The Twelve Traditions of Christmas

Hey, everyone! I'm here to ask you to tell me about any traditions that you and your family have for Christmas. I have a couple to share, but certainly not twelve! If I get twelve traditions, I'll share them over the twelve days of Christmas. Please please share with me! Thanks!

A Week of Thanksgiving ~ Day Six

Today I am thankful for the freedoms that I enjoy here in America. I am also thankful for the many opportunities that I have that many others in the world do not have. This would include being able to go to a library and check out any number of books (not to mention being able to ride in a car to get there!), the ease with which we can get food or whatever else we need, and so many other things! The internet isn't available to everyone... Water coming from a tap... Hot showers... So many of the things that I don't even think about.
So far as freedoms go I am glad that I can be homeschooled, that I can go to church, and that as a woman I am considered a human being and have rights that many women across the world do not have.

Since I can't get on the computer on Sundays, that wraps up my week of Thanksgiving! I haven't had any comments, but I guess those will come in time. Maybe from you? Please? (Boy, have I really been reduced to begging?!) On that note... I am thankful for comments!!!!

Have a great weekend, all!

Things You May Find Stupid...

I'm not sure who comes up with these ideas, or why other people (including myself) spread them around... but here's a tag!

Seven Things About Me That You Might Find Stupid
1. I get emotional when Balto gets the medicine into Nome EVERY TIME Seth watches the movie Balto! =P (Ssshh.. don't tell anyone! LOL) To make it a little less silly that I get teary-eyed at an animated movie that I've seen a hundred times, listen to the music - it's emotional. =D
2. I listen to movie soundtracks a lot, even to movies I've never seen before. Most people watch a movie and love the soundtrack... I listen to a soundtrack and decide that I should see the movie.
3. (There is no way I'm going to come up with 7 things, peeps!) I hate it when people crunch boxes to recycle them. The boxes need to be undone in such a way that they can be flat. =P
4. It drives me nuts when people pace, but I do it myself. Woohoo!
5. I rarely just sit down and enjoy a movie. I'm always watching for mistakes, visible equipment, and I usually know about the actors and what else they've acted in, too.
6. Umm... Well, some people think it's stupid to re-read books. They're the ones with the problem, though.
7. I'll let you guys fill this one in if you can think of something! =P (But please try to be nice!)

A Week of Thanksgiving ~ Day Five

Today I am thankful for missionaries, pastors, evangelists, etc. Without them, I know I would not be the person that I am! These people have encouraged me and helped me to grow, as well as having touched the lives of nearly every person I know. This is a really short post, but please take time to stop and pray for some of the missionaries that you might know, as well as the pastoral staff of your church.

A Week of Thanksgiving ~ Day Four

Since it's Thanksgiving Day, I'm going to tell the biggest thing I am thankful for, and that is my salvation. When I was five or six, I was listening to a tape called "Harold the King" by Patch the Pirate. The gospel is given very clearly on the CD, and the main character accepts Christ. I prayed the same prayer after listening to the CD one winter evening, and I believed I was saved. As I got older, however, I began to have doubts. But I knew for sure that I had prayed that prayer, so I kept pushing my doubts aside and decided that I was saved.
When I was fourteen I went to camp and it was during a sermon there that I started to realize that repeating a bunch of words wasn't getting saved. Getting saved was believing on the Lord Jesus Christ and entrusting my life to Him. I accepted Christ as my personal Savior on May 30, 2006. The road isn't always easy, as I'm sure all of you know. I haven't led a perfect life at all, and there have been times when I practically turned my back on God. I am so thankful to the friends who have loaned me a shoulder to cry on, but more importantly have prayed with and for me through my struggles. On that note, I will leave you with the words to one of my all-time favorite songs:

[I can't find the lyrics online... so I will go get my book and post them later on... Sorry!]

A Week of Thanksgiving ~ Day Three

There's SO much to be thankful for! I should have done a month of Thanksgiving rather than a week. =D

Today I am thankful for...

My Family

Especially my Mom and Erica! <3

Another Giveaway!

Hey, everybody! I've got another giveaway to share with ya'll! Go over here to enter: http://behindtheteenscene.blogspot.com/2009/11/my-first-giveaway.html

Call to the Knights!

Yesterday I mentioned that Chuck Black's 4th Knights of Arrethtrae book, Lady Carliss and the Waters of Moorue, will be releasing on March 16. Today I bring you tidings of how you just might be able to win a signed copy of Lady Carliss! Several people have mentioned how wonderful it would be to have a Kingdom pendant... and I wholeheartedly agree with them! So there's a contest to see who can come up with the best design for pendant! The prizes are as follows:


First Place—Signed copy of Lady Carliss and the Waters of Moorue, a Lady Carliss poster, and a Knights of the Prince Pendant.
Second Place—Lady Carliss poster, and a Knights of the Prince Pendant.
Third Place—A Knights of the Prince Pendant.


I'm going to re-read the Kingdom books (I was planning on it anyhow!) to make sure I am extra-familiar with them before I sit down with a pencil and some paper to see what I can come up with!

A Week of Thanksgiving ~ Day Two

Today, and every day, I am extremely thankful for my friends! I have been so blessed to have such an incredible group of encouragers, kindred spirits, and partners in crime. :p Here are my "honorable mentions" - the friends that I don't want to think of living without!

Erica - Best friend for my whole life. My sister, companion, confidante, supporter, encourager, and (sometimes) my restraint. LOL =D I love you, George, and I am SO thankful for you!

Lydia - Where would I be without you, Lyds? You are my prayer warrior, my friend who is always there and ready to listen no matter what. Patient, loving, understanding. You have never condemned me even when I was a fool, but have patiently prayed for and talked to me. You are the one person who has blessed my walk with God the most, and I thank God for bringing you into my life every time I think of you!

Erin D - Thanks for being such a great pal! Knowing me as well as you do, I'm surprised you still like me. LOL Thanks for your encouragement and for all the times you've let me take advantage of how nice you are! =D

Bailey - It's almost scary how much alike we are in different ways. You're a kindred spirit - my bookworm friend, my writing buddy, and just a great person to talk to because you're so compassionate and understanding. You are SO good at cheering me up and talking to you always makes me happy. You have been such a blessing and encouragement to me in so many ways!

And to everyone else... at church, online, or wherever. Thanks for being the awesome bunch that you are!

Random Book and Movie Stuff

First, congratulations to everyone involved with the filming of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader! I'm really excited that filming is done and just wish that it wouldn't take so long to get it out on DVD. =D

Second... Chuck Black's newest book, Lady Carliss and the Waters of Moorue, is releasing on March 16! If you haven't yet been introduced to The Kingdom Series and the Knights of Arrethtrae, I would highly recommend that you go and have a look! There is a touch of romance in these, but other than that they are wonderful!

Third, though everybody already knows this... and I already blogged about it, Sherwood Pictures has just announced their fourth film, Courageous, which is about four policemen who go through a tragedy and who learn lessons about fatherhood along the way. (That's what I'm getting out of the limited information, anyhow!) If you want to read an article about the movie, go here:


http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sherwood-pictures-announces-fourth-movie-courageous-70155297.html

A Week of Thanksgiving ~ Day One

Hey, everyone! I think I'm going to do a post each day this week telling about something I'm thankful for in celebration of Thanksgiving! Today I am thankful for...

Physical Comforts

This morning I woke up at about 6:30 and just lay in bed for a few minutes before getting up. My flannel sheets were **so** warm and cozy that I just didn't want to stick my bare foot out and put it on the cold carpet. (Sleeping with socks on is impossible for me for some reason) When I finally slipped out of bed and threw on my snuggly purple bathrobe, I went upstairs to find that it was snowing! The light, dusty little flakes didn't come down for long, so we only have a thin powdering over our porch, but it sure was pretty! It was also cold outside, so I was thankful to be inside. =D I got online and signed into google docs... and spent the next half hour typing as fast as I could think. I'm still working on my NaNoWriMo project. I'm a bit behind, but still plugging away! I am very thankful for these creature comforts. A cozy bed, a warm house, the internet, and... food! My mom made an awesome breakfast this morning. Fried eggs and bacon. Yum! I had been planning on making a smoothie, but I guess I'll save that for a snack later.

So that's just touching the surface of the physical comforts that I'm thankful for today. =D

How I spent my morning...

Giveaway!

Hi! I was blog-hopping this afternoon and I don't even remember how I got to this blog, but she's having a giveaway! I entered of course, and you should, too!

Yumminess!!

My mom made these INCREDIBLE cookies last night. They are definitely a new family favorite! You can get the recipe on her blog: http://onthenarrowway.blogspot.com

A Couple of Quotes

I've been reading through DragonQuest by Donita K. Paul and I just wanted to share a couple of quotes from the book. Here you go!

"What do you charge me with, God? Tell me exactly what you want me to do, and I will do my best."
"As always, my child, I ask for you to do what you see right in front of you. That is all."
"Is there anything else?"
"Enjoy the journey."


"God always has a purpose. But sometimes His way of doing things is so far beyond anything we can comprehend, we praise Him without complete knowledge."

These quotes are edited a bit so that they aren't confusing to you... I imagine that you haven't read the book. =D Anyhow, isn't that last quote amazing??? God's ways are so beyond my own limited understanding, yet I can trust Him and praise Him even without full knowledge!

The Man From Snowy River

Here is one of my favorite poems. One of my favorite movie scenes of all time came from this awesome poetry! I wouldn't recommend watching The Man From Snowy River without a TV Guardian, but the end is one of THE BEST movie scenes of all time! I can't even explain the way it makes me feel! The poem expresses just a piece of that awesomeness, so here it is:


The Man From Snowy River by Banjo Patterson

There was movement at the station, for the word had passed around
That the colt from old Regret had got away,
And had joined the wild bush horses — he was worth a thousand pound,
So all the cracks had gathered to the fray.
All the tried and noted riders from the stations near and far
Had mustered at the homestead overnight,
For the bushmen love hard riding where the wild bush horses are,
And the stock-horse snuffs the battle with delight.

There was Harrison, who made his pile when Pardon won the cup,
The old man with his hair as white as snow;
But few could ride beside him when his blood was fairly up
He would go wherever horse and man could go.
And Clancy of the Overflow came down to lend a hand,
No better horseman ever held the reins;
For never horse could throw him while the saddle-girths would stand
He learnt to ride while droving on the plains.

And one was there, a stripling on a small and weedy beast;
He was something like a racehorse undersized,
With a touch of Timor pony—three parts thoroughbred at least
And such as are by mountain horsemen prized.
He was hard and tough and wiry—just the sort that won't say die
There was courage in his quick impatient tread;
And he bore the badge of gameness in his bright and fiery eye,
And the proud and lofty carriage of his head.

But still so slight and weedy, one would doubt his power to stay,
And the old man said, "That horse will never do
For a long and tiring gallop—lad, you'd better stop away,
Those hills are far too rough for such as you."
So he waited, sad and wistful—only Clancy stood his friend
"I think we ought to let him come," he said;
"I warrant he'll be with us when he's wanted at the end,
For both his horse and he are mountain bred.

"He hails from Snowy River, up by Kosciusko's side,
Where the hills are twice as steep and twice as rough;
Where a horse's hoofs strike firelight from the flint stones every stride,
The man that holds his own is good enough.
And the Snowy River riders on the mountains make their home,
Where the river runs those giant hills between;
I have seen full many horsemen since I first commenced to roam,
But nowhere yet such horsemen have I seen."

So he went; they found the horses by the big mimosa clump,
They raced away towards the mountain's brow,
And the old man gave his orders, "Boys, go at them from the jump,
No use to try for fancy riding now.
And, Clancy, you must wheel them, try and wheel them to the right.
Ride boldly, lad, and never fear the spills,
For never yet was rider that could keep the mob in sight,
If once they gain the shelter of those hills."

So Clancy rode to wheel them—he was racing on the wing
Where the best and boldest riders take their place,
And he raced his stock-horse past them, and he made the ranges ring
With the stockwhip, as he met them face to face.
Then they halted for a moment, while he swung the dreaded lash,
But they saw their well-loved mountain full in view,
And they charged beneath the stockwhip with a sharp and sudden dash,
And off into the mountain scrub they flew.

Then fast the horsemen followed, where the gorges deep and black
Resounded to the thunder of their tread,
And the stockwhips woke the echoes, and they fiercely answered back
From cliffs and crags that beetled overhead.
And upward, ever upward, the wild horses held their way,
Where mountain ash and kurrajong grew wide;
And the old man muttered fiercely, "We may bid the mob good day,
no man can hold them down the other side."

When they reached the mountain's summit, even Clancy took a pull
It well might make the boldest hold their breath;
The wild hop scrub grew thickly, and the hidden ground was full
Of wombat holes, and any slip was death.
But the man from Snowy River let the pony have his head,
And he swung his stockwhip round and gave a cheer,
And he raced him down the mountain like a torrent down its bed,
While the others stood and watched in very fear.

He sent the flint-stones flying, but the pony kept his feet,
He cleared the fallen timber in his stride,
And the man from Snowy River never shifted in his seat
It was grand to see that mountain horseman ride.
Through the stringy barks and saplings, on the rough and broken ground,
Down the hillside at a racing pace he went;
And he never drew the bridle till he landed safe and sound,
At the bottom of that terrible descent.

He was right among the horses as they climbed the farther hill,
And the watchers on the mountain, standing mute,
Saw him ply the stockwhip fiercely; he was right among them still,
As he raced across the clearing in pursuit.
They lost him for a moment, where two mountain gullies met
In the ranges—but a final glimpse reveals
On a dim and distant hillside the wild horses racing yet,
With the man from Snowy River at their heels.

And he ran them single-handed till their sides were white with foam;
He followed like a bloodhound on their track,
Till they halted cowed and beaten; then he turned their heads for home,
And alone and unassisted brought them back.
But his hardy mountain pony he could scarcely raise a trot,
He was blood from hip to shoulder from the spur;
But his pluck was still undaunted, and his courage fiery hot,
For never yet was mountain horse a cur.

And down by Kosciusko, where the pine-clad ridges raise
Their torn and rugged battlements on high,
Where the air is clear as crystal, and the white stars fairly blaze
At midnight in the cold and frosty sky,
And where around the Overflow the reed-beds sweep and sway
To the breezes, and the rolling plains are wide,
The Man from Snowy River is a household word today,
And the stockmen tell the story of his ride.

A few random topics

Topic 1: My wordpress blog. I still have one! I don’t know how many of you even noticed, but yesterday I did not have a blog. It was deactivated due to a violation of the terms of service… leaving me somewhat panicky and rather angry and heartbroken. I reread the terms of service and didn’t see anything wrong, but when I read the message that came up when I tried logging in it was talking about advertising. The closest thing I could come up with is all of my cool little buttons on the side of my blog. BUT EVERYBODY HAS THOSE, I protested. I emailed wordpress within minutes of discovering my problem. Their reply wasn’t as quick as it could have been, but the problem was resolved. There’s a website which I shall not name (Due to the fact that even linking to them will shut me down again) who does wordpress themes but they have junk in their codes. I tried using one of their themes and got shut down in consequence. BUT I changed over to a wordpress theme that’s actually here on wordpress, and here I go again! SO happy!

Now for topic #2! I am getting into this habit of posting lyrics to songs that have music I don’t agree with, but I wanted to share this song from Fireproof. It’s written by John Waller. Again, I do not support the type of music that is used with this song, but I wanted to share the lyrics:

I’m waiting
I’m waiting on You, Lord
And I am hopeful
I’m waiting on You, Lord
Though it is painful
But patiently, I will wait

I will move ahead, bold and confident
Taking every step in obedience
While I’m waiting
I will serve You
While I’m waiting
I will worship
While I’m waiting
I will not faint
I’ll be running the race
Even while I wait

That’s just the first verse and chorus, but that’s the best part anyhow, so there you have it! I think that the lines that really mean the most to me are where it says, “I will move ahead…” and “I’ll be running in the race even while I wait” It’s so easy for me to just stop and wait for God to make the next move when I should be pressing on!

Now that I’ve mentioned Fireproof, I’ll move on to my third topic: Courageous. I’m sure you all know about this movie by now, but just in case you don’t, Courageous is the next film that Sherwood Pictures is going to do. I’m really excited to see how it goes. It’s about… I wanna say 4 cops, but I’m not positive about that. Anyhow, it’ll be a “police movie” as Seth would call it.
Now this may make ya’ll think that I’m totally nuts, but I’m not really happy with the way that Sherwood has gone about advertising for their new movie. I realize that the more viewers they have, the better. I just feel like the way they’ve gone about it is SO in tune with the ways of the world. Why aren’t they just stepping aside and trusting God to bring in the necessary viewers and money? Do any of you have thoughts on this? Feel free to call me a jerk… It won’t change anything, but if it makes you feel better, go right ahead!

So there’s my three topics for the day. You know, I love blogging, but it’s even more fun when I get comments! So please be sure to let me know you dropped by!

Toodloo!

Button for Bay's Book Blog!!!

After toying around with several ideas for a button, I finally came up with something I liked for my friend Bailey. I mentioned her before in my post “The Blog Around the Corner.”

If you want the button, let me know and I’ll give you the code. Unfortunately, I lost my code for putting a code box in my post…