Reading is FUNdamental!

Mrs. Mac, you will be proud to know that I have read four books in the last two weeks. COVER to COVER! ...And I'm halfway through number five! With my computer sick with a virus, it was trying my patience too much to wait for pages to load, so I didn't. Instead, I picked up a book. And now I can't seem to stop reading. I've rediscovered that joy!


When I was younger, I was a voracious reader. Stemming, I believe, from the time my Mom took me to the public library to get my very own library card as a "reward" for going to the eye doctor without screaming in fear over those monstrous-looking lens-fitting machines! I mean, come on, what little kid wouldn't be scared to see this multi-eyed monster coming at her?!

Little did I know then that Mom was getting herself off the hook - library cards are free. Borrowing books...free. I was thrilled and Mom and Dad didn't have to fork out any big bucks to buy me some toy as a reward.

Recently, I tried the same tactic on Olivia. She told me that she didn't need her own library card because I have one and she always uses mine. Instead, she wanted to go to The Dollar Store! oy-vey!

She does, however, share my love of reading and reads often - to Brillo Man and myself, to Grandma, to anyone who will listen! I caught her reading to Bentley the other day. I'm not sure he was getting it, though he did have a smile on his face!

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Books I've read in the last two weeks:

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Mistaken Identity by Don and Susie Van Ryn and Newll, Colleen and Whitney Cerak, with Mark Tabb. This book is the true story of two Christian families both of which had daughters who were in a very serious accident. One survived. One did not. However, the one who survived was mistaken for the one who didn't. For five weeks, the Van Ryn family believed the person whom they were helping to care for in the hospital was their beloved daughter, Laura. It wasn't until she was able to speak and write her name that they learned the shocking truth. And the family who buried their daughter, Whitney, discovered that they didn't really bury her...she was alive. This book was very good - showed two families who live with a fierce faith in the Lord. I highly recommend this book!

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The Penny (a novel) by Joyce Meyer and Deborah Bedford. This book is the story of a girl who was abused by her father and I can't help but feel that Joyce may have put a lot of her own experience into this novel. Despite the sadness, it has a happy ending.

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Mr. Monk and the Blue Flu by Lee Goldberg. If you enjoy the television show, you'll enjoy the book. Although I think that the show is better. I needed something light and funny after the serious heart-wrenching subjects of the previous two - this book fit the bill.

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You Know You Should Be Glad by Bob Greene. (no, not Oprah's fitness guru...the Chicago Times columnist) This book is non-fiction - a story of the author and his five closest friends and the journey they take together as one learns he's dying of cancer. Very touching - highly recommended!) Another emotional read by a wonderful story-teller. I'll be reading more by Mr. Greene.

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Vanishing Acts by Jodi Picoult. A novel about a woman who discovers, when the police show up with an arrest warrant, that her father kidnapped her from her mother at the age of four. He had told her that her mother had died. Truth is...her mother spent 28 years looking for her. I'm about halfway done with this one and it's hard to put it down! (I've just discovered this author and I love her writing! And since I purchased five of her books on Ebay, I have the remaining four lined up to read next!)

Also on my list is one recommended by Connie: Sunk Without a Sound - true story of a couple lost while rafting on their honeymoon. And one recommened by Pat: Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind

Gotta go...the pages are calling my name!!

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They said to him,
"Sit down, please,
and read it to us.
-Jeremiah 36:15

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Pretty Bird

This robin sits for hours a day staring at her reflection in our woodstove stovepipe. And she preens....undoubtedly making herself pretty for the upcoming egg-laying event. Note how plump her belly is...bursting with eggs!

Her nest (although you can't see it very well in the photo below due to the glare on the kitchen window) is right behind her - on a rung of the ladder which Brillo Man took outside for our neighbor to use while he was helping us clean the chimney.



Brillo Man commented just two days ago that he needed to move the ladder because the birds were building a nest. Guess who didn't get the ladder moved in time? I told him this morning that I hoped he wasn't going to be needing that ladder any time soon because the birds' nest stays! Mama's ready to lay her eggs - and she's in no condition to be building a new nest now!

By the way, my computer is driving me nuts (more nuts that I already am normally.) The virus is unrelenting. I can only visit one or two webpages and then all of a sudden it downloads a bazillion ads. We have tried everything we can think of to fix it and none of the anti-viral programs or registry restorations or system restores or ANYTHING is working! We have spent literally HOURS trying to rid the computer of this virus. Therefore, I'm buying a new computer. A laptop. I've wanted one ever since my old one died several years ago. Also, we'll be able to take it with us when we go on vacation so I'll be able to give vacation updates to all my blog friends and lurking neighbors! (you know who you are, Bob and Sue!)

Gotta go before my computer loads more ads! Besides, Olivia is "snapping" at me that she wants me to go draw pictures with her. She has learned to snap her fingers and walks around the house constantly snapping! She's been snapping for days...I wonder how long this phase will last?!...

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If you come across a bird's nest beside the road,
either in a tree or on the ground
(or in the rung of your ladder),
and the mother is sitting on the young or on the eggs,
do not take the mother with the young.
-Deuteronomy 22:6

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Trojan.Virtumondo or is it virtomundo?

Ugh.

My computer has ONE NASTY BUG!

I can't get online (I'm using Brillo Man's computer now.)

I can't save any files to any external drives.
(which means if I wanted to reformat the hard drive to get rid of the virus, I can't save any photos or documents beforehand to avoid losing them forever. (There goes TONS of photos of my family, friends and my art...again)

None of our spyware/virus fix software is working to eliminate this bug.

I'll say it again. Ugh.

I'll be absent from blogging until we get this resolved!

Happy Easter!

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"It is true!
The Lord has risen..."
-Luke 24:34

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EGGStravaganza!!!

Yesterday...

We came...

We saw...

We conquered eggs...

Illuminating Light

I heard a Bible teacher say that if we really truly see sin the way God sees it, we would never want to sin again. God says that sin, that one sin which we think may be no big deal, is so disgusting, so repulsive in God’s sight that He had to send His son to die for it. Wow.

What is confession really about? If we confess our sin, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sin and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Are we truly confessing? Repenting? Because if we see sin the way God sees it, knowing that it so repulses Him that He had to send His Son to die for that one sin....we would not be committing that sin again tomorrow. We wouldn’t say, “Lord, forgive me for screaming in out-of-control anger at my daughter today” and then turn around and do the same thing again tomorrow.

Something to think about, for sure.

The closer we get to the Lord, the closer we are to His illuminating light. The Light that caused Paul to say, “I sin much more than you all”...Paul was so close to the Lord that every thought, every action, every moment was looked upon through the illuminating lens of Jesus’ Light. I’m sure we all would be much more aware of our sin the closer we grow to Christ. The more light that shines on a dirty carpet...the more dirt and lint that you are able to see which needs to be sucked up in the vacuum cleaner. The same with us - the closer we get to God, the more our sin is exposed.

Lord, remind me when I sin, that it's so bad that You had to die in order for me to receive forgiveness. Illuminate my life in MY eyes, to see my life through YOUR eyes so that I may continue to grow and be the person You want me to be: a light that shines through this dark world, pointing others toward You.

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Jesus said, "It is finished."
With that, he bowed his head
and gave up his spirit.
-John 19:30

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Is it just me? Or...

...am I the only one who...

...once led through the "catacombs" of the doctor's office hallways, upon ending the appointment and am instructed that it's okay to leave, do not have a CLUE which direction will lead me out of the building?

...is NOT rushing right in to Arby's upon reading the message on their marquee: "HURRY IN - MUSHROOM ROASTBURGERS ARE HERE!"

...still remembers when you "send your money before midnight tonight" you'll get not one, but TWO sets of Ginsu Knives?!

...is convinced that my six pound weight gain over the last three weeks is due to the new medication that I've been taking?! (Surely, I'm NOT eating more?!)

...knows that Brillo Man called the vet today to check on Bentley not just because he "happened to see the phone number on caller ID and decided to call"...but because he TRULY was concerned and wanted to know that Bentley is doing well (because he LOVES the dog - even though he won't admit it!)? (Look upon whose lap Bentley sits in the above photo - that's certainly not MY hairy arm!)

(Brillo Man has reported that Bentley is doing well. We'll be bringing him home tomorrow.)

The Day.

Tomorrow is the day.

We take Bentley to the vet. He's four months old and time to be neutered.

"Olivia, I want you to remember that you can't feed Bentley in the morning because he is going to the vet for surgery and he has to have an empty tummy."

"What kind of surgery?"

"He's going to have surgery so that he can't have any puppies."

"But Mom, he's a boy. He can't have puppies."

"Oh, right. Well, he just has to have some tests and we want to make sure his tummy is empty so that he won't get a tummy ache."

"....(pause)....But Mom..."

"Olivia, Do you have any homework to do tonight? Let's go find your bookbag!"

....whew. Successfully avoided that topic for another day!

Fun and FABULOUS GIVEAWAY!

....don't worry Margie...I'm not the one giving away anything this time! For those of you who don't know, Margie won my giveaway...and her gift is still sitting on my desk!!! argh.

Anyway, go visit Jill and enter her giveaway. Even better, be immensely BLESSED by her blog! It's one of my new favorites! The subject which precedes her contest announcement is rich and full of God's amazing love for us.

I add new blogs every day and wonder how I'm going to keep up. Each day, I say that I'm not adding anymore...and then I stumble upon a wonderful blog such as Jill's and I just can't resist!

I do know that I am blessed that the Lord is directing me to places on the internet that are filled with His love and grace...through the words of some awesome Christian bloggers!

Hurry! Go enter the contest! You only have until midnight tonight!!!!