In this book, David Murdoch tells about how Howard Carter found Tutankhamun's tomb, and all the different things in it. There were several things I hadn't ever heard about before that I found out in this book. Had you ever heard that there were robbers in Tutankhamun's tomb several times? Go here, and you can read a really interesting story about it. They (the robbers) mostly looted small chests, but they got into “The Annexe”, and turned that room into complete disaster! One thief left his footprints on a white box, and they were still there when Carter and his crew found the tomb. The Annexe was in a terrible wreck  and Carter said that “He [the robber] had done his work just about as thoroughly as an earthquake”! Carter wasn't able to even stand in the Annexe at first, he had to be held up by a rope swing leaning into the room to begin clearing it! Well, I'd better not tell you any more about the book. You'll have to read it yourself.

Click here to see a picture of the annexe. (top picture)

(I decided not to put it in, because it isn't really polite. you're supposed to forget about the picture of the book. yeah, I really mean that.)

In the above picture, you can see two robber's footprints (he must have had REALLY DIRTY feet! :D) in the top sort-of center of the picture, on what looks like the white wooden slats of wood. Don't see them? Hmm...how do I explain...? It's above the pot in the very center...like, just above it. You saw them? Good. I'm glad. Neat, huh?

Where I got the name for my story. . .

I found this beautiful poem in a book called "Poems", by Christina G. Rossetti (read/download the book here):

       A SUMMER WISH

Live all thy sweet life through 

    Sweet Rose, dew-sprent, 

Drop down thine evening dew 

To gather it anew 

When day is bright: 

    I fancy thou wast meant 

Chiefly to give delight. 

Photo Courtesy

Sing in the silent sky, 

    Glad soaring bird; 

Sing out thy notes on high 

To sunbeam straying by 

Or passing cloud; 

    Heedless if thou art heard 

Sing thy full song aloud. 

O that it were with me 

    As with the flower; 

Blooming on its own tree 

For butterfly and bee 

Its summer morns: 

    That I might bloom mine hour 

A rose in spite of thorns. 

O that my work were done 

    As birds' that soar 

Rejoicing in the sun: 

That when my time is run 

And daylight too,  

    I so might rest once more 

Cool with refreshing dew.

Isn't it a beautiful poem?! And I'm sure you saw where I got my title. . . ;)

I've entered the...

NaNoWriMo Young Writers Program! 

(well, you already know about it, but anyway...)

I know...writing a novel...in one month...sounds BIG. Like, REALLY, REALLY, REALLY, REALLY big. 

But...well, I've done it. And I don't plan on going back on my word. I'm aiming for about 1,500 wpd (words-per-day), but (SHHH!!! don't tell my Mum!!! ;) ) I'm gonna try for 2,000. We'll see. That sounds like A LOT!!! Mum says I should aim for 30,000 words all together.

You're wondering what I'm writing about? My story about the girl in Israel. Yeah...I've been working on that all along, but I KNOW it can be a lot better than it is (at the moment I have 10 pages worth, but I'll re-write it all).

I'm super excited about this adventure. I never quite dreamed that I would be writing a novel at my age (6 + 9 ÷ 5.1 x 5 - 1 and round to the higher number. haha, yes, you can use a calculator!!! :D). But I did used to dream of writing a book one day. Mum says that I'm completing one of her childhood dreams--she always wanted to write a novel! She said that the problem was that she only ever got about half a page written. I hope I can do better than that! : /

I think I will. But I really need your prayers. I'm stepping on new ground here. Thank you for praying, and I hope you understand if I don't post very much (though I can't say as I post all that much anyways. : / ) in the next month! And hey, maybe you'll join me? I love having friends writing with me, even if we're writing different things!

Oh--and yes, I think I have a name for the story: A Rose in Spite of Thorns. If you really, absolutely can't wait for the novel writing to finish being written, you can have a sneak peak below. :D If you're like me, you'll read it. And, if you do--you're reading it on one condition. That you send back all the problems that you find to me. (and trust me; they're there! :D It's a really, really rough draft!)

Okay, here you go:

view the pdf file

P.S. I'd love to know what you think of my adventure in doing this crazy thing called writing a novel in thirty days! Have any thoughts on the subject? Any tips? Comment below; and thanks a lot!

Write a novel with me!

I want YOU to write a novel with me in November. Join me as a participant in the NaNoWriMo Young Writers Program!

Visit the site to find out more: http://ywp.nanowrimo.org

Ready to go? Just click the link below:
http://ywp.nanowrimo.org/invite/accept/etbx74nZ

** copied from**

(yes, I know this is kinda late. but if you do decide to do it [which I REALLY hope you do!!! :D], please notify me. ;) it's fun seeing other friends taking up the same challenges as me.)

VIEW MY NaNoWriMo PROFILE HERE

. . .to be continued. when I've finished writing it.

The Cat of Bubastes {Preview to What I'm Reading}

Hello, dear friends! Lately, I've been reading a REALLY interesting book by G. A. Henty entitled, "The Cat of Bubastes" (read/download here). Here's a sneak peek--I'll be back in 1-3 weeks with the entire book review! (yes, I know. I'm horribly, terribly mean.)

--------------------------------------------------

Chapter 1:

In this chapter, the main character, Amuba, is the son of the Rebu king. They are preparing for a battle; his mother is afraid that they will not win this time. They are going out to fight the dreaded Egyptians. They head out to the fight. The Egyptians begin arriving. The plane seems to get smaller and smaller as more…and more…and more Egyptians pour in. The next morning, the fight begins. The Egyptians are fast, strong, and undefeated so far. They also have a great deal of skill and experience backing them. Will they win? Or will the Rebus win?

The Egyptians make a “road” across the swamp. They come over in droves. The Rebus cannot fight them back. More and more soldiers die. The Egyptians press on, pushing the Rebus back, back, back. The Egyptian bowmen are strong…and courageous. The last scene is the King. He was hit in the eye by an Egyptian arrow. He died instantly, slumping down in his chariot. The Rebu warriors are without a leader.

Chapter 2:
Jethro, Amuba's bodyguard takes Amuba to safety—to the city. They prepare the city for war, men and women working side by side. Gathering in all the food from the fields. Gathering stones to drop them on the Egyptians. They have only an hour. The Egyptians will be coming soon.

And then they come. Pouring over the plains, like an unquenchable flood. The last scene is the Rebus, wondering what they will do next. They have put stakes in the seemingly invincible walls, and built themselves a strong shelter from the boiling oil and heavy stones. What will the Egyptians come up with next?

. . . More later! 

Living Fossils, by Dr. Carl Werner {Book Review}

***WARNING: IF YOU ARE AN EVOLUTIONIST, THEN PLEASE DO NOT READ THIS POST!!! IT IS VERY MUCH AGAINST EVOLUTION!!! (warning ended)***

I know. You must be saying, "WOW! She's read a lot of books lately!" Yes--I have been. But, of course, I've been working on a lot of them for about 3 weeks! I really enjoyed reading this school book. You may recal I posted about this book about three weeks ago, but I'll put all of my review in here.
NOTE: since this is a scientific book, and there are scientific names in it, I have copied the way they had it in there. Therefore, the species names are in red.

----------------------------------------------

Monday, September 17, 2012
The author begins to tell his story. He was raised a Catholic, and never questioned the teachings of the Bible until he got to his high school years. Then he learned about Ontogeny Recapitulates Phylogeny, a principle created by Dr. Ernst Haeckel in the late 1800s, portraying that human embryos retrace the history of evolution in their embryonic stages. Years later, the author found out that the drawings demonstrating ORP were extremely inaccurate, and shown to be false even in Haeckel's time! And they're still in textbooks today—even though they were shown to be false 100 years ago.

Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Today, I learned about how the author, in the middle of his sophomore year of college, went out for a pizza with a classmate. While there, the classmate asked four important questions that would change his life. A seed of doubt was planted there, and he began researching to see if evolution was really true. From then on, he was on a life long quest to find out what the truth was.

Thursday, September 20, 2012
Today, I started chapter two: How Can You Verify Evolution? There were four evidences for evolution he gave that he believed when he started trying to find out what the truth was. 1) Ontogeny Recapitulates Phylogeny, 2) Most scientists believe it, 3) Ape-men, and 4) Some fossil evidence of animals changing from one animal type into another. Then there were three evidences against Evolution: 1) Too many missing links, 2) The big bang theory does not work, and 3) Life could not begin spontaneously. It's getting VERY interesting!

Friday, September 21, 2012
Today, I read about how he studied everything about evolution he could for the next eighteen years. After that time, he began to start finding out things first-hand, rather than second-hand, as he was getting from books, articles, etc. He began to study living fossils in the “older” layers. And he took a trip out west.

Monday, September 24, 2012
Their journey out west begins. They landed in the Denver airport, and set off on their adventure. They weren't getting any very good clues, until he interviewed a scientist that was trying to prove that dinosaurs did not become extinct after a asteroid hit the earth. The scientist (Dr. William Clemens) argued that, “If an asteroid impacted the earth and killed off the dinosaurs, it should also have killed off the butterflies, bees, frogs and salamanders that were living with the dinosaurs.”

From that time on, he learned how to ask. He stopped challenging the whole evolutionary theory, and it just focused on dinosaur extinction. (Before, he was asking, “Have you found any fossils of modern animal or plant species at this dinosaur dig site?”, now he was saying, “Some scientists, such as Dr. Bill Clemens, have suggested an asteroid did not cause the extinction of the dinosaurs because environmentally vulnerable animals, like salamanders and butterflies, lived through this dinosaur extinction event. At this site, where you are working, have you found any animals that survived the dinosaur extinction event—any modern-appearing animals that are still alive today?”) By re-wording the question, he was able to make a list of quite a few “modern-appearing” animals and plants.

Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Today, he started talking about the “Biological Classification System”. Here, he explains how they name something through scientific classification (Kingdom > Phylum (or, Division if you're talking about plants) > Class > Order > Family > Genus > Species). Here are two examples he gives:

Sassafras Tree
Kingdom	Plant
Division	Flowering Plants
Class	Two Leaves around Each Seed
Order	Laurels
Family	Laurel Family
Genus	Sassafras
Species	Albidum
Official Name	Sassafras albidum

Horse
Kingdom	Animal
Phylum	Vertebrate
Class	Mammal
Order	Hoofed Odd Toe
Family	Horse
Genus	Equus
Species	Caballus
Official Name	Equus caballus

Fascinating research!

Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Today, he told about how scientists can so easily put the wrong species name on a fossil because it looks a little different than modern animals. He used the example of how many different kinds of dogs there are in the world, and how they could be mistaken for another species.

Thursday, September 27, 2012
Today, I learned about all the different variations in human beings. He had some examples of variations in American oysters, and also in sassafras leaves. There was a comparison of a fossil Magnolia leaf, and one in real life. Then he had 14 different leaf pictures, all of leaves from the same tree! Wow!

Friday, September 28, 2012
Today, I learned about brittle stars. There were pictures of a fossilized brittle star (found in a dinosaur layer), and a modern one. Looks VERY similar! Hmm... (*innocent face* “What? Me? Questioning the silly great theory of evolution?”)

Monday, October 1, 2012
Today, I studied comparisons of quite a few different aquatic animals. There were sea urchins, sea biscuits, starfish, and sea cucumbers. It was really interesting!

Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Today, I read about Long-Stalked Crinoids. They're very interesting, and both fossils and real ones look very similar. Then I read about Feather Stars, which are very much the same also. I think I'm beginning to really like this book. It rings of truth.

Wednesday, October 3, 2012
I read the chapter about Aquatic Arthropods today. It was really interesting! It included shrimp, lobsters, crabs, prawns, and crayfish.

Thursday, October 4, 2012
I read about land arthropods today. There were pictures of a termite nest from the petrified forest in Arizona. There were also pictures of a dragonfly, water skater, water-bug, woodwasp, beetle, and many other animals.

Monday, October 8, 2012
Today, I read about bivalve shellfish and snails! There were lots of different animals, including freshwater clams, mussels, clams, oysters, moon snails, and much, much more. I am really enjoying this book.

Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Today, I read about different types of shellfish. There were Nautilus shells first (looks b.e.a.u.t.i.f.u.l.!!!) There were also lamp shells and tusk shells, besides several other kinds. I also studied an earthworm fossil (and picture of modern one), and tube worms. It's really interesting how many different kinds have been found! :D

Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Sponges, corals, and bony fish were what I read about today! I didn't realize how many different kinds of sponges there are out there. (Have you ever heard of a glass sponge?) I also read about different kinds of fish. The lungfish sounds interesting!

Thursday, October 11, 2012
I started out with reading about cartilaginous fish today! This includes sharks and rays. There was one fossilized shovelnose ray(1) that looked almost exactly the same as the modern shovelnose ray(2)—and their scientific names were—(genus-name, species-name) (1)Belemnobatis sismondae, and (2)Rhinobatos productus! VERY different. Hmm...I think someone (probably an evolutionist) was REALLY messed up!

Friday, October 12, 2012
Today, I read about amphibians—mainly frogs and salamanders! Have you ever heard of the “Hellbender”? If you haven't, be comforted. I hadn't either. And I'm kinda glad. They look STRANGE!!! I also read about crocodilians (alligators, crocodiles and gavials). Gavials look funny—they've got a REALLY long, thin snout!

Monday, October 15, 2012
I read about snakes (love pictures of those things for some odd reason! :D Always have.) and birds today! In the lizards section (somewhere in between snakes and birds), I saw pictures of Iguanas. I'd like to see one in real life sometime. They look interesting!

Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Today, I read about mammals found as fossils. I found it interesting that not many bones have been collected—when scientists are looking for dinosaur bones, they pass the mammals up. They like seeing the dinosaurs better than the mammals. Also, the dinosaur bones can be huge—imagine that you've found a 4 foot dinosaur leg bone, and there's a 2-3 inch mammal bone. Which one would you take? Of course, the dinosaur bone! It's bigger—and more of a novelty. So not many mammal fossils have been taken. There were a few (how about a 3 foot long, 30-pound collie-sized Tasmanian Devil-like mammal?) that he told about (altogether, he saw three mammal skeletons). Very interesting research!

Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Today, I read about spore-forming plants (ferns, horsetails, moss, etc.) and flowering plants! It was interesting reading about peat moss—I've heard of it, but never seen a picture of it. Very interesting. The chapter about flowering plants was interesting. In the beginning, he told about a “Dr. Carl Sagan”, who said that “The dinosaurs perished around the time of the first flower.” Later on, he showed two museum posters that showed just the opposite—they both featured different flowering trees! The two posters were from the Milwaukee Public Museum, and the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science. It reminded me of when Jesus was on trial—the chief priests had a REALLY HARD time finding witnesses that agreed with each other. (Matthew 26:59-60a, “Now the chief priests, and elders, and all the council, sought false witness against Jesus, to put him to death; But found none: yea, though many false witnesses came, yet found they none.”) The evolutionary scientists cannot agree. Therefore…is evolution really real? I have serious questions. There have been LOTS of fossils collected that have flowering trees' flowers and/or leaves.

I finished the first part of the book, the “evidence” part today. Yay! Almost done. (though, it is an interesting book.)

Thursday, October 18, 2012
I finished the book today. I'm both sad, and glad. Sad, because I've finished such a good book, and glad because I have one more book read for school! And it was a very worthwhile book, I'm glad to have that put on the shelf beside other worthwhile books! Anyways…what I read about today…his conclusions. He found fossils of all major animal phyla living today in dinosaur rock layers, and also all major plant divisions living today in dinosaur rock layers! WOW! This is like…SO obvious. I wish all people would believe in creation. But then, I guess…there wouldn't be much need for books like that anymore! :D Anyways…I enjoyed this book. A. LOT.!!!

A Surprise

Please excuse me for not posting this sooner. Somehow, it got stuck in the drafts. Oops! :D

Yes...a surprise. For my Daddy. Want me to tell you what it is? A photo book. Yes, you heard me right--a photo book!

It's called Michigan Memories: Summer and Fall 2009. In it are all (or at least, MOST) of the pictures from our last summer/fall in the states. It was a lot of fun putting together, and all the more fun, I imagine when Dad opens the package. I can hardly wait! We ordered it today, and they said "3-10 business days". Oh, well. I guess that's better than a month! Anyway, if you wanted to see it--our memories from "on the farm", here they are.

UPDATE: When we gave Dad the package, he really appreciated the gift! It was fun looking at all the pictures--and it turned out a WHOLE lot better than I would have ever guessed! A priceless treasure!

Here's the link to view it. (or, click on the picture)
(be warned, it might take a little while to load)