Silly Quiz Monday

This really isn't that much of a stretch... :-)

Which stereotype do you fall under? Geek You're very intelligent and always do your best in academics. Some people call you a geek, nerd, dork, etc. But always remember, you're probably smarter than them anyway, so just take those comments with a pinch of salt.

Click Here to Take This Quiz Brought to you by YouThink.com quizzes and personality tests.

Your Irish Name Is...

Maeve Dunne

What's your Irish Name?

I've stepped back some this week and done some thinking. Part of it was having this cold and eye infection - I haven't felt like doing much. The cough that I've had has kept me up a bunch at night so my energy level (as well as my poor husband's) has been low. But also, I've been watching myself slip back into my old patterns - overcommitting to too many things, not taking time to refresh myself, having a to-do list with too much on it. For the unfamiliar, my 2005 year is all about simplicity. Slowing down, cutting back and more enjoyment of the good things.

But my old tendencies are slipping back in . . . wanting to do more, be more. I've committed to a second intense Bible study when I was already committed to one from my church. Our ladies group (I think I've mentioned this before) is going through 2nd Samuel / 1st Chronicles in a Kay Arthur precept course. If you have never done one, they are a LOT of work. Then the opportunity came up to start this second study - a study that I have wanted to do for several years - and before praying about it, I just jumped in, both feet. I'm feeling buried with the heavy work load for both and rotate from getting caught up in one to caught up in the other one. At the rate I'm going, I'm not going to finish well at either, and that's what I want to do. Be able to really give 100% to each one and absorb what God wants me to learn.

Anyway, just trying to regain a bit of balance. Yesterday helped. Noelle and I had an at-home day. Not that those are all that rare, but I took the day off. Got up early after Travis left for his 6 a.m. Bible study at Cracker Barrel. Spent some time working on one of my studies and getting my work for day done on the computer and then, other than the occasional email check, didn't sit back down at my desk for much of the day. Noelle spent almost the whole day out on our deck and I rotated from the deck to the kitchen and puttered around the house, usually with a book in one hand and something cold to drink in the other. Much needed downtime.

A few photos from yesterday and then I'm off to get us ready to go run a few errands. Tonight's pizza night around here so looking forward to a good evening just hanging with my husband and sweet girl.

Wearing Daddy's shoes:

Our cool kid!

Semi-half done journalling erased by small precious baby who turned off computer.

Mama suffering from cough and eye infection hath not the heart to retype.

More later...

Not just because everyone else is doing it...

I took this quiz. I'm not that surprised how it turned out. :-)

1: Baptist (non-Calvinistic)/Plymouth Brethren/Fundamentalist (100%)
2: Anabaptist (Mennonite/Quaker etc.) (96%)
3: Congregational/United Church of Christ (77%)
4: Pentecostal/Charismatic/Assemblies of God (76%)
5: Methodist/Wesleyan/Nazarene (75%)
6: Baptist (Reformed/Particular/Calvinistic) (62%)
7: Church of Christ/Campbellite (55%)
8: Seventh-Day Adventist (55%)
9: Presbyterian/Reformed (49%)
10: Eastern Orthodox (44%)
11: Anglican/Episcopal/Church of England (41%)
12: Lutheran (41%)13: Roman Catholic (25%)

Our weekend in photos

Loaded up in the car to go to cousin Jordan's soccer game!

Daddy stopped on the way and got us Sonic's.

Jordan scored two goals!

Saw the baby while there.

Wore ourselves out.

A Little Nonsense

You are half baked !!!
A mellow medley of emotions and a pleasant
personality. You get even the busiest of bees
to stop and smell the roses. Rock on !


What Ben and Jerrys ice cream flavor are you ?
brought to you by Quizilla

Your Icecream Flavour is... French Vanilla!

You're a smooth and silky suave type! You exude class and you believe in tradition. A classical taste who doesn't like things to be too flashy or showy. Climb the Eiffel tower of taste with a spoonfull of you! Oui Oui!

What is your Icecream Flavour?

Find out at Go Quiz

Both quizzes from BeckyA.

Believing God

I've started working on my Believing God study. I'm very excited about it and a little nervous. This study is about learning how to believe God - not the believing that comes with salvation (believing that Christ died for my sins so that I am assured of a home in heaven), but active, continual, persistent seeking after God that I need in my life. Last night the section I was working on ended by asking me to write down all my "but's" for this study - what I felt would hold me back, what my obstacles were, etc. I tend to get discouraged easily when it comes to Bible study. It comes so easy to others and sometimes it takes me much longer to grasp sections and wrestle through portions that I tend to feel left out and behind. Add that to the stigma and the (sometimes) incorrect assumption of being the Pastor's kid who should know all about the Bible, and you get a girl who tends to be more than quiet in a Bible study setting. I start to compare myself to others and how they are responding and being moved by the study and only see how far short I fall instead of what I am learning.

But - and this is a positive "but" - God is going to meet me where I am while I do this study. He promises in Scripture that He gives wisdom to those who ask, and I have. He promises to reveal Himself to those who are seeking, and I am.

The lesson ended with Isaiah 54:10:

For the mountains may be removed and the hills may shake, but my loving kindness will not be removed from you, and My covenant of peace will not be shaken, says the Lord who has compassion on you.

Lord, whether You move the mountains of struggles before me, or You shake up my world even more, You promise that You will NEVER remove Your lovingkindness - Your loyal love - Your covenental love - from me. And that's what we are in, Lord - a covenant. Even through the ups and downs you promise Your covenant of peace on me - I can be sure You are with me through it all! You have compassion on me Lord - You see that I struggle with actively believing. Meet me here, Lord. Teach me how to be silent and quiet before You and to hear the words You speak to me.

From Sunday Brunch

1) What state were you born in?
O-K-L-A-H-O-M-A, Oklahoma, OK, yeah! :-)
2) What state do you currently live in?
Tennessee
3) How many states have you been in? (and yes, driving through counts!)
25
4) If you had your choice regardless of cost, which of the 50 states would you choose to live in?
Hmmmm, I don't know. I love where I am now, but I think I would enjoy any state but Florida/Georgia/Mississippi - those in the deep south. I hate being hot.
5) Which of the 50 states would you rather die than live in?
See question 4. :-)

We had such a relaxing weekend. On Friday night we saw Travis play in his show. The lead guy was VERY good. And the bass player was way cute. Really. I'm not biased. :-)

Here's a picture of the whole group...

And one of the handsome bass player...

Noelle did fabulous at the concert - ran around during the opening act and then sat on my lap almost all of her Daddy's set. She was pooped, too. We got out of there about 10 p.m. - Travis went out to dinner with some friends and I took N. home for bed.

As for Saturday, we didn't end up going to Mule Day or the zoo - it was too cold outside on Saturday, Noelle's nose with icky and Travis was working on a sore throat. But we had fun family time. A trip to buy food for the dogs, a trip to Lowe's where I bought seeds for my first-ever garden!!, a huge nap on Saturday afternoon, and then Travis grilled out and we watched a movie. On Sunday, we had church and then lunch at Las Palmas (local Mexican) with my family, and then were outside almost the rest of the day! We took the dogs to a large enclosed dog run a couple miles away. We had never taken them there before and they had a BLAST! It was an area probably 3 times the size of our backyard and there were 20-25 dogs in there running around and playing without their leashes on. Our two went in and after running for a few minutes, we to the large wading pool full of water and laid down in it. We were cracking up at them. Then, they ran some more and laid in the water some more and had so much fun - and were exhausted when we brought them back home. Travis then took me and Noelle for a drive - one of my favorite things ever - sun shining in the car, cold drink, baby snoozing in the back, etc. When we got back to the house we all played outside while Travis did some yard work. We were pooped by the end of the day and Noelle's little cheeks were flushed from the sun by bedtime. :-) Good stuff.

She has her 18 month old check-up this afternoon. Her nose has been pretty runny & icky the last few days so I'm going to ask them about that while we're there. We've almost gone all winter without a major cold or bug!

Where I'm At

If you have read CJ for the day, go here. It's where I'm at. Just down. Just tired. Needing a retreat. Time off for good behavior maybe? Time with my husband and baby and just BE. Time away from the phone & cell phone. Time with my Bible and a notebook and sunshine and Diet Coke. Time laughing. Time riding in the car with the sun shining in. Time at a restaurant with low light and yummy food. Time away. Time at home.

I'm not sure I know what I want. :-)

This weekend is the first weekend in over two months that we have absolutely nothing planned. I'm hoping that the weather is nice so that we can do something as a family - maybe involving a picnic lunch. I would like to go to Mule Day. I know Noelle would love it - seeing all the animals and being outside. Another idea is to head to the zoo and walk around. Our zoo isn't that big, but it's got great paths that Noelle could walk on, and there is a huge jungle gym/play area just her size.

Tomorrow night we are going to hear Travis play in a show with this guy. It's at a local church just down the street from us. In my opinion, band guys are way cute . . . especially him. :-)

Bought The Time Traveler's Wife today on Amazon.com - slightly used. It's the May read for my book club and though I usually try to check them out at the library, I decided to buy the book this time. Why? I don't know. I do feel limited about penciling in the margins or highlighting (for obvious reasons!) when it's from the library. Hehe. Plus someone *coughdanacough* has gone on and on and on and on about how great this book is. So, not saying names, but we'll know who's fault it is if it stinketh.

Noelle is cutting her first two molars - one on each side on the bottom. She is still the cutest baby EVER. See here - this proves it:

She had a rough day yesterday. Fell out of one of the dining room chairs and landed HARD. Was sitting on the coffee table (don't freak out, it's really low) and slid off the edge - hard, and then our Sam-dog knocked her over outside and she skinned her knee. :-( That was the most minor of the injuries in my opinion, but it did require breaking out the hydrogen peroxide and cleaning it up. She freaked out more over the bandaid than anything else. I guess she's not old enough yet to know that bandaids make everything feel better. :-)

Am plugging away at the Spring Fling Challenge - tackled cleaning out my car yesterday - ewww. Just messy. I don't leave food and stuff in the car, but there was assorted Noelle crumbs (pieces of cheerios, chicken nuggets and such) all over the back seat, and straw wrappers and napkins littering the front. And somehow an OLD blanket that we kept in the trunk had gotten wet, I guess, and when I picked it up, it completely disintegrated in my hands. The car is now completely vacuumed out and looks much better - or as good as a 12 year old Honda will at this point. Today's cleaning project - once Noelle is up from her nap - is to go through my closet and dresser and purge. Need to get in the bedroom and sweep and dust everything as well.

Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort; who comforts us in all our affliction so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For just as the the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ.

2 Corinthians 1:3-5

Which Incredibles Character Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla


You are a Square. What a weirdo.

Just a quick note to say I'm here and still in a bit of Easter recovery mode. We had a wonderful church service on Sunday and then we hosted my family for lunch afterwards. I managed to pour gravy on my arm while serving my plate and am recovering from a neat little 2nd degree burn on my right wrist complete with blistering and oozing. Ick. Good thing - I'm left handed so am only hampered for the most part by not being able to wear my watch. Monday was spent grocery shopping and some decluttering around the house. More of that to come over the next few weeks as I am part of the W@H Spring Fling Challenge of 2005:

Hopefully over the next few weeks, you'll hear more exciting cleaning stories and such. My husband is in the spring cleaning mood so if I get a head start of some of it, it will make it less painful when the Saturday comes that he's ready to clean. :-)

I feel like I might have had something else to say, but it's gone now....

The Wonder Of Your Cross

The wonder of Your cross
Shall be our meditation
To gather in that shadow
When the sun went down
To weep with those
Who thought that You were leaving
You were leaving Jesus
The humble King
Who never wore an earthly crown

To steal away at night
When they took down Your body
With love and tears
To leave You in a borrowed grave
To go with Mary to the place they laid You
Where they laid You Jesus
And in the morning find the stone was rolled away

Were heaven's praises
Silent in those hours of darkness
Your Holy Spirit brooding
'Round that empty throne
Until the declaration He is risen
You are risen Jesus
He is not dead
Behold He lives for evermore

The cross O the wonderful cross
What glory what vict'ry I've found
I'll come to the wonderful cross
And my whole life I lay down

written by Robin Mark

_{© 2004 Integrity's Hosanna! Music; CCLI License No. 336577}