This is just a quick post to say goodbye to 2013!!
I began blogging here on the 7th of January 2013, so that means I've been going nearly a year! I can't wait to begin this new year of blogging and am looking forward to the ups and downs of 2014. Preferably more ups than downs. :) God has taught me so much this year and I'm looking forward to all He has for me for next year!
And some news for you - I'm now officially a writer on the blog Jewels of Jesus! There are four of us who all became writers together, read all about it here. I can't wait to begin. My first post on that blog is scheduled for next Friday, the 3rd of January. Feel free to check it out. :)
And with that... farewell 2013.... welcome home, 2014!
Tuesday, 31 December 2013
Monday, 30 December 2013
The Results - part 1
Well, and here are the results to the Quiz Time quizzes. I apologize profusely for not having posted this sooner, but I have struck several obstacles including the losing of my answers and the losing of everyone else's answers! So I had to start again from scratch. Sorry about that! Anyway, here it is.
I'm going to go backwards, giving the answers to Quiz Time section 3 first.
Question 1: This person broke their collarbone by falling out of a bottom bunk quite a few years ago.
The correct answer is: Sophie (I think she was four or five at the time)
Question 2: This person is the only member of our family who does not like peppermint.
Question 3: This person is the only member of our family who has two middle names.
Question 4: This person has played tennis more than anyone else in our family.
Question 5: This person is the only male child in our family who has had surgery.
Question 6: This person was the first child in our family to own an ipod.
I'm going to go backwards, giving the answers to Quiz Time section 3 first.
Question 1: This person broke their collarbone by falling out of a bottom bunk quite a few years ago.
The correct answer is: Sophie (I think she was four or five at the time)
The correct answer is: Lydia (she doesn't even like peppermint flavoured candy canes!)
The correct answer is: Jacob (Jacob Joseph Daniel Smithies)
The correct answer is: Danella (she played tennis a whole season longer than most of the rest of us.)
The correct answer is: Caleb (he had grommets earlier this year)
The correct answer is: Me (I won it in a competition - it even has my name engraved on the back!)
And here are the different guessers, with their scores.
Jason L: 4 correct
Sophie: 6 correct
(And don't worry about it not being fair that Sophie is a member of our family, she only entered this one quiz so her score is much lower overall.)
I was sad that not very many people attempted this quiz. I mean - it wasn't even that difficult! Oh well. If you didn't enter, that is your loss.
I will be back later with the answers and scores for Quiz Time section 2!
Saturday, 28 December 2013
A Social Network Christmas
(Thank you to the people who drew my attention to this on Google Plus - it's awesome!)
Thursday, 26 December 2013
Our Prince of Peace
Apologies - I was going to post this yesterday (Christmas Day) but someone decided that we weren't going to turn the computer on at all on December the 25th, but just enjoy family time together. Fair enough, right??? :) So we enjoyed family time and here is your Christmas post.
For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the greatness of his government and peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.
-Isaiah 9:6-7
I hope you had wonderful Christmases wherever you were and whoever you are - we certainly did!! Photos taken by Danella are still to come.
Have a wonderful day and God bless you.
Tuesday, 24 December 2013
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Monday, 23 December 2013
For your Benefit and Enjoyment.
A reader of this blog asked for a tutorial of the game 3 Up 3 Down, as mentioned in this post. So here it is.
This game is known by our family as 3 Up 3 Down, because you have 3 cards face up in front of you and 3 cards face down. These instructions were sourced from a website which called it by a different name, but the instructions are exactly the same. There are no different rules as far as I can tell.
Players and Cards
From two to five may play. The game is best is with at least three.
The game requires one regular 52-card deck. Make sure you take out the Jokers. This particular game does not require them. The cards rank highest to lowest 2, A, K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 (twos are high and low - see below).
Deal
The dealer is randomly selected for the first hand. The deal rotates clockwise after each hand.
1.) The dealer deals a row of three face-down cards to each player, one at a time.
2.) The dealer deals three cards face-up to each player, one at a time, covering the face-down cards.
3.) The dealer deals a three card hand face-down to each player, one at a time.
Any cards remaining undealt are placed face down to form a draw pile. The players pick up their three card hands and look at them.
Before play each player may exchange any number of cards from the hand with her face-up cards. A player may never look at the face-down cards until they are played. (Players usually take lower ranking face-up cards into their hands.)
Play of the Cards
The first player is the person who receives the first 3 dealt face-up. If no 3 is face-up, the first person to call a three in a hand is the first player. If there is no 3 dealt to a hand, then the same procedure is followed for the first 4, and so on, if need be.
The first player begins a discard pile on the table, playing face-up from her hand any number of cards of the same rank, and taking cards from the draw pile to replenish his or her hand to three cards. Taking turns clockwise, each player must either play a card or a set of equal cards face up on top of the discard pile, or pick up the pile. The card or cards played must be of equal to or of higher rank than previous play. This continues, possibly several times around the table, until eventually someone is unable or unwilling to equal or beat the previous play. If after playing you have fewer than three cards in your hand, you must immediately replenish your hand by drawing from the stock so that you have three cards again. If there are too few cards in the stock, you draw as many as there are. When there are no cards left in the stock at all, play continues as before, but without replenishment.
If at your turn you cannot or do not wish to play a card, you must pick up all the cards in the discard pile and add them to your hand. If you pick up you do not play any cards on that turn, but your left hand neighbour, who is next in turn to play, starts a new discard pile by playing any card or set of equal cards she wishes. Play then continues as before.
As long as you begin your turn with cards in your hand, you are not allowed in that turn to play from the cards you have on the table; you can only play from the cards in your hand on that turn.
Twos, Tens and clearing the pile
Twos may always be played on any card, and any card may be played on a two.
A ten may be played on any turn, whatever the top card of the discard pile is (or even if the pile is empty). When a ten is played, the discard pile is removed from play and the same player who played the ten takes another turn, playing any card or set of equal cards to start a new discard pile.
If someone completes a set of four cards of the same rank on top of the discard pile (either by playing all four cards at once or by equalling the previous play), the whole pile is removed from play, and the same player who completed the four of a kind takes another turn, playing any card or set of equal cards to start a new discard pile.
The Endgame
If you begin your turn with no cards in your hand (because you played them all last time and the draw pile was empty), you may now play from her face-up cards. When you are playing your face-up cards and cannot (or do not wish to) play a card of equal or higher rank than the card(s) played by previous player, you add one of your face-up cards to the pile before taking the whole pile into your hand. It is then the next player's turn to begin a new discard pile by playing any card or set of equal cards. Having picked up the pile, you will have to play from your hand on subsequent turns until you have once more got rid of all your hand cards and can begin playing from your table cards again.
When you have played all your face-up table cards, and have no cards in your hand, you play your face-down cards blindly, flipping one card onto the pile when your turn comes. If the flipped card is playable, it is played, and it is the next player's turn to equal or beat it. If your flipped card is not playable (because it is lower than the previous play), you take the whole pile into your hand including the flipped card. It is then the next player's turn to start a new discard pile. Having picked up the pile, you will have to play from your hand on subsequent turns until you have once more got rid of all your hand cards and can flip your next table card.
When you completely get rid of all of your hand and table cards, you have successfully avoided being the loser and can drop out of the game. When you flip your last table card, you can only drop out at that point if it beats the previous play (or if you are flipping it to an empty discard pile). If you flip your last card and it is not playable, you must pick it up along with the pile. As people drop out of the game, the remaining players continue playing. The last player left holding cards is the loser.
It sounds horrifically complicated but I can assure you that it is really fun!! It's not as hard as it sounds, either. Seriously, try it. It's fun. :)
Warning: This game is horribly addictive. Players may find themselves addicted for life. This is your warning.
Players and Cards
From two to five may play. The game is best is with at least three.
The game requires one regular 52-card deck. Make sure you take out the Jokers. This particular game does not require them. The cards rank highest to lowest 2, A, K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 (twos are high and low - see below).
Deal
The dealer is randomly selected for the first hand. The deal rotates clockwise after each hand.
1.) The dealer deals a row of three face-down cards to each player, one at a time.
2.) The dealer deals three cards face-up to each player, one at a time, covering the face-down cards.
3.) The dealer deals a three card hand face-down to each player, one at a time.
Any cards remaining undealt are placed face down to form a draw pile. The players pick up their three card hands and look at them.
Before play each player may exchange any number of cards from the hand with her face-up cards. A player may never look at the face-down cards until they are played. (Players usually take lower ranking face-up cards into their hands.)
Play of the Cards
The first player is the person who receives the first 3 dealt face-up. If no 3 is face-up, the first person to call a three in a hand is the first player. If there is no 3 dealt to a hand, then the same procedure is followed for the first 4, and so on, if need be.
The first player begins a discard pile on the table, playing face-up from her hand any number of cards of the same rank, and taking cards from the draw pile to replenish his or her hand to three cards. Taking turns clockwise, each player must either play a card or a set of equal cards face up on top of the discard pile, or pick up the pile. The card or cards played must be of equal to or of higher rank than previous play. This continues, possibly several times around the table, until eventually someone is unable or unwilling to equal or beat the previous play. If after playing you have fewer than three cards in your hand, you must immediately replenish your hand by drawing from the stock so that you have three cards again. If there are too few cards in the stock, you draw as many as there are. When there are no cards left in the stock at all, play continues as before, but without replenishment.
If at your turn you cannot or do not wish to play a card, you must pick up all the cards in the discard pile and add them to your hand. If you pick up you do not play any cards on that turn, but your left hand neighbour, who is next in turn to play, starts a new discard pile by playing any card or set of equal cards she wishes. Play then continues as before.
As long as you begin your turn with cards in your hand, you are not allowed in that turn to play from the cards you have on the table; you can only play from the cards in your hand on that turn.
Twos, Tens and clearing the pile
Twos may always be played on any card, and any card may be played on a two.
A ten may be played on any turn, whatever the top card of the discard pile is (or even if the pile is empty). When a ten is played, the discard pile is removed from play and the same player who played the ten takes another turn, playing any card or set of equal cards to start a new discard pile.
If someone completes a set of four cards of the same rank on top of the discard pile (either by playing all four cards at once or by equalling the previous play), the whole pile is removed from play, and the same player who completed the four of a kind takes another turn, playing any card or set of equal cards to start a new discard pile.
The Endgame
If you begin your turn with no cards in your hand (because you played them all last time and the draw pile was empty), you may now play from her face-up cards. When you are playing your face-up cards and cannot (or do not wish to) play a card of equal or higher rank than the card(s) played by previous player, you add one of your face-up cards to the pile before taking the whole pile into your hand. It is then the next player's turn to begin a new discard pile by playing any card or set of equal cards. Having picked up the pile, you will have to play from your hand on subsequent turns until you have once more got rid of all your hand cards and can begin playing from your table cards again.
When you have played all your face-up table cards, and have no cards in your hand, you play your face-down cards blindly, flipping one card onto the pile when your turn comes. If the flipped card is playable, it is played, and it is the next player's turn to equal or beat it. If your flipped card is not playable (because it is lower than the previous play), you take the whole pile into your hand including the flipped card. It is then the next player's turn to start a new discard pile. Having picked up the pile, you will have to play from your hand on subsequent turns until you have once more got rid of all your hand cards and can flip your next table card.
When you completely get rid of all of your hand and table cards, you have successfully avoided being the loser and can drop out of the game. When you flip your last table card, you can only drop out at that point if it beats the previous play (or if you are flipping it to an empty discard pile). If you flip your last card and it is not playable, you must pick it up along with the pile. As people drop out of the game, the remaining players continue playing. The last player left holding cards is the loser.
It sounds horrifically complicated but I can assure you that it is really fun!! It's not as hard as it sounds, either. Seriously, try it. It's fun. :)
(I haven't posted any card game tutorials before. Do you like it? Do you want more? I know a lot of awesome card games that I could teach you too, such as Golf, Tongues, War and Arabian. What do you think?)
Saturday, 21 December 2013
Four. Days. Only.
It's only four days until Christmas! Goodness me, where did that time go?
Some friends taught us how to play the card game 3 Up 3 Down last weekend and now we (Danella, Sophie, Johnny and I) play it often. It's really fun. If you don't know how to play it, you should learn.
Awesome: Eating fresh peas in the pod. Awesomeness. Literally. Our family is absolutely mad on them. I love this time of year.
(Oh, and just randomly) :
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Hoping the four days before Christmas are wonderful for you. :)
Some friends taught us how to play the card game 3 Up 3 Down last weekend and now we (Danella, Sophie, Johnny and I) play it often. It's really fun. If you don't know how to play it, you should learn.
Awesome: Eating fresh peas in the pod. Awesomeness. Literally. Our family is absolutely mad on them. I love this time of year.
(Oh, and just randomly) :
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This is such a beautiful song!!
Hoping the four days before Christmas are wonderful for you. :)
Thursday, 19 December 2013
'Twas the Night Before Christmas
I found this on a random website - and I thought it was funny, so here it is. It's supposed to be the famous poem "Twas the Night Before Christmas, but for the intellectual reader. It's hilarious. I'm not that intellectual, believe me, but it made me laugh. If you want to read the proper / normal version, go here. Otherwise, enjoy!
'Twas the nocturnal segment of the diurnal period preceding the annual Yuletide celebration, and throughout our place of residence, kinetic activity was not in evidence among the possessors of this potential, including that species of domestic rodent known as Mus musculus. Hosiery was meticulously suspended from the forward edge of the wood burning caloric apparatus, pursuant to our anticipatory pleasure regarding an imminent visitation from an eccentric philanthropist among whose folkloric appellations is the honorific title of St. Nicholas.
The prepubescent siblings, comfortably ensconced in their respective accommodations of repose, were experiencing subconscious visual hallucinations of variegated fruit confections moving rhythmically through their cerebrums. My conjugal partner and I, attired in our nocturnal head coverings, were about to take slumberous advantage of the hibernal darkness when upon the avenaceous exterior portion of the grounds there ascended such a cacophony of dissonance that I felt compelled to arise with alacrity from my place of repose for the purpose of ascertaining the precise source thereof.
Hastening to the casement, I forthwith opened the barriers sealing this fenestration, noting thereupon that the lunar brilliance without, reflected as it was on the surface of a recent crystalline precipitation, might be said to rival that of the solar meridian itself - thus permitting my incredulous optical sensory organs to behold a miniature airborne runnered conveyance drawn by eight diminutive specimens of the genus Rangifer, piloted by a minuscule, aged chauffeur so ebullient and nimble that it became instantly apparent to me that he was indeed our anticipated caller. With his ungulate motive power travelling at what may possibly have been more vertiginous velocity than patriotic alar predators, he vociferated loudly, expelled breath musically through contracted labia, and addressed each of the octet by his or her respective cognomen - "Now Dasher, now Dancer..." et al. - guiding them to the uppermost exterior level of our abode, through which structure I could readily distinguish the concatenations of each of the 32 cloven pedal extremities.
As I retracted my cranium from its erstwhile location, and was performing a 180-degree pivot, our distinguished visitant achieved - with utmost celerity and via a downward leap - entry by way of the smoke passage. He was clad entirely in animal pelts soiled by the ebony residue from oxidations of carboniferous fuels which had accumulated on the walls thereof. His resemblance to a street vendor I attributed largely to the plethora of assorted playthings which he bore dorsally in a commodious cloth receptacle.
His orbs were scintillant with reflected luminosity, while his submaxillary dermal indentations gave every evidence of engaging amiability. The capillaries of his malar regions and nasal appurtenance were engorged with blood which suffused the subcutaneous layers, the former approximating the coloration of Albion's floral emblem, the latter that of the Prunus avium, or sweet cherry. His amusing sub- and supralabials resembled nothing so much as a common loop knot, and their ambient hirsute facial adornment appeared like small, tabular and columnar crystals of frozen water.
Clenched firmly between his incisors was a smoking piece whose grey fumes, forming a tenuous ellipse about his occiput, were suggestive of a decorative seasonal circlet of holly. His visage was wider than it was high, and when he waxed audibly mirthful, his corpulent abdominal region undulated in the manner of impectinated fruit syrup in a hemispherical container. He was, in short, neither more nor less than an obese, jocund, multigenarian gnome, the optical perception of whom rendered me visibly frolicsome despite every effort to refrain from so being. By rapidly lowering and then elevating one eyelid and rotating his head slightly to one side, he indicated that trepidation on my part was groundless.
Without utterance and with dispatch, he commenced filling the aforementioned appended hosiery with various of the aforementioned articles of merchandise extracted from his aforementioned previously dorsally transported cloth receptacle. Upon completion of this task, he executed an abrupt about-face, placed a single manual digit in lateral juxtaposition to his olfactory organ, inclined his cranium forward in a gesture of leave-taking, and forthwith effected his egress by renegotiating (in reverse) the smoke passage. He then propelled himself in a short vector onto his conveyance, directed a musical expulsion of air through his contracted oral sphincter to the antlered quadrupeds of burden, and proceeded to soar aloft in a movement hitherto observable chiefly among the seed-bearing portions of a common weed. But I overheard his parting exclamation, audible immediately prior to his vehiculation beyond the limits of visibility:
"Ecstatic Yuletide to the planetary constituency, and to
that self same assemblage, my sincerest wishes for a salubriously
beneficial and gratifyingly pleasurable period between sunset and
dawn."
dawn."
Wednesday, 18 December 2013
Christmas Stick Dance
We saw this first when it was performed by some friends of ours and we loved it!! After they showed it to us, I found it on YouTube - it's not as good as a live performance, but it's still pretty awesome. I'm posting it here because I know you'll love it too. Make sure you watch it right to the end. :)
Santa-bulous
Some funny Christmas pictures for you today. Enjoy.
(Am I the only one who actually sang that?)
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Poor doggy... you're doomed to be disappointed!
What I want to know is, where did they get all the bottles?
(Where's the spare?)
Rudolph isn't very good at hide-and-seek....
And with that... I must leave you. Happy Christmas!
Monday, 16 December 2013
Sunday, 15 December 2013
Miscellaneous Photographs and Your Last Chance
Saturday, 14 December 2013
Quiz Time - section three
Remember my two short quizzes on how well you know our family??? (There's still time to enter them, but the way! here and here) Well, here's Quiz Time section Three!
This time I have questions to ask. Each answer is a member of our family's name. See if you can correctly answer each question.
(Note: the pictures are not intended as clues.)
Question 1: This person broke their collarbone by falling out of a bottom bunk quite a few years ago.
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Question 2: This person is the only member of our family who does not like peppermint.
Question 3: This person is the only member of our family who has two middle names.
Question 4: This person has played tennis more than anyone else in our family.
Question 5: This person is the only male child in our family who has had surgery.
Question 6: This person was the first child in our family to own an ipod.
Each are labeled Question 1, Question 2 and so on. If you think you know who said which item, then comment your answer. For example: If you think Abbie is the answer to Question 1, then type "Question 1: Abbie".
This time I have questions to ask. Each answer is a member of our family's name. See if you can correctly answer each question.
(Note: the pictures are not intended as clues.)
Question 1: This person broke their collarbone by falling out of a bottom bunk quite a few years ago.
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Question 2: This person is the only member of our family who does not like peppermint.
Question 3: This person is the only member of our family who has two middle names.
Question 4: This person has played tennis more than anyone else in our family.
Question 5: This person is the only male child in our family who has had surgery.
Question 6: This person was the first child in our family to own an ipod.
Each are labeled Question 1, Question 2 and so on. If you think you know who said which item, then comment your answer. For example: If you think Abbie is the answer to Question 1, then type "Question 1: Abbie".
Have fun!!
Joyfully Wondering
So, in case you hadn't noticed, I'm tired of my old blog description. It just said "The personal blog of Bonnie!" but I think that I want something more poignant, something a bit more relevant... something different.
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. - Philippians 4:4
Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. -Romans 12:12
"The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer somebody else up." --Mark Twain
A joyful heart is good medicine - Proverbs 17:22
"Nobody really cares if you're miserable, so you might as well be happy." --Cynthia Nelms
Rejoice always - I Thessalonians 5:16
"If you want to be happy, be." --Leo Tolstoy (I like this one!!)
You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy... - Psalm 16:11
"For every minute you are angry, you lose sixty seconds of happiness." --Author Unknown
Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure. - Psalm 16:9
Let everything that has breath praise the Lord! Praise the Lord! - Psalm 150:6
You, dear reader, are just as much a part of this blog as I am. So, the choice is yours. What do you think? Which should I choose? Is none of them good enough? Do you have another suggestion? Fire away! I can't wait to hear what you think!
What do you think?
I've been thinking about it and I would really like something to do with joy. Some of you may not know that my middle name is Joy (yup, that makes me Bonnie Joy). I think something to do with that would be nice.
I'd like to have an inspirational quote... a Bible verse... or even something else if it works!
Here's a few of different possibilities I've come up with.
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. - Philippians 4:4
Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. -Romans 12:12
"The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer somebody else up." --Mark Twain
A joyful heart is good medicine - Proverbs 17:22
"Nobody really cares if you're miserable, so you might as well be happy." --Cynthia Nelms
Rejoice always - I Thessalonians 5:16
"If you want to be happy, be." --Leo Tolstoy (I like this one!!)
You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy... - Psalm 16:11
"For every minute you are angry, you lose sixty seconds of happiness." --Author Unknown
Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure. - Psalm 16:9
Let everything that has breath praise the Lord! Praise the Lord! - Psalm 150:6
You, dear reader, are just as much a part of this blog as I am. So, the choice is yours. What do you think? Which should I choose? Is none of them good enough? Do you have another suggestion? Fire away! I can't wait to hear what you think!
Thursday, 12 December 2013
Quiz Time - section Two
Thank you thank you thank you to all you who entered the previous section of Quiz Time! You all did very well. :) I think you know our family better than I thought you did. :)
(Oh, and if you didn't enter, don't worry, you can still enter any of the sections while the quiz is still running. The winner is going to be overall.)
(Oh, and if you didn't enter, don't worry, you can still enter any of the sections while the quiz is still running. The winner is going to be overall.)
Now for this next section!!
For this one, I have prepared a list of funny things certain members of this household have said over the years. There are six of them. Each are labeled Item 1, Item 2 and so on. If you think you know who said which item, then comment your answer. For example: If you think Abbie said Item 1, then type "Item 1: Abbie".
Get it??
Here we go.
Item 1: "We eat Easter Eggs to make Jesus happy."
Item 2: "I told Daddy that I had a sore tummy and he said it was because I had too many cream puffs. He has a heartless heart."
Item 3: (After being told that he needed to go outside and get some fresh air) "I'm full of fresh air. I can't have any more. I've got no more room."
Item 4: "I get on my bed with the raspberry flop." (This person meant the Fosbury flop, high jumping technique!)
Item 5: "Do you know how I know that? Because I knew it, that's why."
Item 6: "(insert certain friend's name) is nice. She's the same age as me but older."
Wednesday, 11 December 2013
Quiz Time - section One
I decided it was time to have a little quiz. Who thinks they know our family well????
What I'm doing is this. I have prepared quiz 'sections' to give to you all one at a time. Today is the first section, Section One.
I have below 6 old(er) photos of children in this family. Each labeled Photo 1, Photo 2 and so on. The first one is really easy to start you off. If you think you know who is in the photo, comment below with your guess. Example: Photo 1: Ben and Caleb. (Not that photo 1 is Ben and Caleb.)
Get it?
So.... have fun!! There may even be a prize for the person who gets the most right!
Photo 1
Photo 2
Photo 3
Photo 4
Photo 5
Photo 6
Monday, 9 December 2013
Hijinks and Happiness
Well, after a week of relaxation and full-time holidaying, I now have a nice selection of photographs to show here for you. The majority of them were taken by my talented sister Abbie, but I did take some of them.
Hijinks in the van on the way there. :)
See the gorgeous scenery behind me!
Roses and the sea.... a slice of paradise right there...
Danella and Sophie
A friend playing with their family's dogs.
Running along the beach. (Abbie asked I do this for the photo. The spray soaked my shorts and the sharp stones on the sand were really painful so I'm not actually running - it's kind of a limping jog!!)
Danella and me
Here we are again
And again.
Ben and Johnny raising a stick on the beach with the help of some friends, Lydia and Caleb.
Lydia relaxing in the hammock after a hard day's work holidaying.
Cricket on the beach. Johnny actually hit the ball!
I missed.
Beautiful Lydia
This dog is so funny with sticks.
Do you want more photos?
Sunday, 8 December 2013
I Return From My Travels
I'm officially back from a one-week family holiday to the sunny North of the South. Now figure out the location. :)
It was a wonderful holiday but oh it's so nice to be home! (Photos will be posted when Abbie gets them on to the computer.)
This post is inspired by Sayna who apparently got it from Amanda. I think that anyone who wants to can do it.
I. Who is your favorite author?
Oh for goodness sake!! Why do I get asked this so much? It's too hard!! *sobs*
I am not at all embarrassed to say that I still read and enjoy Enid Blyton. I admire her tremendously. Another author I really appreciate is Agatha Christie. She has such a way with words. I also enjoy reading miscellaneous other authors such as Chuck Black.... C.S. Lewis... Demos Shakarian... Janet and Geoff Benge.... Laura Ingalls Wilder.... Frank Peretti.... the list goes on and on!
II. Do you have a favorite country that you dream of visiting, and if you do what is it?
Oh, now, this is a good question. I've been overseas once, to Australia in 2011. That was unforgettable. Australia is really cool! (And hot, too!)
I've always liked the idea of going to Israel as well. I'd love to go and see the Holy Land. Where Jesus grew up. That would be amazing.
III. Do you prefer skirts or jeans?
Skirts or jeans. Tough choice here! Jeans are probably more practical... but I do like skirts a lot too. I actually wear them quite often. And I've never worn a pair of pants to Church.
IV. Do you have a favorite genre of music?
Classical music is always nice. I respect Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann, Bach etc tremendously. They all wrote some amazing music.
I love listening to worship music on my ipod too. Like Stuart Townend. Robin Mark. Twila Paris. Don Moen. You've probably seen me mention these names before! That's my 'chill out and praise the Lord' music.
V. Do you prefer tea, coffee or cocoa, or none on these?
I've never actually tried coffee. The closest I've got to coffee is Capuccino Fudge icecream (which is really good by the way!). I don't really like tea that much. Our family normally just drinks water! I'll sometimes make myself a hot chocolate in the morning if I am in the right mood, or sometimes a hot lemon honey drink, but that's about it.
VI. If you inherited tons of cash what would be the first thing you would do?
Certainly give a large portion to a multitude of worthy organizations. Then put lots in the bank. I would like to also use it to bless people. Maybe I'd make up a whole pile of Christmas hampers and go around on Christmas Eve distributing them to random strangers. That would be awesome.
VII. Do you have a fashion icon and if so who?
Not really. I enjoy reading several different fashion blogs but just for enjoyment more than anything else I guess! I don't have a proper fashion icon.
VIII. What is your dream job?
Chocolate Taste Tester.
IX. Do you have a favorite book and film adaption?
I've always felt that a lot of the classic 'book' films (not that I know of many book and film pairs) murder the book! (Don't take that in the wrong way.) Like the Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S Lewis. The movie was actually quite a lot different from the book and it's completely changed my view of the book now.
X. If you could rewrite one classic novel which one would it be?
Oh help. I don't know!
XI. What is your idea of a perfect day?
Lots of chocolate, lots of laughter, lots of books, lots of friends, lots of sunshine but no getting sunburnt, lots of swimming, lots of awesomeness and yeah, that would be pretty perfect! :)
It's nice to be back home!!
It was a wonderful holiday but oh it's so nice to be home! (Photos will be posted when Abbie gets them on to the computer.)
This post is inspired by Sayna who apparently got it from Amanda. I think that anyone who wants to can do it.
I. Who is your favorite author?
Oh for goodness sake!! Why do I get asked this so much? It's too hard!! *sobs*
I am not at all embarrassed to say that I still read and enjoy Enid Blyton. I admire her tremendously. Another author I really appreciate is Agatha Christie. She has such a way with words. I also enjoy reading miscellaneous other authors such as Chuck Black.... C.S. Lewis... Demos Shakarian... Janet and Geoff Benge.... Laura Ingalls Wilder.... Frank Peretti.... the list goes on and on!
II. Do you have a favorite country that you dream of visiting, and if you do what is it?
Oh, now, this is a good question. I've been overseas once, to Australia in 2011. That was unforgettable. Australia is really cool! (And hot, too!)
I've always liked the idea of going to Israel as well. I'd love to go and see the Holy Land. Where Jesus grew up. That would be amazing.
III. Do you prefer skirts or jeans?
Skirts or jeans. Tough choice here! Jeans are probably more practical... but I do like skirts a lot too. I actually wear them quite often. And I've never worn a pair of pants to Church.
IV. Do you have a favorite genre of music?
Classical music is always nice. I respect Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann, Bach etc tremendously. They all wrote some amazing music.
I love listening to worship music on my ipod too. Like Stuart Townend. Robin Mark. Twila Paris. Don Moen. You've probably seen me mention these names before! That's my 'chill out and praise the Lord' music.
V. Do you prefer tea, coffee or cocoa, or none on these?
I've never actually tried coffee. The closest I've got to coffee is Capuccino Fudge icecream (which is really good by the way!). I don't really like tea that much. Our family normally just drinks water! I'll sometimes make myself a hot chocolate in the morning if I am in the right mood, or sometimes a hot lemon honey drink, but that's about it.
VI. If you inherited tons of cash what would be the first thing you would do?
Certainly give a large portion to a multitude of worthy organizations. Then put lots in the bank. I would like to also use it to bless people. Maybe I'd make up a whole pile of Christmas hampers and go around on Christmas Eve distributing them to random strangers. That would be awesome.
VII. Do you have a fashion icon and if so who?
Not really. I enjoy reading several different fashion blogs but just for enjoyment more than anything else I guess! I don't have a proper fashion icon.
VIII. What is your dream job?
Chocolate Taste Tester.
IX. Do you have a favorite book and film adaption?
I've always felt that a lot of the classic 'book' films (not that I know of many book and film pairs) murder the book! (Don't take that in the wrong way.) Like the Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S Lewis. The movie was actually quite a lot different from the book and it's completely changed my view of the book now.
X. If you could rewrite one classic novel which one would it be?
Oh help. I don't know!
XI. What is your idea of a perfect day?
Lots of chocolate, lots of laughter, lots of books, lots of friends, lots of sunshine but no getting sunburnt, lots of swimming, lots of awesomeness and yeah, that would be pretty perfect! :)
It's nice to be back home!!
Thursday, 28 November 2013
This Post Has No Title
You know the two main camel types - the Dromedaries and Bactrians? The Dromedary has one hump and the Bactrian has two. Well, I found out the other day that you can remember which is which quite easily. Just lie the capital letters of their names - D and B - on their side, then you can see immediately how many humps each has.
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(True!!)
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