Those Graphics Were AWESOME in 1987!

Word of the Post
Today's word is: boon
/boon/
Noun: Favor, benefit; especially in answer to a request or prayer. "Every good and perfect boon is from above." ~ James 1:17 (Rev. Ver.)
Adjective: Favorable, convivial; as in "boon companion". Good or prosperous; as in "boon voyage".
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Having not ever been excited about video games, I am really happy we have a Wii. I actually like watching DH kill time playing his downloaded copy of Super Mario World. Every task is named for food. Donut Ghost House, Chocolate Fortress (the lava is chocolate, how funny!) and Vanilla Dome. Makes me hungry. I look forward to my own copy of the Adventures of Lolo. I remember Grannie having the NES, and playing that puzzle game. It was fun. You could put things in a bubble and push them out of your way, or block the spines that were shot at you by the faces in the wall. DH also got the original Legend of Zelda. We got the laptop, and promptly neglected the Wii for most of a month. We have fixed the situation, by the downloading of sweet old games (for a nominal fee).

Now, I am trying to appease the laptop witch. I named all our computers for witches. The first was Maleficent, because it sounded good. He spent more time with her than he did with me. (Granted, we were not yet married at the time.) Her floppy disk drive is now in our current computer. The current office computer is Druscilla. I couldn't think of a name I liked, so my tech friend who built her named her. The Wii is Ursula. The wireless router is Medusa. The laptop has no name yet. I am fast running out of Disney witch names, so I have to come up with others. I guess Cruella De Ville is my next in line? I would love to hear options, if you all have any. Wicked Step-Mother doesn't count.

It is fun to name the appliances, cars and computers. They each seem to have a mind of their own. Mom used to say that the cars saw her coming, and started plotting what to do to her. I have that same gift. I am not the only one to have two cars fail in the space of a day. At least we know where I got it from. Mine is not the only family to name cars. I had a teacher in 4th grade who had named her car "Knight" (in shining armor). It was a huge white car. She decided that horsepower sufficed. DH had an Accord named Fenry Honda. We had the Green Monster, a Ford F150 that was 20 when we bought it, and close to double that when we sold it. When we washed it, the paint would turn the sponge green. I called it that before I was old enough to know about the baseball field. I drove the Blue Bomb, a Chevy Suburban. The kids of the family who owned it before us called it the Spruce Goose, after the plane. I thought it was atrocious, but it got me to school the last two weeks of my Senior year. The Baby Battery was a "Copper Top" like a Duracel Battery, my white Ford Fairmont. She was a decent car, until I was away from home and tried to fix her.

Some days it seems as if everything mechanical is out to get me. Possessed. Evil. Demonic. Those days, everything goes wrong. The car won't start, the lights are all red, the popcorn burns in the microwave. On those days, I don't think to ask God for relief. On the good days, when the parking spot at the top of the row opens just as I get there, the lights are all green and the one cop I see takes off to chase someone else, I don't think to thank God. I am so ungrateful.

Ferret and I were just talking about this a few days ago. I get embarrassed and annoyed when other people make a habit of saying "Praise the Lord" or "Thank God". When people curse, I am the first to notice and be offended. Where is the sense in that? I should make the Lord my first thought, not be embarrassed that someone else has. My problem, so far as I see it anyway, is that the people I know who make it a habit to praise over good stuff use it almost as a hollow expression. It doesn't sound as if it holds any real meaning. It becomes a title, like PTL network; or it becomes their catch-all expletive, like the guy who shouts a mild curse every time a play is stopped in his football game. I am somewhat a quieter person when it comes to my faith. I will look up and say "Thank You" when that parking space opens, but I do not praise for good things as much as I should. I guess I don't want to sound fake. How shallow of me.

Snips and Snails and Puppy-Dog Tails

Word of the Post
Today's word is: akimbo
/uh*kim"bo/ adjective
With a crook or bend; appendages bent outward, with the joint away from the body.
Sitting "criss-cross applesauce" (it used to be called "Indian Style", but that is racially unacceptable to the PC crowd now) can be described as sitting with legs akimbo.
Can also be an adverb, describing the person's whole stance. A person with hands on hips, and elbows facing out can be referred to as standing akimbo.
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I am not sure what part of nature failed this year, or it if it is actually natural, but we have a lot of spiders right now. Last night, DH came back from his late night Friday fun job, and walked face first into a spider web on our front stoop. I shiver for him! He found the culprit builder, and had it removed from the gene pool. I went out this morning to spray the area with spider killer deluxe spray, and remove the web; the parts that DH may have missed with his face, anyhow. I found the remains of our criminal, as well as four smaller spiders. All different, so that lends hope that there is not a brown recluse around. I guess I need to wash the house. With Bleach. UGH!!! I committed Arachnacide. I am Woman, Hear me scream!

I am not nearly so fearful of spiders as others I know. (Hi, Nicki!) I don't really scream very often. I usually do more of a startled yell. (Holla!) In my searchings, I found many egg sacks, so I will soon be removing those to a distinctly impromptu funeral on the other side of the house. The coffin of the trash barrel will be emptied on Thursday next week.

Now that we are all buggy, I will move on to a better subject. Tuesday night, DH and I went on an "UnDate". "What is an UnDate?" you say? WELL... DH wanted to see the Simpsons Movie, and I had no desire at all to join him. I wished to see Becoming Jane, to which DH returned the sentiment. We decided that we could each see our movies separately, at the same time. The Dollar Theatre was quiet as we entered. We purchased tickets and the requisite snacks, and parted ways. I think we each had a good time. I am happy that we only spent 50 cents each to see movies that would have cost $8.75 a month ago. This way, for the same money, we got two movies and snacks instead of just one movie and nothing else. Date, and yet not. UnDate.

Thursday we went to a special Birthday dinner for BIL. He is now 35. A mutual friend sang "Happy Birthday, old Geezer..." which I found refreshing. I am not the oldest in the room when we hang out with this crowd of friends. Jelly Bean was pitching a little fit (I have seen much worse out of other kids... she is tame, even if it is unacceptable to her parents) and BIL tried to distract her by asking what day it was. Jelly Bean cried a little more and said, "Not MY birthday!" BIL said, "Well, a very merry UnBirthday to YOU!" She didn't get it. She's too little, and has not seen Alice in Wonderland. She must have been tired. She was clingy, but only to certain people. She also did a lot of running around and around the table to keep herself awake and entertained.

I got to hold Gum Drop for a while, to let BIL eat his dinner. I am not so selfish as to not share. I kept getting him, and then passing him off to other friends. One friend has twins, and his son was incredibly jealous that Daddy was holding a strange baby and not his own son. He cried, and reached for me. Now, I am no stranger to this family, but I am no auntie to them either. I don't see them very often, and the kids don't really know me, so it surprised me that Son would try to get me to hold him. Daughter was a little more subtle. She just screamed. These two make the funniest faces! I know that parents get irritated at children acting up at dinner, but I just don't pay so much attention. Is it practice for me? I watched the Mommy of the twins correct, threaten, and actually follow through on the punishments. All very quiet, and personal to the child each time. I think she even had a good time, despite the screaming interruptions.



BIL got a free dessert at the end of the meal, because it was his Birthday. I think half the crowd had a bite of it. And I am pretty sure we finished it. It was a kind of Tiramisu, covered in whipped cream and chocolate drizzle. It was five inches high, and four inches square! The coolest part was that they wrote "Happy Birthday" in a chocolate sauce on the edge of the plate. Jelly Bean got more dirty eating this than she did at her own birthday party.


I have not posted many pictures of Gum Drop lately, because I haven't really gotten to see him much. We go to a different church congregation than BIL and family do. We live close enough to call, and far enough that it is rude not to call when dropping by. We are all so busy with work and school and home and other friends... we don't see each other nearly enough for my taste. I get baby withdrawals. I have to grab babies at my church to fill the void.


This is me, holding Gum Drop, and DH took the picture. That was the first real smile I saw out of the kiddo. We were wandering around a Wal-Mart in Kingfisher. That is our family meeting place for the baby swaps, or the Gramma's Baby Fix Visits. We eat at a restaurant, and go to a park, and wander at the Wally-World, looking at cute clothes for the kids.


This is a rare moment, and you need to savor it. I have run out of things to say. *GASP!!!*

Have a great weekend!

Cutting Class

Word of the Post
Today's word is: aver
/a"ver/ verb
To affirm, verify, declare as truth; assert, avouch, prove.
"It is sufficient that the very fact hath its foundation in truth, as I do seriously aver is the case. ~ Fielding. {1913 Webster}
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Just before Gum Drop was born, Jelly Bean invented "itty bitty fives". If you asked for "fives" and held out your hand, she would put her thumb on top of your hand, and her forefinger on the bottom, and rub a little, like rubbing two pennies together, very soft and gentle. Then, she will usually just give you the "fives" you asked for. DH decided to steal her hand, and give it kisses. He pretended to eat her hand, even. She responded by taking her hand back, and saying, "Don't eat my Fives!"

Regarding my class-hopping, I didn't speak to the elder in question, yet. I decided that I needed to have our group's Agenda with me, the part where we want anonymity at all costs highlighted. I have considered that I may need to do this with one of the men from our group, one of the two who are our liaisons to the eldership at our church. I don't want to get to the point of attack. I just want to impress upon him that I don't appreciate being called out in a classroom. I am not in college anymore, and I will (who can stop me?) speak up if I have something to say.

This brings to mind the issue of women speaking. This is probably something you are tired of hearing from me. Once in a while, I just get a subject stuck in my head. I feel I have to "talk" it out, and it takes a while (and the help of others) to get it out of my mind's forefront. I apologize if you don't care anymore. It will not hurt my feelings if you stop reading here. You have seen all the new, important stuff for today. Sneak out of class. Be my guest.

In the churches of my youth, women were teachers in children's classes, but not to speak in the congregational worship service. My Methodist friend in High School was allowed to help serve the Communion at her services. This was unthinkable at my congregation. My Baptist friend was a frequent solo singer at her services. She has an amazing voice. This also would have been unthinkable, but for slightly different reasons.

My question is this: Is it wrong to allow young women to serve Communion? My thoughts: This is not a Speaking role, it is a quiet service role. Women served the meals in homes... how is this different? I personally would not be comfy walking around in church service. It kinda irritates me that my Hubby has to do this so much. I like to sit next to my hubby during services, and there are plenty more men around to serve. Having no children to watch, having a great radio voice, having no limping age or injury, and having not refused ever before... DH gets "drafted" a LOT. How would DH feel if he had to sit there in our regular place without me? If we allow women in this quiet role, however, what would stop them from desiring more public roles? How is this different than making announcements, praying or (swoon) preaching? Is the age of the servers something to consider? I have seen some teens serving who were very much against God all week long, and spiffied up on Sunday. Would this be better or worse or not any different at all if it were girls?

Next question: Is it right to allow young women to serve Communion? My thoughts: This is a public role. If she were asked to do so, it would not be usurping authority over any man. If she refused, would that be any better? In our service, five of the eight people serving Communion never speak. The other three each lead a prayer. Paul said in the Scripture that he did not allow a woman to speak in the service. Was that a directive from God, or just Paul's view of what was proper? If Scripture is God-breathed and inspired, then God doesn't want women to speak in the ceremony of a church service. Yet, Paul says "I". Does this include singing? Speaking to God in church through song is a community act. We also speak to each other in songs, hymns and spiritual songs... so should women be silent in all of the service?

Most of this questioning is tongue-in-cheek. I don't feel comfortable with women at the front of the service. I don't want to be the woman at the front of the service. I do not think it is always wrong, but it certainly is not always right. So, to be fair, I am happy to err on the side of caution when I have no firm opinion of my own. I don't like the "worship teams" that other local congregations have. I don't need four to eight people attached to microphones swaying. I could close my eyes. I do like the idea of microphones for each of the parts in a cappella harmony, especially if there is a new song that most of the congregation doesn't know. I don't believe that the "song and dance" is necessary, but I am not convinced it is wrong.

Powerpoint is not of Satan. Just so you know. I know many people who think that having the songs and sermon notes plastered on the wall so big and bright that everyone can read them (and will look up instead of slumping to sleep) is wrong. Like having a piano in the church, having a speaker system or video capabilities is of Satan. These people won't play dice or cards, don't drink (or even use mouthwash, for fear of Al-Key-Hol touching their lips) and don't even think about dancing. They don't like reading that David danced before the Lord, and his wife was struck barren for telling him that it was inappropriate.

It seems to me that God desires us to celebrate Him. Music (speaking instrumentally here), dance, singing (speaking without instruments) and shouting all can have their place. The discussion comes when we try to find the place for each. God wishes us to be civil to each other in an orderly service for Him. What I am seeing in my area is that people are almost more concerned for their own comfort zones than they are about what God requires.

This study is ongoing. I read a Scripture or two, and form an opinion. Then I find another Scripture or two, and that nudges my opinion in a different direction. My goal is to find the stance that most closely matches the attitude that God asks for. My American Human logic will not always match what God has to say. I don't like all of what God has said. It is hard to know that I can do things to change my eternal destiny. It is tough knowing that many members of my family, not having followed the instructions of God, will not be in Heaven. It is difficult to understand why a God of infinite power would allow humanity to make detrimental choices. We can never remove ourselves from the Love of God. However, we can remove ourselves from the Presence of God.