I Heart Faces: Orchard

Commonplace Book Meme

This is an excerpt from this talk, given by Boyd K. Packer. It's actually such a long quote that I haven't finished copying the whole thing into my notebook yet, but I'm working on it.

---

Elder Graham W. Doxey, who once served in the Second Quorum of the Seventy, told me of an experience. His mother, who was later a counselor in the Primary general presidency, also told me of this experience.

During World War II, he was in the navy posted to China. He and several others went by train to the city of Tientsin to look around.

Later they boarded a train to return to their base, but after more than an hour, the train turned north. They were on the wrong train! They spoke no Chinese. They pulled the emergency cord and stopped the train. They were put off somewhere in the countryside with nothing to do but walk back to the city.

After walking for some time, they found a small pump-handle car, the kind that the railroad workers use. They set it in the rails and began to pump their way along the tracks. It would coast downhill, but it had to be pushed uphill.

As they came to one steep downhill slope, they scrambled aboard the car and began to coast. Graham was the last to get aboard. The only place left for him was in the front of the car. He ran alongside and finally climbed aboard. As he did so, he slipped and fell. He was bouncing on his back with his feet against the car to keep from being run over. As the car quickly gained speed, he heard his mother’s voice say, “Bud, you be careful!”

He wore heavy military boots. His foot slipped, and the thick sole of his boot caught in a gear of a wheel and stopped the car just one foot (30 cm) from his hand.

His parents, who were presiding over the East Central States Mission at the time, were sleeping in a hotel room. His mother sat up at about 2:00 in the morning and awakened her husband: “Bud’s in trouble!” They knelt by the bed and prayed for the safety of their boy.

The next letter he received said, “Bud, what’s wrong? What happened to you?”

He then wrote to tell them what had happened. When they compared times, at the very time he was bouncing along that track, his parents were on their knees in the hotel room half a world away, praying for his safety.

These experiences of prompting and prayer are not uncommon in the Church. They are part of the revelation our Heavenly Father has provided for us.

---

What's in your notebook this week?
Learn about Commonplace Books here.

Commonplace Book: Lulabye to an Infant Chief

Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832)
Lullaby of an Infant Chief

O hush thee, my babie, thy sire was a knight,
Thy mother a lady, both lovely and bright;
The woods and the glens, from the towers which we see,
They all are belonging, dear babie, to thee.
O ho ro, i ri ri, cadul gu lo,
O ho ro, i ri ri, cadul gu lo.

O fear not the bugle, though loudly it blows,
It calls but the warders that guard thy repose;
Their bows would be bended, their blades would be red,
Ere the step of a foeman drew near to thy bed.
O ho ro, i ri ri, cadul gu lo,
O ho ro, i ri ri, cadul gu lo.

O hush thee, my babie, the time soon will come
When thy sleep shall be broken by trumpet and drum;
Then hush thee, my darling, take rest while you may,
For strife comes with manhood, and waking with day.
O ho ro, i ri ri, cadul gu lo,
O ho ro, i ri ri, cadul gu lo.


What's in your commonplace book this week? Post something to share, and then come link up. Not sure what a commonplace book is? Read more about it here.

Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY... from My Daybook

Outside my window... it's cold and icy. We're just past the full moon, shrinking into a lovely gibbous. Why is it that it's always dark when I'm blogging?

I am thinking... about what did I do with my maternity pants anyway? Clearly I'm going to need to do SOMETHING sooner, rather than later. Isn't this a little early for that? I mean, the baby's only 1/2 inch tall!

I am thankful for... so many things. It's hard to pick just one. But right there at the top of my list is my Treasure: Andy, Monkey, and Sparrow. And also my new niece.

I am wearing... jeans, socks that have monkeys on unicycles on them, a white tshirt, and a ratty old gray sweater that probably ought to be replaced sometime.

I am remembering... how little Monkey was when he was a baby. Lots of babies around right now to make me think these things. What a bunch of cuties!

I am going... to find something more comfortable to wear until I can find my maternity pants, and until I decide that I'm far enough along to use them.

I am currently reading... ah, I'm actually between books right now. Though I am attempting to read the whole Old Testament this year. I've never yet managed that, and I think that I should. 77 chapters a month, to see it done by the end of the year. About 2 1/2 chapters a day. Not so bad, right? Can I just point out here how much I admire folks doing the Bible in 90 Days thing?

I am hoping... Monkey hurries up and gets better. He's been under the weather since before Christmas, poor little sausage!

On my mind... well, I guess I'll have to repeat myself here, cuz it's the little guy in sleeping on my couch that I'm thinking about. Hopefully a nice long nap will help a lot.

Noticing that... I've been sitting and blogging for a while: I'm getting cold. Plus, I need to find some water.

Pondering these words... The Importance of Rewards. "People do what they do because of what happens to them when they do it" (Dainels, 25). This illustrates one of the basic principles explaining human behavior. Furthermore, the more instantly gratifying a behavior is, the more likely it is that that behavior will reoccur. "Immediate consequences... far outweigh... delayed and uncertain consequences" (Daniels, 31). If our children misbehave, regardless of what they have been taught, one can only conclude that the consequences of misbehaving are more desirable than the rewards of good behavior. That is why it is so important that parents are pleasant to be around and that they create a pleasant, safe, Christlike environment at home so children will be gratified for being there - and will want to be there rather than somewhere else. --Christlike Parenting, pg 55

From the kitchen... not much today. Pancakes for breakfast, then leftovers for lunch, and probably more leftovers for dinner.

Around the house... between being tired from growing a baby, and Monkey feeling crummy... if you come over today, please don't look too closely. OK?

One of my favorite things~ taking pictures

From my picture journal...

A chickadee leaving my feeder with its seed, from the middle of last month. Man it's been crazy! I'd meant to post this ages ago!

Read more daybooks here...

My Shopping Menu

I love FlyLady's idea for a shopping list that's on your computer. Basically, she keeps her list on her computer and prints it out when it's time to go. I've sort of modified this idea to work for me. I've got a shopping-menu. On the first half of my paper is a form I made up in Word to write the menu down for 2 weeks. On the other half is the shopping list, which I use a highlighter to mark the things I need, plus I inevitably have just a few items that still haven't made it onto my printed list yet or are one time needs that are written in. Then I go shopping with it. If I get to the store and they have a huge sale on something I can check the menu and decide if I'm going to adjust it right there. It works great. The only thing it doesn't do is make planning the menu any easier.

How Well Do You Know Your Husband?

1. He's sitting in front of the TV, what is on the screen? Stargate. or sometimes Eureka. But it's not really the TV: it's his computer & he's riding the exercise bike. The only thing that he regularly watches on the actual TV (between Stargate seasons) is General Conference.
Andy says: accurate.

2. You're out to eat; what kind of dressing does he get on his salad? Thousand Island. But I don't think I've ever seen him order a salad when we're out.
Andy says: Correct. Re ordering salad: Not if I don't have to!

3. What's one food he doesn't like? Broccoli.
Andy says: Who likes broccoli??

4. You go out to eat and have a drink. What does he order? "Clear and carbonated. Sprite, Sierra Mist, whatever you have."
Andy says: yeah. That's right.

5. Where did he go to high school? He'd rather not think about that.
Andy says: Do you know where I went to high school?
Me: Errrr... no.

6. What size shoe does he wear? Errrr....
Andy says: I get my own shoes, thanks.

7. If he was to collect anything, what would it be? Weapons.
Andy says: Rolls on floor, laughing to hard to say anything.

8. What is his favorite type of sandwich? My cooking: Grilled pepper sandwiches. Food out: Turkey Super Stacker from IHOP. Or possibly the french dip at Perkins.
Andy says: My cooking=accurate. Food out=you get the buzzer!! Have you forgotten about the mushroom swiss burger??

9. What would he eat every day if he could? Potato salad.
Andy says: yeah. **ponders wistfully.** yeah.

10. What is his favorite cereal? Reese's Puffs.
Andy says: There is no other cereal.

11. What would he never wear? A tux.
Andy says: inaccurate! You've seen me in a tux, therefore, inaccurate!

12. What is his favorite sports team? None. He doesn't like sports.
Andy says: Wanna-be warriors think too much of themselves.

13. Who did he vote for? Chuck Baldwin, Constitution Party.
Andy says: uh-huh.

14. Who is his best friend? Me :)
Andy says: sure, sounds good.

15. What is something you do that he wishes you wouldn't do? Interrupt.
Andy says: one among several.

16. What is his heritage? English, ugh. I should know this. I do genealogy!
Andy says: You need some help with that, love. I'm a quarter pure-blood German.

17. You bake him a cake for his birthday; what kind of cake? If I could ever find a recipe, I'd make the cream cheese torte that you used to be able to buy at Walmart, but so far I haven't found anything that works for duplicating it and they don't carry it anymore.
Andy says: yeah.

18. Did he play sports in high school? No.
Andy says: We have little Monkey ears present.

19. What kind of music does he like? Mostly rock, with a bit of heavy metal thrown in for good measure.
Andy says: That was accurate 4-5 years ago. I usually don't listen to much music anymore; if I do it's usually Celtic instrumental or the lighter side of rock. I'm done tearing up my ears.

New Beginnings

I've been pondering this year's resolutions for a while now, and while I'm not sure exactly what I'm going to make my goals, I am closing in on the mark.

Relief Society this week is studying the parables in Matthew 13. I find my mind drawn back to the parable of the sower again and again as I study this afternoon. The good earth brings forth good fruit (Matt 13:23). By their fruits shall ye know them (Matt 7:16-20). The fruits of the Spirit are love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance (Gal. 5:22-23).

So, my question became, "What are my fruits?" Do I see these things in myself? In my life? (Do I even know what all of these things are?)

How do I get more of these things?

When I can answer that question I think I will be ready to write my goals.



More New Beginnings at Wordfull Wednesday.

My Year in Cities

This looked like such a fun idea that I ran across on Pretty Jane's. (She's also having a button giveaway.) I don't have as many interesting foreign places, but we did go a few places this year!

Oshkosh, Wisconsin

Afton, Wyoming

Kaysville, Utah

Salt Lake City, Utah

Orangeville, Utah

Nashville, Tennessee

Jacksonville, North Carolina

Niagara Falls, Canada

It was a good year for trips!

99 Things

Harmony Art Mom had this meme on her blog, it looked like fun, so I swiped it. Here goes! Things I have done are in yellow.

1. Started your own blog.
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band (french horn)
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/world
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Tokyo
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch (I did have a little help.)
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial (didn't have time, but we saw the Constitution)
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible (I'm short a few books in the middle of the Old Testament & due to try again soon)
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury (last time I was summoned I was living out of state)
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

Crazy Eights

Keeley tagged me for a meme!

RULES:
1. Post rules on your Blog.
2. Answer the six "8" items.
3. Tag 8 other people.

8 FAVORITE SHOWS BOOKS:
1. The Book of Mormon & the Bible
2. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
3. Jamberry by Bruce Degan
4. Click Clack Moo, Cows that Type by uhhhh... I think Monkey ran off with the book, so I can't find it to find out who wrote it.
5. Understanding Isaiah by Donald W Parry, Jay A Parry & Tina M. Peterson
6. The Allegory of the Olive Tree edited by Stephen D. Ricks & John W. Welch
7. A Glorious Standard by Chris Bentley
8. The Well-Trained Mind by Susan Wise Bauer


8 THINGS I DID YESTERDAY
1. Blew my nose.
2. Blew Monkey's nose.
3. Took a nap.
4. Posted a few pictures on my blog.
5. Skipped lunch: the smell made me queezy.
6. Tried to read a book. Was even moderately successful.
7. Took a very long hot shower & used up the hot water.
8. Went to bed and was woken up three times.


8 THINGS I LOOK FORWARD TO
1. Getting pregnant again
2. Being debt free
3. Having the right gear to be warm when I take Monkey outside to play
4. Picking up a new kitty for Monkey tomorrow
5. Seeing the Savior
6. Learning how to keep my house clean!
7. Weighing about 25lbs less than I do now
8. Going places with Andy


8 FAVORITE RESTAURANTS
1. Heisei in Lafayette, IN. It compares nicely with the Japanese food we had in Japan.
2. Taste of Thai
3. Panda Express
4. Famous Daves
5. IHOP
6. Pizza Hut
7. Errr... this is getting harder. Arbys.
8. Uhh... Applebees



8 THINGS ON MY WISH LIST
1. More Time in my Day!!
2. Food Storage
3. A baby.
4. Another baby.
5. The LDS Mother's Educational Course outline for 2009.
6. The books on the LDS Mom's Ed list so I can participate more.
7. A really hot husband. Oh. Wait. Already got that. Nevermind. =)
8. Self-control. And a clean house. Those two most definitely go together.


8 THINGS ON MY DESK THAT DON'T BELONG
1. Most of the papers on my desk.
2. The bowl from last night's M&Ms.
3. Yarn for the socks I want to knit but I need to do something else to learn to purl.
4. Used hot chocolate mug.
5. Last week's comic books.
6. My tag punch. That needs to go in my scrapbook stuff.
7. My camera.
8. A new foot for my sewing machine... that didn't fit.


Folks I'm tagging:
Kate
Dad
Sarah
Emma
Jessica
Jenny
Trish
Cocoa

Swiped Another Meme

A-Attached or Single: Attached (very)
B-Best Friend: Andy
C-Cake or Pie: ice cream
D-Day of Choice: day with family
E-Essential Item: internet
F-Favorite Color: blue
G-Greatest Accomplishment: work in progress
H-Hometown: where my family is
I-Indulgences: dark chocolate
J-January or July: January
K-Kids: Monkey
L-Life is incomplete without: family
M-Marriage: happy
N-Number of Siblings: 7
O-Oranges or Apples: apples
P-Phobias or fears: bees
Q-Quotes:“The God who gave us life gave us liberty at the same time.” - Thomas Jefferson
R-Reason to Smile: innumerable
S-Season: spring
T-Tag Friends: anyone that wants to be tagged
U-Unknown facts about me:
V-Very favorite store(s): Barnes and Noble
W-Worst habit: putting off cleaning my bathrooms; bossiness
X-X-ray or Ultra Sound: ultra sound
Y-Your favorite food: ice cream
Z-Zodiac: Aquarius

High School Meme

I swiped this meme from my cousin.

1. Did you date someone from your school? Nope, but still I actually got engaged to a boy from church at 16. It was a bad idea.

2. What kind of car did you drive? I sometimes drove my folks' 12 passenger van, and I did some time in an old car that had a bit of a leak in the gas tank. Don't fill it more than about 1/2 way. There was also the car with the oil light. If the "check oil" light got too persistent you pulled over & added more oil & it went away. I didn't get to take the Metro much, Dad needed it.

3. What was the most embarrassing moment of HS? I don't know. The whole thing was pretty bad. Might have been coming in last in the mile (again) and then being unable to breathe for hours after. Might have been when they did the scoliosis testing... and I had it. Nope, sorry, that was junior high.

4. Were you a party animal? I wasn't terribly interested.

5. Were you considered a flirt? Not that I know of.

6. Were you in band, orchestra, or choir? Yes (french horn), no, yes.

7. Were you a nerd? Hmmm. If nerd=good grades & socially awkward, then yes, I guess I was a bit of a nerd. But I didn't use a pocket protector or anything like that.

8. Were you on any varsity teams? Does lettering in band count?

9. Did you get suspended/expelled? Are you kidding? My death would have quickly followed - my parents would have killed me!

10. Can you still sing the fight song? Do people do that? It was on the wall in the one school's gym, but I never figured out why.

11. Who were your favorite teachers? Maestro. He was the Spanish teacher at my 2nd high school. Also taught signed Spanish. I'd just finished studying American Sign Language with an interpreter at the old school, and it was a huge advantage. He was great: immersion from day 1. Sadly, we didn't stay at that school long.

12. Where did you sit during lunch? With a book.

13. School mascot? Panthers, can't remember, and Penguins.

14. Did you go to homecoming, and with who? No. I was never asked. And I'm not sure I'd've gone anyway: I just didn't get the whole homecoming Thing.

15. If you could go back and do it again, would you? Are you kidding??? NO.

16. What do you remember most about graduation? It was pretty boring. Lots of hype. Bad music (the band wasn't very good at all). Probably was a waste of time.

17. Where did you go senior skip day? Didn't have one.

18. Were you in any clubs? School 1: Debate, newspaper, yearbook. School 2 & 3: I got a job instead.

19. Have you gained some weight since then? Sadly, yes.

20. Who was your prom date? Didn't go.

21. Are you planning on going to your next year reunion? Doubtful. Either they didn't have a 10 year, or I didn't get the memo. I got along better with the next younger class anyway.

22. Looking back, what advice would you give yourself? Don't sweat it: it's gonna be over and then it Just Doesn't Matter. At least, not after you get your ACT score & start college. Also, work harder on that midwifery apprenticeship. That was cool & you'll regret not doing more.


If you swipe the meme, leave me a link, eh? I'd like to read yours!

Simple Woman's Daybook

Outside My Window: It is cool and dark; the first full day of fall has come to a close.

I Am Thinking: I should hurry and scrapbook the lost pictures that I found this evening, before I loose them again.

From the Learning Rooms: Monkey has been cutting with scissors. He loves to reduce colored paper to so many tiny pieces.

I Am Thankful For: Andy at home; leisure time and spending money; Monkey-boy!

From the Kitchen: An embarrassing mess.

I Am Wearing: Jeans; brown t-shirt "Life is one big scrapbooking moment;" bare feet; no jewelry; hair in low ponytail; glasses.

I Am Reading: "Where's My Cow" "Literacy is Not Enough" "Beat and Wire Art Jewelry"

I Am Hoping: To loose some weight and have another baby added to our family.

I Am Hearing: Indian Flute musica dn the click of Andy's keyboard.

Around The House: piles of books; scattered toys that still need to be picked up.

One Of My Favorite Things: Sent several someones some mailbox love today.

A Few Plan For The Rest Of The Week: Missionary Zone Conference tomorrow - I'm in charge of lunch. (It's just Little Ceasar's Pizza & some fruit & desserts that the ladies are bringing in. No big deal.) I need to look at that strip quilting book & get that done here pretty soon. Saturday there's family coming to re-celebrate Monkey's 2nd birthday by taking him to the zoo.


Monkey was so little! He's grown a lot in the past 2 years. He was 3 weeks in this picture.

More Daybook entries here.

Labor Day!

Found this meme for Labor day & Moms, and I love a good birth story, so I'm playing along:

How long were you in labor?
About 6 hours of active labor, around 30 minutes of pushing.

How did you know you were in labor?
I was having more contractions when I went in for my appointment 2 days before my due date. I'd had tons of contractions for the past week or two and even been in to the hospital once, thought the contractions stopped as soon as we got there. They were nice habit forming contractions every couple of evenings that would get as close together as 2 minutes for 3-4 hours, then they'd peeter off and stop. I really wasn't in the mood for doing that again, and the Doctor asked me if I wanted my water broken, so I took him up on it since I was already having contractions. He broke my water about 11am. Of course they quit. So I got dressed again and took a walk around the maternaty ward. The nurses wanted to know if I needed directions, help, what was I doing. I told them I was having a baby. I ate some lunch. I went to my room once the contractions started again and while they were little Andy and I played Pocket Tanks for a while. It's really the only time that I've ever done well at that game. Sometime between 1 and 2 I couldn't concentrate on the game anymore. Not long after that I got in the shower. I threw up my lunch. (Oddly enough, I'm still glad that I ate it.) After a while I headed down to the hot tub and I stayed there until it was time to deliver. The hot tub wasn't really set up for doing water births, so I went back to my room, even though I really liked the water and wanted to stay. Monkey was born at 7:42pm, I think. I'd have to check the minutes to be absolutely sure and I'm not at home right now

Where did you deliver?
In a hospital. It was nice.

Drugs?
Nope. I used Hypnobirthing. It worked beautifully. It wasn't so bad. I'd rather give birth than, say, get a cavitiy filled. Any day of the week!

C-section?
Nope. Completely uncomplicated birth.

Who delivered?
The doctor did. Although he almost missed the big moment. The nurses were getting pretty excited for a while there: the doctor on call was down the hall delivering another baby and my doctor wasn't there yet and I wouldn't stop pushing. I didn't want to stop pushing. I was having a BABY, and if they couldn't find a doctor to stand down there that wasn't my problem at that point.

**If you want to play along with this meme, just cut and paste the questions into your own blog, then head on over to Rocks in my Dryer to link up.

Swiped a Meme

My cousin had a fun meme on her blog, so I swiped it. Here it is:

Answer the following with only one word

1. Where is your cell phone?....Dunno
2. Your significant other?....Amazing!
3. Your hair?....Unruly
4. Your mother?....Mom
5. Your father?....Daddy
6. Your favorite thing?....Errr...
7. Your dream last night?....Strange
8. Your favorite drink....Water
9. Your dream/goal?....Eternal
10. The room you're in?....Computer
11. Your children?....MONKEY!!
12. Your fear?....Lonely
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years....Family
14. Where were you last night?....Friends
15. What you're not?....Passive
16. Muffins....Homemade
17. One of your wish list items?....Telescope
18. Where you grew up?....Wisconsin
19. What you read last....Ensign
20. What are you wearing?....Smile
21. Your TV?....Seldom
22. Your pets?....Cat
23. Your computer?....Yep
24. Your life?....Wonderful
25. Your mood?....Entertained
26. Missing someone?....Nope
27. Your car?....Reliable?
28. Something you're not wearing?....Shoes
29. Favorite Store?....Hancock
30. Your summer?....Fading
31. Like someone?....Lots
32. Your favorite color?....Blue
33. Last time you laughed....Tickling
34. Last time you cried?....Friday

So, if you swipe it from me, leave me a comment, eh?

Some Books I've Read

I was looking at LibraryThing's list of their top 1000 books. I've read several of them. (Though I prefer Shelfari to LibraryThing. They just don't have the crazy stats lists that Library Thing does.) The inital number is the book's rank. The trailing number is how many people read list it.

1. Harry Potter and the sorcerer's stone by J.K. Rowling (24,861)
2. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling (23,388)
3. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling (22,160)
4.# Harry Potter and the goblet of fire by J.K. Rowling (21,220)
5.# Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling (21,203)
6.# Harry Potter and the prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling (21,148)
8.# The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien (16,236)
9.# 1984 by George Orwell (15,250)
15.# The lord of the rings by J.R.R. Tolkien (12,039)
19.# Brave new world by Aldous Huxley (10,227)
20.# Animal farm : a fairy story by George Orwell (10,105)
22.# Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte (9,872)
24.# Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden (9,614)
26.# The fellowship of the ring by J.R.R. Tolkien (9,570)
28.# The two towers : being the second part of The lord of the rings by J.R.R. Tolkien (9,037)
33.# The return of the king : being the third part of The lord of the rings by J.R.R. Tolkien (8,681)
36.# The chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis (8,317)
39.# Ender's game by Orson Scott Card (7,766)
45.# The adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain (7,338)
62.# A wrinkle in time by Madeleine L'Engle (6,569)
63.# The lion, the witch and the wardrobe by C. S. Lewis (6,540)
64.# Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (6,448)
79.# Hamlet by William Shakespeare (5,693)
118.# The secret garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett (4,839)
141.# The mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley (4,398)
150.# The diary of a young girl by Anne Frank (4,275)
154.# The magician's nephew by C. S. Lewis (4,242)
164.# Charlotte's web by E. B. White (4,182)
172.# A brief history of time : from the big bang to black holes by Stephen Hawking (4,079)
173.# Macbeth by William Shakespeare (4,051)
174.# The adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain (4,027)
177.# Gone with the wind by Margaret Mitchell (4,005)
180.# Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare (3,936)
186.# Gulliver's travels by Jonathan Swift (3,852)
188.# Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery (3,840)
192.# The horse and his boy by C. S. Lewis (3,780)
201.# Prince Caspian by C. S. Lewis (3,689)
205.# The voyage of the Dawn Treader by C. S. Lewis (3,653)
207.# Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson (3,643)
208.# Speaker for the dead by Orson Scott Card (3,630)
209.# Jurassic Park : a novel by Michael Crichton (3,607)
211.# The art of war by Sun Tzu (3,595)
215.# The silver chair by C. S. Lewis (3,553)
220.# Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe (3,508)
222.# The color purple : a novel by Alice Walker (3,494)
252.# Charlie and the chocolate factory by Roald Dahl (3,262)
265.# The eye of the world by Robert Jordan (3,186)
272.# Nickel and dimed : on (not) getting by in America by Barbara Ehrenreich (3,076)
282.# The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith (2,966)
302.# The other Boleyn girl by Philippa Gregory (2,858)
310.# The Communist manifesto by Karl Marx (2,834)
327.# A swiftly tilting planet by Madeleine L'Engle (2,738)
328.# Ender's shadow by Orson Scott Card (2,734)
331.# Xenocide by Orson Scott Card (2,728)
338.# Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka (2,695)
342.# A wind in the door by Madeleine L'Engle (2,677)
364.# Where the sidewalk ends : the poems & drawings of Shel Silverstein by Shel Silverstein (2,589)
396.# The wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum (2,498)
399.# The dragon reborn by Robert Jordan (2,479)
401.# The good earth by Pearl S. Buck (2,475)
402.# The shadow rising by Robert Jordan (2,469)
407.# Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson (2,447)
430.# Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson (2,447)
431.# Uncle Tom's cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe (2,371)
440.# Where the wild things are by Maurice Sendak (2,347)
466.# The clan of the cave bear by Jean M. Auel (2,244)
475.# A crown of swords by Robert Jordan (2,230)
506.# The complete fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm by Jacob Grimm (2,130)
526.# Anne of Avonlea by L.M. Montgomery (2,083)
529.# The lost world : a novel by Michael Crichton (2,078)
543.# And then there were none by Agatha Christie (2,053)
553.# Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell (2,025)
608.# Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey (1,922)
612.# Shadow of the Hegemon by Orson Scott Card (1,916)
622.# Fantastic beasts and where to find them by J.K. Rowling (1,897)
626.# A light in the attic by Shel Silverstein (1,883)
644.# The call of the wild by Jack London (1,856)
649.# Little house on the prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder (1,850)
651.# Black Beauty by Anna Sewell (1,849)
654.# Anne of the island by L.M. Montgomery (1,843)
656.# Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne (1,839)
664.# Girl, interrupted by Susanna Kaysen (1,825)
670.# Little house in the big woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder (1,817)
676.# The assassin's apprentice by Robin Hobb (1,812)
715.# The giving tree by Shel Silverstein (1,737)
725.# Wizard's first rule by Terry Goodkind (1,724)
769.# Heidi by Johanna Spyri (1,657)
776.# Dragonsong by Anne McCaffrey (1,646)
790.# Green eggs and ham by Dr. Seuss (1,633)
804.# The valley of horses : a novel by Jean M. Auel (1,618)
815.# Dragonsinger by Anne McCaffrey (1,600)
824.# The white dragon by Anne McCaffrey (1,587)
852.# The sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks (1,546)
876.# The Hobbit ; [and], The lord of the rings by J.R.R. Tolkien (1,525)
886.# Where the red fern grows; the story of two dogs and a boy by Wilson Rawls (1,517)
887.# Dragonquest by Anne McCaffrey (1,516)
913.# The cat in the hat by Dr. Seuss (1,481)
916.# The witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare (1,478)
925.# The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams (1,467)
938.# Goodnight moon by Margaret Wise Brown (1,458)
952.# Anne's house of dreams by L.M. Montgomery (1,449)
968.# Charlie and the great glass elevator by Roald Dahl (1,434)
979.# Dragondrums by Anne McCaffrey (1,420)


Whew! That's a longer list than I'd anticipated! There's some fun books on there. Also, some books that I'd forgotten that were best forgotten. Guess you can't win them all.

I was amazed to see Moby Dick on the list. I tried to read that once, but I never finished it, so it's not on my list. It was not something that I enjoyed at all. If the classics are "classic" because people keep reading them and liking them, then that one puzzles me a lot. On the other hand, I may go find The Good Earth again. That I remember being a good book, but I don't remember exactly what it was about.

6 Word Memoir

I got tagged for this one quite some time ago. Thing is, six words just isn't very many words to work with! I've been thinking about this off and on for quite some time. I'll be she wondered if I was ever going to post! So, with credit to Anne Chovies for the thought on his sneaky-didn't-tell-me-about-it blog, here's my memoir:

Joy in God's gift of Family.

We'll tag Anne Chovies first. And I think I'm fresh out of brain cells, I'll have tag some more folks after I get a nap.

Wanna Talk About Me, Wanna Talk About I...

Got an email forward from my sister, but I really prefer blog memes (not that there's that much difference), so I'm converting it. It's yer basic fill-it-out-and-send-it-on type, so I'll tag a few people rather than forwarding it.

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?
I believe that I was loosely named after my maternal grandmother.

2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?
I most recently had tears on my face while getting my wisdom tooth pulled. I'm not positive that counts as actual crying though. It was more like my eyes were leaking. It was weird. As far as regular crying, it was probably most recently at church, under the influence of the Spirit. I'm living my dream: I'm a wife and say-at-home-Mom, not a whole lot to be sad about.

3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?
Mostly. I've been playing with giving myself different "fonts" that I can write so I can match my mood and my script. It's fun.

4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT?
Roasted Turkey Breast

5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS?
No. I have KID. Singular. We're hoping the Lord fixes that one of these days; we'd like more.

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?
I find myself to be pretty agreeable company.

7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT?
Not as much as I used to. Probably more than I should.

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS
Yep.

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP?
Uh, NO!

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL?
Pretty boring: generic honey-nut cheerios. Almost every day. Sometimes I have smoothies for a while instead, but mostly it's just cheerios.

11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF?
Most of the time. It's better for the shoes.

12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG?
Tee, hee, hee! NO.

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM?
The cold kind. Definitely not the reduced fat kind. Sometimes just plain vanilla. Sometimes I like crazy stuff like moose tracks or bunny tracks or cow tracks. Those are really good. In college I had this stuff called chocolate decadence. Now that was ice cream. Sadly, I haven't been able to find it for years.

14. WHAT DO YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?
I tend to watch mouths while people talk. I notice people's kids. Or "that guy that said such-and-such."

15. RED OR PINK?
Red

16. What don't you like about yourself?
This is a pretty public forum to go airing my dirty laundry...

17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST?
My brother that's on a mission: everyone else I call on the phone when I get to missing them.

18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU?
Nah, just post your stuff on your blog & drop me a comment. Comments make me happy.

19. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING?
jeans. No shoes. Stripy socks.

20. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE?
Raman noodles

21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?
My quiet house. Andy is feeding the cat.

22. IF YOU WHERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE?
Tough choice. Probably a blue or lavender. Something in that range of colors where it's hard to tell if it's blue or purple.

23. FAVORITE SMELLS?
Cooking smells. I often will cook more by the smell of it than by the timer. Which is not to say that I don't set the timer. Just that I trust my nose more.

24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?
Andy

25. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU?
Oh yeah.

26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH
For the most part, watching sports is a waste of time & brain cells. But the occasional figure skating is fun.

27. HAIR COLOR?
Brownish

28. EYE COLOR?
Blue. Look at those pictures of Monkey: mine look Just.Like.His.

29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS?
Sometimes, but I'm currently out of the stupid disposable ones. Next time I'm getting the regular re-usable kind: I hate running out of the silly things! But mostly I wear glasses. Could have something to do with the fact that I'm currently out of the dumb disposable contacts.

30. FAVORITE FOOD?
Bread. Rolls. Cinnamon rolls. Biscuits. Challah. Sweet bread. Pizza crust. Whole wheat bread just out of the oven with butter and honey on it. Fazoli's bread sticks. Garlic bread. The candy-cane bread my family makes for Christmas that's got sour cream in the dough, is filled with something tasty like blackberry jam, has frosting and M&Ms on top. Bread.

31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS?
Happy endings. Scary movies are scary. But I do also like the Asian tragedies.

32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED?
The Island.

33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING?
Black.

34. SUMMER OR WINTER?
Summer.

35. HUGS OR KISSES?
Who's asking? It makes a big difference...

36. FAVORITE DESSERT?
Do I have to choose just one?? Cupcakes, cheesecake, and definitely ICE CREAM.

37. MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND?
Errr.... haven't decided who I'll tag yet.

38. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND?
Uhhhh... see #37

39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW?
The Book of Mormon
Teaching the Trivium
Home Education
Classic Irish Stories
The Moons of Jupiter
The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood

40. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD?
Opti-Mouse. No pad.

41. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON T.V. LAST NIGHT?
Nothing. I was busy digging in the dirt, among other things.

42. FAVORITE SOUND?
Monkey sounds. He's got some great ones!

43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES?
uhhh.... I dunno.

44. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME?
Japan

45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT?
Not that I can think of. I've got talents, but nothing comes to mind as out-of-the-ordinary. Except maybe that I'm not afraid to try stuff & fail a bit as I learn.

46. WHERE WERE YOU BORN?
Logan, Utah


Now for the tagging part.
Keeley
Cocoa
Jenny
Miss Kate
Slush

Oh... I think that's probably enough. Anyone else that feels like posting is also welcome to do so - love to see a comment (See #18).

Sunday Scripture

Sunday Scripture now has two graphics for participants to use!
This one I made when I started the meme.



This graphic was generously contributed by Shannon at Gabi's World for participants to use! Thank you Shannon!



I'm posting two verses this week, one from the Book of Mormon:

Believe in God; believe that he is, and that he created all things, both in heaven and in earth; believe that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth; believe that man doth not comprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend. And again, believe that ye must repent of your sins and forsake them, and humble yourselves before God; and ask in sincerity of heart that the would forgive you; and now, if you believe all these things see that ye do them.
Mosiah 4:9-10

And one from the New Testament:

But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.
John 20:31

Have a great week folks!

60 Things

1. What is in the back seat of your car right now?
A really big carseat. I'm told that it's supposed to stay there for a very very long time.


2. When was the last time you threw up
When I was pregnant with the Monkey. I threw up twice in the pregnancy. Mom tells me that it was more than she did her in her 8 pregnancies combined.

3. What's your favorite curse word?
Errr.... does "boogers" count as a curse?

4. Name 3 people who made you smile today?
Monkey, Andy, and Keeley

5. What were you doing at 8 am this morning?
I was staggering around trying to figure out why the Monkey was so very unhappy with me. He explained by falling back to sleep just before 9. I was good with that, and crawled back into bed myself.

6. What were you doing 30 minutes ago?
Putting the Boy to bed for the night.

7. What will you be doing 3 hours from now?
I certainly hope that I'm sleeping!!


8. Have you ever been to a strip club?
Good grief, NO. Why on earth would I want to do that??

9. What is the last thing you said aloud?
"I'm going to be very full by morning." I'm weaning and the Boy didn't nurse tonight. It's a big step.

10. What is the best ice cream flavor?
Hmmm. I used to love a chocolate decadence, but I haven't been able to find that flavor for a very long time.

11. What was the last thing you had to drink?
water

12. What are you wearing right now?
Jeans, blue t-shirt, purple and green checked shirt

13. What was the last thing you ate?
potato salad. Taste testing to make sure that I got it right.

14. Have you bought any new clothing items this week?
2 new pairs of jeans, a pair of jammy pants, heart socks, and Irish socks.

15. When was the last time you ran?
Eek! I have no idea. I don't really like to do that sort of thing.

16. What's the last sporting event you watched?
Do I have to?? I guess that it'd be my little brother's basketball game, a year ago.

18. Who is the last person you emailed?
Errr.... the Daring Bakers folks? I don't know.

19. Ever go camping?
Yes. It always rains.

20. Do you have a tan?
Tee hee hee.... me, tanning. No. I don't tan. Except that since I've been getting acupuncture I do tan a little. It's just weird.

24. Do you drink your soda from a straw?
I generally don't drink soda. The bubbles make it icky.

25. What did your last IM say?
I don't IM.

26. Are you someone's best friend?
Of course - my husband's.

27. What are you doing tomorrow?
Playgroup in the morning, then grocery shopping and or a nap. Then we're going to have 4 piano lessons in the afternoon. If the grocery shopping doesn't happen around lunch time, then it's gotta happen after the lessons, because we're going out of town Saturday, and there needs to be food to come back to for Sunday. Not to mention that if I don't buy something the Boy and his Grandma will be very hungry here at home on Saturday.

28. Where is your mom right now?
At her house. Probably in bed, sleeping.

29. Look to your left, what do you see?
A big gray filing cabinet, with a small markerboard on it, covered in Boy scribbles. Adorable. Also, there's a Pizza Hut magnet. On top is 4 wooden puzzles which are under the basket the Boy's diapers are in. Behind that is a couple of trays that are full of various paper.

30. What color is your watch?
Silver with funny gold things.

31. What do you think of when you think of Australia ?
I'd like to visit sometime. But I'd rather go to New Zealand. I've got some friends who are from there, so I'm pretty curious.

32. Would you consider plastic surgery?
No! I really really really don't like the whole knocked out with someone cutting my body. Eek.

33. What is your birthstone?
Uhhh. Amethyst? My birthday was Sunday, so if you know you can tell me.

34. Do you go in at a fast food place or just hit the drive thru?
Mostly, we do fast food on trips, and then we're always in a hurry to get where we're going. It's going to be lots more interesting when we get there, so we just mostly go through the drive.

35.How many kids do you want?
A bunch. But I've got PCOS, which makes that unlikely. Oh, and also my husband isn't into the whole big family thing. That also makes it unlikely that there will be many many kids here.

36. Do you have a dog?
Sadly, no.

37. Last person you talked to on the phone?
Andy.

38. Have you met anyone famous?
Eeeeeehh.... no. Not that I can think of.

39. Any plans today?
I think the only thing left on my list of things to do is go to sleep.

40. How many states have you lived in?
Utah, California, Utah, Colorado, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Utah, Kentucky, Wisconsin. In that order.

41. Ever go to college?
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. I studied East Asian Languages and Cultures.

42. Where are you right now?
In the computer room, at my desk, in front of the computer.

43. Biggest annoyance in your life right now?
The university that my husband is attending. Liberals, the lot of them. It's nice that I don't have to talk to them.

44. Last song listened to?
Whatever's last on the "Celtic Voyage" CD in my stereo.

46. Are you allergic to anything?
No.

47. Favorite pair of shoes you wear all the time?
Are shoes supposed to be favorite?

48. Are you jealous of anyone?
Not that I can think of.

50. Is anyone jealous of you?
Unlikely.

51. What time is it?
11:41pm

52. Do any of your friends have children?
Yeah, mostly. Unless you count my sibs. Those guys are mostly too young still.

53. Do you eat healthily?
Mostly. Except when I don't.

54. What do you usually do during the day?
Play with my Monkey (in an educational way at least some of the time), read, clean the house. You know, since I started cleaning more it seems that I've been seeing more and more dirt, and it feels like the place is dirtier than it was when I hardly ever cleaned. How does that work??

55. Do you hate anyone right now?
Too much effort.

56. Do you use the word 'hello' daily?
Nah, I prefer "Hi." or a nice cheery "Good Morning!" Good morning is especially fun about 9pm.

58. How old will you be turning on your next birthday?
31


59. Have you ever been to Six Flags?
In high school, but not since. I rode the batman roller coaster. Is that thing still there? It was a huge disappointment. We waited and waited and waited in a line that looked short when we got in it... and then the ride was of the "blink & miss it" sort. But the rest of the rides I tried were fun.

60. How did you get one of your scars?
I was bit by a teenage girl at a facility I worked at.