“God, I pray Thee, light these idle sticks of my life, that I may burn for Thee. Consume my life, my God, for it is Thine. I seek not a long life, but a full one, like You, Lord Jesus.”
Wisdom From the Past
February 16th, 2008Valentine’s Day
February 14th, 2008February 14, 2008 at the temporary Willi home in VA…
The morning began with balloons, favors and a gazillion home made Valentine cards…
A lollipop for each person, and we share a box of candy hearts with valentine sayings…
After lunch, preparations begin downstairs for …
Drum rolls……..
THE STORY OF ST. VALENTINE
I rush around pinning and tying bedsheets to various actors
My nephews set up the “set” and the “stage”…
When everyone is finally dressed, we huddle in the next room and wait…
We all can’t wait to perform THE PLAY!
When the “audience” arrives downstairs it’s lights, camera and action!
Such an awesome time! I really enjoy setting up/teaching/costume designing for/acting in plays! Everyone did an excellent job, down to Julia who was playing the little blind girl, who happened to be a girl named Julia. Valentine was very well cast, and so was everyone else too. Thank you very much Emperor Claudius for thy noble and comedic performance by the way!
Then we celebrated the double occasion with the usual gifts, cake and ice cream. Little J. was born on Valentine’s Day – what a nice present! I don’t think he cared whether we did a play for him or not but he seemed to have fun anyway…
So have a Happy Valentine’s Day everyone! Hope it was as blessed as ours!
Oh and Kasie gets the credit for the pictures- great job!
Excuse the technical difficulties…can’t get the thumbnails to work right…
A Vote is Cast
February 12th, 2008Well, after months of watching the candidates and reading articles, I have cast my first ever vote! The polling process is different down here in VA than in NY. The system is computerized, and you are allowed to vote for any candidate you want (Republicans or Democrats), regardless of your registered party. That is definitely interesting!
Who did I vote for? Mike Huckabee
Inconceivable!
February 12th, 2008It is totally, absolutely, and in any other way possible inconceivable that the Willi would watch Princess Bride again!
Yep. That’s what we did! We were just watching the Princess Bride the other night with some of Jason and Karlyn’s friends, and it just cracked me up for the umpteenth time! That movie has a near perfect combo of adventure, swashbuckling, fairy tale…it’s just awesome.
The lines are so comedic! Here’s some ways to ease some Princess Bride humor into conversations:
When you… Want to say “Wow” like you usually do, say “Inconceivable!”
When you… Hear someone reluctantly agree to your idea, say “Oh thank you, your vote of confidence is overwhelming.”
When you… Notice your friend using a long, unusual word, say “I do not think it means what you think you means.”
When you… Someone greets you and uses a strange sentence stare at him for a moment, then say “Do you always begin conversations this way?”
When you… See some human tracks on the ground, put your feet in them and go forward and back and say “There was – a great duel. It ranged all over.”
When you… You are jokingly boasting how smart you are say “Ever heard of Socrates? Aristotle? Plato?!” “Yes.” “Morons.”
And then my favorite: “Truly, you have a dizzying intellect.”
When you… Have a friend who is complaining how painful something is say “Life IS pain highness. Anyone who says otherwise is selling something.”
When you… Hear your friend ask you to sniff something like a candle or lotion, sniff and say “Iocane. I’d bet my life upon it!”
When you… Come into a junkyard like place, or look at a junky property like we have 
say “It’s not too bad.” “Not that I want to build a summer home here, but the trees are actually quite lovely.”
When you… Know someone is lying say “We are men of action. Lies do not become us.”
When you… Are really busy excuse yourself by saying, “I’ve got my country’s 500th anniversary to plan, a wedding to arrange, my wife to murder, and Gildor to frame for it. I’m swamped.”
When you… Have a friend who is not feeling well say “Get some rest. If you don’t have your health you don’t have anything.”
When you… Are trying to contain your anger at what somebody else said say “I would not say such things if I were you.”
When you… Are in a hurry and you’re waiting for your friend say, “Sir? We’re in a terrible rush.”
When you… Are saying good by to your brothers (I’ve done this a number of times) say “Good bye boys! Have fun storming the castle! Think it will work? It would take a miracle! Good bye!”
To all those who aren’t Princess Bride fans out there… try watching the movie! It’s a funny mix of fairy tales with modern jokes thrown in. BTW, take the quiz to see who you are! No surprise about who I am…
Which Princess Bride Character are You?
[Admin Note: I feel that to be on the safe side, I should add a little disclaimer. This movie is rated PG, it is not appropriate for all audiences. As with all movies, it should be previewed by parents before being watched by children. Also, although this movie is full of harmless, swashbuckling fun, it is not Christian, and therefore lacks a Christian Worldview.]
A Tennessee Concert
February 8th, 2008It was about a month ago when we saw the poster displayed on the wall of the visitor’s center in Tennessee. “The Claire Lynch Band in concert,” it read, with a group photo of the bluegrass musicians. Mom and Dad stared hard at the picture; “Oh my gosh – it’s Claire!”
As it turns out (after my parents got over their excitement and finally explained to us kids…), Claire is the grown daughter of some very dear friends of Mom and Dad! They go ‘way back,’ and knew Claire’s sister well.
An old friend playing in an upcoming concert nearby… Of course, we couldn’t let a chance like that get away! Tickets were bought, dates were marked, and on the first of February we set out for Tennessee again to hear ourselves some bluegrass music.
It was awesome!
The music was incredible, we got our picture with Claire Lynch (who recognized Mom and Dad), autographs from the band members, and I love bluegrass! I was inspired by the talented musicians; Jim Hurst, Jason Thomas, and Mark Schatz. They were amazing!
Yeee-haw folks! I’m off to practice some fiddling!
-Kasie
P.S. For those of you who despise bluegrass music (which is different than country), you’ve obviously never been to see it live! Don’t give up on it so easy. It’s pretty sweet music!
Update from Walter: If you want to hear some Clair Lynch Band music, head over to their Myspace page. It’s really no comparison to hearing and seeing them live, though. I mean, these guys are musical veterans – they’ve picked up Grammy nominations, National Bluegrass awards, etc. over their long careers. I have NEVER seen guitar played as well as Jim Hurst played it that night…..
Tea and Books
February 6th, 2008As a few of you already know, all of us “fam” in Virginia, down to baby J. have been ill one time or another with coughs, fevers, and/or colds. Something has been going around I guess! I hoped I would scrape by with a slight cold but alas! I too have come down with a flu-type illness. But thank God we are on the way to recovery!
When ever I am sick, 2 very good friends of mine are always there to solace me with their company. Their names, respectively are Tea, and Books. Curling up with a cup of tea and a book for as long as I wish makes up for feeling poorly! So next to sleeping as much as possible (3 naps yesterday) I’ve been reading Robin Hood and sipping lots of tea .
(Some related pics below)
When you are finished tell me which picture and quote is your favorite! My favorite quote is the one by C.S. Lewis, and my favorite picture is number seven.
“You can’t get a cup of tea big enough or a book long enough to suit me.” – C.S. Lewis
“Bread and water can so easily be toast and tea.” ~Author Unknown
“There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea.” ~Henry James, The Portrait of a Lady
“Tea to the English is really a picnic indoors.” ~Alice Walker
“Thank God for tea! What would the world do without tea? How did it exist? I am glad I was not born before tea.” -Rev. Sydney Smith
“In nothing more is the English genius for domesticity more notably declared than in the institution of this festival – almost one may call it – of afternoon tea…The mere chink of cups and saucers tunes the mind to happy repose.” -George Gissing
“In vain would coffee boast an equal good The crystal stream transcends the flowing mud, Tea, even the ills from coffee spring repairs Disclaims its vices and its virtues shares.” -Laureant Tate
“… since the kindly plant was introduced among us…. myriads of women have cried over it, to be sure! What sickbeds it has smoked by! What fevered lips have received refreshment from it! Nature meant very kindly by women when she made the tea plant…what a series of pictures and groups…assemble round the the teapot and cup.” -William Makepeace Thakery
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“The person who deserves most pity is a lonesome one
on a rainy day who doesn’t know how to read.”
~ Benjamin Franklin ~
“A wonderful thing about a book, in contrast to a computer screen,
is that you can take it to bed with you.”
~ Daniel J. Boorstin ~
“Never judge a book by its movie.”
~ J. W. Eagan ~
“Books are not made for furniture,
but there is nothing else that so beautifully furnishes a house.”
~ Henry Ward Beecher ~
“I would be most content if my children grew up to be
the kind of people who think decorating
consists mostly of building enough bookshelves.”
~ Anna Quindlen ~
“I have good reason to be content,
for thank God I can read and
perhaps understand Shakespeare to his depths.”
~ John Keats ~
“Just the knowledge that a good book is awaiting one
at the end of a long day makes the day happier.”
~ Kathleen Norris ~
“Seek ye out of the book of the Lord, and read.” Isaiah 34: 16
Kasie’s Cut
February 6th, 2008Yes – I did it: for the first time in my life that was more than a tiny trim, I got my hair cut!
I can just hear our readers gasping right now!
But before I run off with this breaking news, allow me to give a little background concerning the nature of my hair – it can be a very complicated matter indeed!
You must know that my hair is extremely thick and curly. (I get the curliness from my dad, thickness from Mom. Not a good combination at all!) It’s not ‘normal’ in the fact that I’m can’t wash and brush it every morning, then simply wear it down in the way that most girls do. It also tends to be very frizzy and puffy; taking a hairdryer to it is just about the worst thing you could do to it!
Despite these unfortunates, I’ve learned to work with my hair (which, by the way, I’ve come to like and appreciate) and managed to make do. I thought that if I grew my hair all the way to my knees, it would be so heavy that it would have no choice but to stay down; no cutting, not even trimming, just to let it grow long. Oh, how delightful that would be, to actually wear my hair down!
So…
… my hair grew longer…and looonger…and looooonger. Up until a few weeks ago (before the cut) it reached below my waist. It still wasn’t long enough so that it would lay down because of its sheer weight, but it was long nonetheless, and (I thought) I was well on my way towards my goal!
But there was a slight problem.
The ends of my hair were thinning out a good deal, and split. Although it was long and below my waist, the ends were nothing but a few sparse scraggly strands; completely uneven and unhealthy. It wasn’t long before I and others noticed it, and I soon realized that my hair was not going to fix itself.
That’s when the dreadful thought hit me: cut my hair? me? No, no, no! My beautiful hair! No, I cannot cut it!
I could not escape the truth however, so I asked Mom of her opinion, who firmly believed that a haircut was necessary in such a situation as this. “You really should cut it, Kasie.”
*sigh* It took me two weeks to decide for sure, but in the end I did it: I cut my hair. (actually Mom cut it…) I cringed nearly every time I heard the scissors snip away at my long tresses, but I did it! My hair is now as happy and healthy as could be, and the ends are back to their thick, usual selves. We cut off a good deal, (I estimate about five inches, more or less), so that now my hair falls just below the shoulder blade.
Do I like my new cut? In all honesty I can say yes, I really do! I don’t think I could have said so directly after the cut, for when I first saw my hair in the mirror I nearly cried. I thought it looked awful, so ‘short’ and puffy. After some encouragement and compliments from my loving family however, my confidence was boosted, and I thought better of it. I like my hair, and I’m having fun with it!
What do you think?
So there you have it: my new cut. I’m sure all my family and friends back home are shocked! You didn’t expect me to take to such drastic measures, did you?
-Kasie
Ice Storm
February 4th, 2008A couple of nights ago, we had an ice storm. I woke up to find everything glittering with ice, even the Cowboys flag was covered with a thick layer of ice. It was beautiful, aside from tree branches falling down.
Of course as soon as I saw that there was ice out side, I grabbed the camera, threw my coat on and flew out the door. I must have taken fifty pictures before I went inside. I also had a few wipe-outs while sliding on the slide covered with ice . Sadly though, once I had a chance to look at the pictures, more than half of them turned out blurry. By the time I realized that most of the ice was already melted. Here are the few “good” ones.
- Camille and Family
- Lady Abigail
- The Discher Family
- The Nisbett Family
- The Thomas Family
- Valiant For Truth