Memory Nest

 

(Picture found on Pinterest) 

Emma has 'pecked' me for the Memory Nest tag.  If you'd like a few more details on it, please see her post.

The Rules: 

 

1. thank the person who 'pecked' you.  (Thank you, Emma!)

2. list five things that start with "when I grow up and have my own house..." (they can be true, or utterly ridiculous, whatever you feel like writing :-))

3. 'peck' one other person and let them know that you have done so.

1.  When I grow up and have my own house...I'm going to stop eating so much sugar because I just know that having my own house is going to magically give me the discipline which I now lack.  (And until that happy time comes, I'll enjoy my cookie--because I deserve it for making such a noble resolution.)

2.  When I grow up and have my own house...I'm going to have lots and lots of children.  And I'm going to handle all the chaos with grace and ease...and even ENJOY it!  I can see myself now: pulling a pan of well-baked bread out of the oven, while balancing my one-year-old girl on my hip, and calling to my little son to "wait a moment!  Mommy will be right there."  Oh! such bliss!  No, I'm serious! I like the feeling of being a busy, bustling housewife, with so many things to do! 

3.  When I grow up and have my own house...everything will be in spotless order, because I can't stand a messy house.  My children won't have trouble picking up after themselves because they will only have one toy a piece.  It's simpler that way.   (Just kidding.  I'm not that cruel.)

4.  When I grow up and have my own house...I will get enormous amounts of writing and housework down all in the space of time designated for my children's afternoon naps.  (Don't ask me how.) 

5. When I grow up and have my own house...I'll probably faint from exhaustion.

 

 

I peck...Natalie.

 

Just a Bit of Random Chatter All About What I've Been Doing Lately

Okay.  So I have a problem with overthinking my posts.  I have so many ideas in my head but I don't make much progress on them because I keep trying to make them into some kind of polished, major work of writing.  As if I'm writing a top-notch essay for college or something, instead of just a simple conglomeration of my thoughts.   

 

So, throwing aside--for the time being--the four posts which are currently languishing in my drafts, I'm simply going to ramble on about the things I've been doing lately.  Such facts may prove of very little interest to anyone but myself, but whatever.  Here goes nothing.

Oh!  Just one more thing before the nothing.  This is a very random post, so it will be complete with random pictures and all that.  And I'm going to try not to worry about it all making sense...because that will take me too long.  Sometimes nonsense is a necessity. 

 

 I've been enjoying...

 

1.  Spending time with my adorable little nephew, who slept over at our house for the first time this past weekend while my brother and his wife were away.  I got to hold him at our church dinner, and feed him off of my own plate, and this just thrilled me to no end!  (I was born to be a mother!  I just know I was!)

2.  Staying up late at night talking and watching movies with my family.  

I have not been enjoying...

1. The fact that late nights don't mix too well with early mornings.  I've been finding it extremely difficult to get out of bed these days.  And cold weather, which makes one's bed so comfortable to curl up in, doesn't help either.  

I've been playing...

1. The piano.  As usual.  It's my go-to when I'm feeling out of sorts, or when I'm feeling extra full of joyful, pent-up emotions.  I'm so thankful my mom had me learn an instrument when I was younger, because I don't know what I would do without it now.

2. Pool.  We inherited my grandfather's pool table this year and it has been in high demand.  It used to be more of a boys' game, but I've found that I enjoy hitting the balls around, too.  It's another means of releasing pent up emotions, ya know?  Boy, but I can really slam those balls around when I'm in the proper mood.

I've been reading...

1.  Too many depressing news articles which make me want to go and shake some sense into the entire population of our country--and particularly into the members of our crazy government. 

2.  Eve's Daughters.  This is an excellent book by Lynn Austin which Naomi recommended in a review on her blog.  I really enjoyed this book and I heartily recommend it likewise.

I've been laughing at...

1.  The cute antics of my nephew.  How can you not laugh when he's helping his daddy put the eggs into the egg carton and sticks his little thumb right through one?  Poor baby.  He was so taken by surprise.  The eggs had never played such a trick on him before!

2.  Old articles written by me and my siblings for our family newspaper.  I was reading over some of these with two of my brothers the other night and we were laughing our heads off.  (That's a rather formidable image, isn't it?)

3.  My pitiful pool playing skills.  My adage is: Close your eyes, hit, and hope for the best.  Only I don't close my eyes, because I'm not THAT silly.  (Really though.)

4.  Loves Unfolding Dream.  Don't get me started!  That movie was SO painful.  And I laughed in derision the whole way through it.

I've been dreaming about...

1.  The stories in my head and thinking about getting them down on paper.  (Thinking about it.)  Every time I ride in the car and the music begins to play...oh!  anything is possible!  But when I sit down in front of my computer?  Forget it.  Dreams can wait until another day!

2.  Becoming a wife and mother.  This is a nice thought.  A very nice thought.  The hope of it's realization is pretty much nil at this point, but hey!  It's a dream!  I can at least have my dreams, can't I?  (Haha!)

I've been watching...

A lot of movies.  Including Persuasion (1995), which I really enjoyed; and Ivanhoe, which we just finished watching for my brother's fourteenth birthday.  (It's sort of a fourteenth birthday tradition.)  Also I've seen quite a few Danny Kaye films lately which aren't top-notch according to my standards, but which are still quite entertaining. 

And...

...because this is a  very random post...

I thought I'd share with you a little random snippet from Winnie the Pooh.  Just because.  I thought it was funny...and you might to.  (Or you might not, but whatever.)  It's actually the Contradiction for The House at Pooh Corner (which is the second Winnie the Pooh book...but you probably didn't care about that.)  Anyway...

Contradiction

 

An Introduction is to introduce people, but Christopher Robin and his friends, who have already been introduced to you, are now going to say Good-bye.  So this is the opposite.  When we asked Pooh what the opposite of an Introduction was, he said "The what of the what?" which didn't help us as much as we had hoped, but luckily Owl kept his head and told us that the opposite of an Introduction, my dear Pooh, was a Contradiction; and, as he is very good at long words, I am sure that that's what it is.

                                                                                                ~The House at Pooh Corner, A.A. Milne

 

 

I just thought it was funny.  That's all. 

 

And while we're on the subject of funny.  I wrote this little rhyme the other day.  It just kind of came to me.  An inspiration of the moment you might say.  Do you want to hear it?  (Well, I can't wait for your answer so I guess you're going to hear it whether you want to or not.)  Here it is:

 

I don't know what to write,

I don't know what to write,

That's why I'm sitting here,

Writing nothing.

 

If the words would just unite,

My thoughts could then take flight,

But they won't and so I sit,

Doing nothing.

 

Okay!  So I'm not a poet.  And now you know it!  (Haha!)  But hey, give me credit.  At least the words rhymed! 

 

Now I'm going to publish this post and feel very proud of myself for publishing two posts in one day!  And then the pride is going to give way to embarrassment and I'm going to go hide my head in the sand in shame that I've just made such a ridiculous fool of myself.  :D  (Oh, dear!  But I haven't got any sand!) 

 

 

Well, good-bye, good people!  Cheerio, and all that! 

 

(And as Tigger would say, "T.T.F.N.!  Ta, ta for now!") 

"It's Raining on Celia again."

"Then move Celia again!"

"There's no more dry places to move her."

~The Apple Dumpling Gang~

Oh, dear.  I'm awfully sorry to do this to all you dear people so soon after my last rainy day post, but I did promise to let you know if ever I needed to indulge in another one of these tear-filled rants, so here I am...true to my word.  

It's been raining an awful lot around here this past week.  And to be honest, my mood has matched the weather pretty much drop for drop.  You might say I've been having a bit of a personal downpour. 

Strike that.  I haven't actually been down-pouring.  In fact, I've been fairly calm without--the storm has just been brewing on the inside far more than is entirely comfortable.  You know how you can feel the rain in the air before it begins to pelt the ground?  Well, that's what it's like.  I'm an emotional rain cloud just waiting to burst. 

And yeah...there's precious few dry places to move to. 

I don't know how much to say for fear of saying too much, but if any of you out there have ever experienced adoption first hand, I think you'll understand.  I have four siblings who became a part of our family just over a year ago.  I'm not going to say that I regret adopting--because I don't (momentarily, maybe, but overall, no)--and I'm not going to say that I don't love my new siblings--because I do (even though I don't always feel it).  But there's no getting around it, life has been radically changed, and no matter how many times I tell myself that what we're doing is a good thing--that our situation could be a whole lot worse--and that we actually have been extremely blessed in the small of amount of issues we've had to deal with...still.  There are some days that are just downright hard, aggravating, and unpleasant.

It's hard melding two families into one.  It's HARD.  You don't have the same kind of relationship with your adopted siblings as you have with your biological siblings, and while you want to treat everyone the same and love your new siblings as much as your old siblings, somehow you just can't.  And I feel bad about that sometimes because I want to love them.  I want to feel as if they're truly a part of our family.  I want to enjoy being around them. 

But honestly, there are days when I don't feel any of that. 

I know a lot of it depends on me and my attitude.  My new siblings annoy me a lot, but I know that most times it's not really their fault.  It's mine.   Sure, they're not very tactful, nor very sensitive, nor overly observant of other people's needs.  But what can you expect?  They didn't have a good upbringing.  They didn't have parents who taught them to know the difference between right and wrong, from the time they were too little to talk.  They lived in a place where the strongest one wins, the weakest one loses, and it's every man for himself.  Really, what can you expect? 

And so, as I was struggling with feelings of frustration today, the thought occurred to me.  My new siblings don't know God like I do.  I've been a Christian since I was seven, and I've known God all my life.  They haven't.  With the huge head start I have on them, I really shouldn't be expecting them to meet me half way.  I have Jesus.  I need to be going more than half way.  Just like He did for me.

There.  I've just given myself some good advice.  (I feel like Alice in Wonderland...she's always giving herself advice, isn't she?)  Thanks everyone for letting me spout off.  (Not that you really let me, since I never asked for your permission, but...ahem.  Anyway.)

Note: The funny thing about blog posts is that they take me so long to write that by the time I get to the end of them I'm not feeling any of the emotions I was feeling when I started.  Actually, this post took me two days to write (or rather, edit) and here I am on the second day feeling quite happy and peaceful.  Adoption?  Ha!  It's a piece of cake!  ("You mean it ain't gold?"  ~Apple Dumpling Gang, again.  Sorry I must have that on the brain.)  No, of course I don't really mean that.  Adoption IS hard and I'll be feeling it in another hour no doubt, but for right now everything's really okay.  So, yeah, I probably don't even need to publish this post, but I think I will just because it took me so long to write.  It would be a shame to let all that time go to waste. 

"You can only come to the morning through the shadows."

~J.R.R. Tolkien

"And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us."  Romans 5:3-5

In Which I Relate to You How Certain Movies Make Me Feel (Because I'm Sure You Were Just Dying to Know)

Movies can evoke all sorts of feelings and emotions.  Some give you that cozy, wintry, curl up in a blanket sort of feeling; while others make you want to charge out into the world and make a difference.  They can thrill you, inspire you, make you happy or sad, cause you feelings of annoyance, and even make you downright mad.  There's all sorts. 

And so, just because I feel like being random today, I'm going to give you a few examples of movies I like (or dislike) and how they make me feel.  Because, like I said, I'm sure you've all been dying to know.  (Well, haven't you?) 

Amazing Grace

This movie inspires me.  Totally.  It breaks my heart and puts it back together (and *ahem* makes me want to marry a William Wilberforce).  But not only that.  It inspires me to make a difference in this world.  This world needs people with passion who aren't afraid to speak up.  Who aren't afraid to stand for truth...for righteousness.  I love this movie because it's the story of a man who didn't give up.  He believed in what he was fighting for and it was more important to him than his own comfort, his own health, and his own reputation.  I want to be like that, too.  (And I love how full of hope this movie is.  With God's help we truly can make a difference in this world.)

David Copperfield (1999)

I saw this picture online the other day and this huge wave of nostalgia hit me.  That's how this movie makes me feel, nostalgic.  I must have seen this film a year or so after it's release, when I was around nine-years-old.  It's not the perfect adaption of David Copperfield (I don't think there is a perfect adaption yet, which is a shame) but it has a lot of lovely memories attached to it.  This movie triggered a lot of creative play for me and my siblings.  We became the characters.  (You see David and Dora in that picture above?  Those are really two of my siblings in disguise.  I know them.)  And my oldest sister and I; we would spend hours in our room quoting all the best parts back and forth.  We loved that movie.  And so, even though I now find much to be desired in it (I've read the book and it's much better) I'm still quite fond of this movie. It takes me back to my childhood.  And I have to admit, I have no objections to being taken back to such a happy place as that.

Wives and Daughters

Will I disappoint a great many people if I say that this movie causes me feelings of irritation?  Well, I'm sorry, but it does.  The main point of irritation being that the characters never seem to really come alive.  They're well cast (most of them) and they say all the right lines and do all the right things, but there's just something missing.  All I can say is--for me, personally--they never became real.  I don't know why.  And it's a great pity because I really liked the book and would have so enjoyed watching it played out on screen.  (Also I did not particularly like the casting for Dr. Gibson and Roger.  They just didn't match my mental image of the characters.  Sorry, but it's the truth.)

Pride and Prejudice (1995)

*A peaceful and contented sigh* 

Contentment, yes.  Pride and Prejudice is the kind of movie that makes me feel relaxed and cozy and serenely happy.   Oh!  It's such a beautiful movie.  What more can I say?

Pride and Prejudice (2005)

Makes me feel sarcastic.  In the extreme!  Oh!  The commentary that accompanies this movie--and continues for several hours afterward--is not to be described!   I'm afraid I can be terribly brutal.  My mouth just won't stay shut.  "Their hair!   Now that's regency style, I must say!"   "What?  A PIG?  In the HOUSE?"  "Listening at the keyholes?  Yeah, right!  That's just the way Lizzie would have behaved!  Why, she's as bad as Lydia!"  "Mr. Bingley?  Oh, no!  I can't watch!  I can't watch!!"  "Stop walking around in your night-clothes, everyone!  Please!  That just isn't done!"  "Mr. Darcy, would you please stop saying 'Mrs. Darcy, Mrs. Darcy, Mrs. Darcy.'  You sound like a broken record.  Have a little compassion on my nerves."  Yeah.  You probably didn't want to know how I feel about this movie.  ;)

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy 

Haha!  Alright, so this movie seems like a rather odd one to include in this list, for some reason, but I thought I'd mention it anyway because this film series certainly evokes a lot of emotions in me.  For example: It makes me nostalgic, frustrated, annoyed, happy, delighted, appalled, sad, and sarcastic.  It makes me laugh (in a good way), laugh (in a sarcastic way), sigh contently, and groan dismally.  This movie confuses me somewhat.  I think I like it and then I think I don't...and overall I'll just say "the books are better, but the movies are okay."  :)

The Happiest Millionaire

Oh!  This movie!  This movie makes me feel so happy!  It's just so much fun!  I've watched it many times and I still find it absolutely delightful.  The characters are so good, the music is wonderful, and...yeah...I have to say, it's one of my favorite Disney films.  (Seriously, the last time I watched it I had this silly grin plastered all over my face for the entire first scene!  It was really quite ridiculous.)

Cranford 

Dare I say it?  This movie frustrates me.  It had so much potential...so many characters to do so many good things with...and yet it all seemed to fall so terribly flat.  It was honestly rather boring.  And it's not because I don't like simple, slow-moving plots, because I do.  I guess it was just the same kind of feeling as I had with Wives and Daughters.  In my mind, the characters had all the right ingredients but they never quite lived.  My imagination was always one step ahead and the characters and plotlines never quite caught up.  If that makes any sense.

Random Harvest

This movie makes be both happy and sad.  It's really a rather tragic story...heartbreaking even...but the end!  Oh! Such blissful happiness!  (If you've never seen this movie you should really find it and watch it because it's so lovely.  It's the kind of sad that makes you feel happy...if you know what I mean.)

Well I guess that's all for now.  This really was a pretty random post...but it gave me the opportunity to use some nice pictures, so I'm satisfied.  ;)

Which of these movies have you seen? 

And what are your feelings on them?

All Those Lovely Questions

I've been nominated a second time for the Sisterhood of the World Bloggers Award!

...and I'm positively delighted!   Thanks ever so much, Naomi, for tagging me!  

First off, I guess I'd better mention the rules.  Because, you know, these tags have rules and we must always mention them whether we follow them or not.  *wink*

1. Thank the blogger who nominated you, linking back to their site.

2.  Put the award logo on your blog.

3. Answer the ten questions sent to you.

4. Make up ten new questions for your nominees to answer.

5. Nominate ten other bloggers

There you are.  Now you can all keep a close look out and see which rules I follow and which rules I don't.  Haha!  Though I'm guessing you already have a pretty good idea which ones I'm going to skip.  (Why, yes, of course it will be the last two.  How clever of you.)  Seriously though, I think I won't nominate anyone today, or come up with any new questions, because I did this tag already and I don't want it to get too repetitive for people.

Alright.  Let's begin.

1. Describe your eyes.

(Was that a question, or a command?  :)  No, it's okay.  I will obey.)  Brown.

(By the way, I do not look like this girl.  I just included her because she has brown eyes.  What's wrong with that?)

...Haha.  Okay, I know, that was a pretty lame description.  Let me try again.  My eyes look like...eyes.  (Obviously.)  They're brown--sorry I think I said that already.  They're rather large (or so I assume as my mom used to tease me whenever I'd open them extremely wide that I'd better not let them get any larger or they'd pop out of my head).  They have permanent dark circles under them (which I hope are not too awfully noticeable) on account of my not getting enough sleep.  And they have very distinct little crinkles along the sides when I smile.  (Did I do alright?) 

(Oh, and you don't think I used too many parenthesis, do you?  Because, really, I don't like to overdo things.  (Heehee.))

Moving on...

2. What's the last thing you bought?  (And food doesn't count.)

An LP record of one of my all time favorite singers, Andrew Culverwell.  He is a Christian artist who wrote music mostly during the 70's and 80's.  And his music is SO good...and I mean SOOOO good.  I am currently collecting all of his old albums and hoping to get a record player some day so that I can listen to them--you know, because when you buy music you usually want to listen to it. 

3. Do you keep a diary?  (And do you let people read it, or is it filled with dark secrets?)

I used to keep a diary, but I was never very good at it.  I wrote a few things that would be classified as secret, but mostly I wouldn't wish anyone to read it simply because the writing is so painfully bad.  I do like to share some of my earliest journal entries with my siblings, though, because it's SO much fun to laugh over my atrocious spelling errors.  (For example:  millck [milk], orenj jous [orange juice], holde hanes [hold hands], shoosh [shoes]...I'm not kidding.  It was that bad.)

4. If you could choose, have pink hair for a week, or have one encounter with Blandois from 'Little Dorrit' in the night on a lonely road? (For those of you who haven't read or seen Little Dorrit, Blandois is this horrible character who turns blood into ice. (not literally.))

Okay, well I really liked Olivia's answer over at Meanwhile in Rivendell, but of course I can't steal it, so I'm going to have to go with my original answer.  As Blandois is NOT the kind of person one would like to meet on a lonely road...

(What makes you think I would ever choose to meet up with such an odious man?  You must be joking!)

...I'm afraid I'm going to have to suffer through having pink hair for a week.  Ugh.  BUT WAIT!  First, I'm going to find a very beautiful, and stylish, hat that will completely cover my hair.  Because I simply will not  be seen in public with my hair in such a state.  (Or maybe I will just stay quietly at home until my hair turns brown again.  That's also an option.)

5. What do you imagine I look like?  (I'm curious.)

This is a rather tough one, as I don't have a very distinct mental image of you.  I guess I'd have to say that I imagine you as a girl with dark, wavy hair and a face that is covered with a large red box which reads, "20 Facts about Me."  Haha.  However, if I let my imagination go somewhat further, I'd say--in my mind--you have a very lively sort of face, with a lot of expression, and a huge infectious grin.  I imagine you to be short rather than tall, and very energetic and fond of skipping about the house.  Do I come close in any particulars? 

6. Did you ever believe in Santa Claus?

Never!  And I would have been totally affronted had anyone suspected me of such a thing.  I was far too clever!  Haha! 

7. When do you allow yourself to start listening to Christmas songs?

I don't really allow or disallow.  I just listen to it whenever I feel like it.  Which really isn't that often except around Christmas...though I do play Christmas carols on the piano at random times throughout the year.  Just because.

8. Do you have a pair of pink shoes?  (Because I think I want them.)

Oh, I used to.  They were light pink sandals which I wore for my brother's wedding, but I don't have them anymore.  (Sorry, Naomi.)

9. When you say the word 'brother' in a British accent, do you end up saying 'brotha' or 'brother'?  (Because often when people try out British accents, they make the mistake of doing the latter.)

I'm not sure I've said brother in a British accent all that much...but I think I would tend to say 'brotha'.  Anyway, I hope I would, as that is obviously the correct way.  And I do so like to be correct about things.

10. Which literary character can you mimic the best?

Ach.  I don't know.  I can't think of any.  When I was younger I used to be pretty famous for my impersonation of Mrs. Gummidge from BBC's David Copperfield (1999).  However, I'm not sure if that was because I was actually good at mimicking her, or if my fame simply arose from that fact that it was totally hilarious to see a nine-year-old girl wailing, "I'm a lone lorn creature, Danel, and everything goes contrary with me!  I make the house un-CUMFtable.  Oh, I DO!"  (Boo hoo!)  :)

*****

Well, that's it.  That's the tag.  I followed all the rules...except the ones I didn't...and now I really must be off!

Thanks again, Naomi!  These questions were so much fun to answer!

So long, everyone!