Another year has come around.
So many things have broken our hearts around here this year, and it seems like our very souls are trampled upon. Our spirit is strong yet, and we will make it out of here in one piece and rebuild a life filled with the joy and happiness we once knew. It isn't too far away!
Happy New Year, may it bring everyone the joy and happiness that an optimistic eye on the future sees in store!
Friday, December 31, 2010
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Birthday
I haven't been posting because I really haven't had very much to say. Which is odd because in real life I have a lot to say, just nothing translates well to the internet, as everyone should know.
Today was my husbands 44th birthday. It is the seventh birthday I have spent with him. I made him a delicious stir-fry dinner and we took a nice nap together during the afternoon. That's really about all we did for his birthday this year and it is okay.
This year I have grown in leaps and bounds since moving back in with my family. It really is hard sometimes knowing how much I have changed, and how much they stay the same. Before I met Kelly I would never have considered a long-term relationship something to be proud of. I was carefree and un-attached and I was totally okay with that. Now I don't even remember that girl and I can't imagine living that lifestyle any more.
Last night I spent a long time playing games with Kelly. (Sid Meyer's Civ5 to be exact.) While we were playing midnight finally came and I was so excited because I knew I was the very first person to wish him a happy birthday this year. I spent a nice day with him topped off by a delicious dinner, and just before he went to bed he got a kiss and his last official happy birthday wish from me. This is something I found very exciting, and it made me happy to be able to share that with him, something that I think I've taken for granted in the past.
Yesterday I began the epic adventure of taking each child out to shop for the family. Amaya bought wonderful gifts for her brothers and sister, and even one for the dog. The Dollar Tree is a wonderful store for a tight-budget gift giving season, and I think this little tradition really gives the kids a chance to shine. They are picking the gifts out and wrapping them to give to their family, and I bet they will all have a world of fun with it!
Well, I suppose that about sums it up.
Today was my husbands 44th birthday. It is the seventh birthday I have spent with him. I made him a delicious stir-fry dinner and we took a nice nap together during the afternoon. That's really about all we did for his birthday this year and it is okay.
This year I have grown in leaps and bounds since moving back in with my family. It really is hard sometimes knowing how much I have changed, and how much they stay the same. Before I met Kelly I would never have considered a long-term relationship something to be proud of. I was carefree and un-attached and I was totally okay with that. Now I don't even remember that girl and I can't imagine living that lifestyle any more.
Last night I spent a long time playing games with Kelly. (Sid Meyer's Civ5 to be exact.) While we were playing midnight finally came and I was so excited because I knew I was the very first person to wish him a happy birthday this year. I spent a nice day with him topped off by a delicious dinner, and just before he went to bed he got a kiss and his last official happy birthday wish from me. This is something I found very exciting, and it made me happy to be able to share that with him, something that I think I've taken for granted in the past.
Yesterday I began the epic adventure of taking each child out to shop for the family. Amaya bought wonderful gifts for her brothers and sister, and even one for the dog. The Dollar Tree is a wonderful store for a tight-budget gift giving season, and I think this little tradition really gives the kids a chance to shine. They are picking the gifts out and wrapping them to give to their family, and I bet they will all have a world of fun with it!
Well, I suppose that about sums it up.
Monday, November 29, 2010
Happy Homemaker Monday!
The weather in my neck of the woods:
50's, mild~ it was 60 at 5:30 am, and now it's like chilly cold? LOL!
Things that make me happy:
Pumpkin pie with cool whip~ yum!
Book I'm reading:
Magnolia Wednesdays and Calico
What's on my TV today:
We are listening to "The 100-year-old Secret" a 2011 Sequoyah Nominee as a family. I'm not sure that counts for "on TV" but it is our entertainment. ;)
On the menu for dinner:
Leftovers, or maybe Spaghetti
On my To Do List:
Bathroom deep cleaning
Take trash to curb
New Recipe I tried or want to try soon:
Eggplant Enchiladas ~ YUM!
In the craft basket:
I wonder if I'll ever finish Kelly's blanket. -.-
Looking forward to this week:
Payday. ^.^
Tips and Tricks:
Follow your heart.
My favorite blog post this week:
No blog reading yet
Blog Hopping (a new discovered blog you would like to share with the readers):
No words needed (favorite photo or picture, yours or others you want to share):
Lesson learned the past few days:
Sometimes people are hard to understand, and the sheer ambiguous nature of the world takes me by surprise. I'm trying to say what I mean, and mean what I say with as few words as possible to cloud up the meaning. "Yes." instead of "Yeah, if I have time." etc etc!
On my mind:
The Bourlands and their struggles with their childrens' school environment. School should be a place for learning, and all this other non-sense needs to be seen and addressed by teachers long before it reaches the ears of parents. As a nation we need to revitalize our education system, even if it means pulling our kids out and teaching them ourselves. Passion for learning and knowledge isn't going to be learned from a bitter ninny of a teacher who just wants to retire.
Devotionals, Scripture Reading, Key Verses:
Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act. Don’t worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes. Stop being angry! Turn from your rage! Do not lose your temper—it only leads to harm. For the wicked will be destroyed, but those who trust in the Lord will possess the land. ~Psalm 37:7-9
Friday, November 26, 2010
Black Friday
Thanksgiving is over, leftovers have invaded the refrigerator and are now occupying it, and most of the world's population is taking advantage of the outrageous sales at almost every store in the world.
My brother's new fiancée, Ashley is probably somewhere exhausted over the sales! She worked hard to be there at 4am for the opening! I can't think of any good reason to be at a sale that early, myself. -.-
It is cold outside, the kids are out of school, and I'm content to sit around and do as little as possible. :)
My brother's new fiancée, Ashley is probably somewhere exhausted over the sales! She worked hard to be there at 4am for the opening! I can't think of any good reason to be at a sale that early, myself. -.-
It is cold outside, the kids are out of school, and I'm content to sit around and do as little as possible. :)
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Thanksgiving!
Some of my best, and worst, memories surround this wonderful holiday. The whole season is a time for love and family, and it really ought to last the whole year through. Good food, good friends and beyond that? Love!
I remember my first Thanksgiving with Kelly. I spent the whole night getting up and basting a turkey, roasting it in the oven to golden perfection. The first time I ever cooked the holiday dinner by myself. It was like a little ball of chaos in the bit of my stomach, because I didn't know him as well as I do now, and I was so worried I would burn something or he wouldn't be happy with my cooking! (My how far we have come from those panic-filled moments watching him take the first few bites!!!)
7 years later I know he will eat literally anything I set in front of him, no matter how burning hot, freezing cold, half cooked, burnt, or otherwise inedible it may be. :D
After we moved back to Oklahoma I have become the one who cooks Thanksgiving dinner for not only my husband and five beautiful wonderful amazing children, but also my parents and my two sisters and brother. This year it is extending out to include family friends, my brothers fiancée and perhaps her mom, and anyone else who walks through the door! (While I don't really mind cooking for all these people, I can't help but relive some of the bad memories I've endured at the hands of people who are closest. It is a real drag to hear echoes of laughter from melting cranberry gel sauce that was home made, to the burnt pie left in the oven and forgotten because of having too much going on.)
Stronger than the sad memories are the happy ones. Watching everyone sit down together for the only meal all year that everyone is together for. Thinking of the past years the same scene at different and far-flung tables. Loved ones lost grace our table in shades of the past as they were when they were with us. It is a strong together feeling, and it is a blessing every year to be able to share this time with family.
It may include wrestling kids into sitting at the table, a three ring circus in the kitchen, months of shopping and menu planning, days filled with baking cookies and candies, 5 turkeys, pounds upon pounds of side dishes~ but when it is all said and done and we're still eating left overs a week later it sort of seems worth it! I know I'll curse Thanksgiving while I'm finishing up tomorrow in a crazy flurry of activity! I'll throw my hands up and crash in bed after dinner leaving someone else to worry about any left over dishes. I'll happily do it again next year. ;)
Life is full of moments, and these are some of the best ones available.
I remember my first Thanksgiving with Kelly. I spent the whole night getting up and basting a turkey, roasting it in the oven to golden perfection. The first time I ever cooked the holiday dinner by myself. It was like a little ball of chaos in the bit of my stomach, because I didn't know him as well as I do now, and I was so worried I would burn something or he wouldn't be happy with my cooking! (My how far we have come from those panic-filled moments watching him take the first few bites!!!)
7 years later I know he will eat literally anything I set in front of him, no matter how burning hot, freezing cold, half cooked, burnt, or otherwise inedible it may be. :D
After we moved back to Oklahoma I have become the one who cooks Thanksgiving dinner for not only my husband and five beautiful wonderful amazing children, but also my parents and my two sisters and brother. This year it is extending out to include family friends, my brothers fiancée and perhaps her mom, and anyone else who walks through the door! (While I don't really mind cooking for all these people, I can't help but relive some of the bad memories I've endured at the hands of people who are closest. It is a real drag to hear echoes of laughter from melting cranberry gel sauce that was home made, to the burnt pie left in the oven and forgotten because of having too much going on.)
Stronger than the sad memories are the happy ones. Watching everyone sit down together for the only meal all year that everyone is together for. Thinking of the past years the same scene at different and far-flung tables. Loved ones lost grace our table in shades of the past as they were when they were with us. It is a strong together feeling, and it is a blessing every year to be able to share this time with family.
It may include wrestling kids into sitting at the table, a three ring circus in the kitchen, months of shopping and menu planning, days filled with baking cookies and candies, 5 turkeys, pounds upon pounds of side dishes~ but when it is all said and done and we're still eating left overs a week later it sort of seems worth it! I know I'll curse Thanksgiving while I'm finishing up tomorrow in a crazy flurry of activity! I'll throw my hands up and crash in bed after dinner leaving someone else to worry about any left over dishes. I'll happily do it again next year. ;)
Life is full of moments, and these are some of the best ones available.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
The Countess
The Countess by Rebecca Johns is based on the infamous Countess Erzabet Bathory de Esched.
During the late 1500's and very early 1600's there was a woman in Hungary named Erzabet Bathory. Her infamy grew around names like the Blood Countess, or Countess Dracula, for the many murders she is said to have committed. While she never went to trial, 4 of her most loyal servants did go to trial and were burned for being skrata (witches) for the parts they had in the murders. While they only got convicted for 80 murders, there was said to be closer to 650 murders of young women in her various estates. So many stories were spread about these events, one of which saying that Erzabet went so far as to bathe in the blood of her victims to maintain her youthful beauty. The evidence was so thin that many believe it may have been nothing more than lies to gain control over her very wealthy lands during a time of war and unrest. Erzabet herself was never tried, although she was walled into a set of rooms in 1610 where she lived out the last 4 years of her life in solitary confinement.
As a child she was raised by a governess, and betrothed at the age of 11, married at the age of 15. Her husband was a brilliant soldier, frequently away on campaigns. He became known as the Black Bey of Hungary for his ruthlessness in battle. During the course of her life her father, mother, brother, two children, and her husband passed away. It is after her husband's passing that her murders were mostly reported, lending more power to the argument that it was all a set-up and political maneuvering on the part of the palatine to aid her two sons-in-law and the guardian of her underage son heir who openly supported the shift of power in Hungary at that time. Many people believe she was never tried and put to death because her death would have reverted all her lands to the crown with no male child of age to claim the titles and rights of her family. This is a small sacrifice on the part of the crown who had owed her and her husband a great deal of money for loans made during the wars, which the king then never repaid.
Overall Erzabet Bathory sounds like a normal noblewoman of the time period, and I can honestly say I don't know to which side I lean as to if she was a torturing murderer, or a helpless widow trapped in the political mechanizations of nobility after her husband's death.
As for the book: it is well written and left me relatively upset at the way she is said to have treated people. I had a difficult time reading it because the author seems to feel sympathetic with her at times, painting her as a wounded woman with a slim grasp on her faith. Other times she made her sound like a madwoman with no control over her emotions at all. There is at least one point where she writes her as a woman completely at odds with the world around her, beset at every side by hatred and jealousy which causes her to lose her grip on reality and makes her seem as if she were the victim.
I would suggest this story to anyone who has a love of historical fiction, although there are a couple of gory parts it is much more focused on the trials of Erzabet as a noblewoman than it is on her as a "demon woman" who "bathed in the blood of her murder victims." I enjoyed the use of Hungarian words throughout the story, and wish there had been slightly more facts on the war included~ but the narrow perception of a noblewoman fits with the story better, I suppose.
During the late 1500's and very early 1600's there was a woman in Hungary named Erzabet Bathory. Her infamy grew around names like the Blood Countess, or Countess Dracula, for the many murders she is said to have committed. While she never went to trial, 4 of her most loyal servants did go to trial and were burned for being skrata (witches) for the parts they had in the murders. While they only got convicted for 80 murders, there was said to be closer to 650 murders of young women in her various estates. So many stories were spread about these events, one of which saying that Erzabet went so far as to bathe in the blood of her victims to maintain her youthful beauty. The evidence was so thin that many believe it may have been nothing more than lies to gain control over her very wealthy lands during a time of war and unrest. Erzabet herself was never tried, although she was walled into a set of rooms in 1610 where she lived out the last 4 years of her life in solitary confinement.
As a child she was raised by a governess, and betrothed at the age of 11, married at the age of 15. Her husband was a brilliant soldier, frequently away on campaigns. He became known as the Black Bey of Hungary for his ruthlessness in battle. During the course of her life her father, mother, brother, two children, and her husband passed away. It is after her husband's passing that her murders were mostly reported, lending more power to the argument that it was all a set-up and political maneuvering on the part of the palatine to aid her two sons-in-law and the guardian of her underage son heir who openly supported the shift of power in Hungary at that time. Many people believe she was never tried and put to death because her death would have reverted all her lands to the crown with no male child of age to claim the titles and rights of her family. This is a small sacrifice on the part of the crown who had owed her and her husband a great deal of money for loans made during the wars, which the king then never repaid.
Overall Erzabet Bathory sounds like a normal noblewoman of the time period, and I can honestly say I don't know to which side I lean as to if she was a torturing murderer, or a helpless widow trapped in the political mechanizations of nobility after her husband's death.
As for the book: it is well written and left me relatively upset at the way she is said to have treated people. I had a difficult time reading it because the author seems to feel sympathetic with her at times, painting her as a wounded woman with a slim grasp on her faith. Other times she made her sound like a madwoman with no control over her emotions at all. There is at least one point where she writes her as a woman completely at odds with the world around her, beset at every side by hatred and jealousy which causes her to lose her grip on reality and makes her seem as if she were the victim.
I would suggest this story to anyone who has a love of historical fiction, although there are a couple of gory parts it is much more focused on the trials of Erzabet as a noblewoman than it is on her as a "demon woman" who "bathed in the blood of her murder victims." I enjoyed the use of Hungarian words throughout the story, and wish there had been slightly more facts on the war included~ but the narrow perception of a noblewoman fits with the story better, I suppose.
Monday, November 22, 2010
Happy Homemaker Monday!
The weather in my neck of the woods:
LOVELY! Upper 60's, sunny skies and a fair breeze!
Things that make me happy:
Kelly and Zachary and their nerd giggles ringing out at random times over silly things. ^.^
Book I'm reading:
The Countess by Rebecca Johns
What's on my TV today:
House? I don't know, it depends on what's new on fancast. <.<
On the menu for dinner:
oh, crap.
On my To Do List:
Put away laundry
sweep out some corners. :D
New Recipe I tried or want to try soon:
Pecan Divinity. I can't wait to get boxes together to send people! :D
In the craft basket:
Kelly's blanket, still. I have never made a blanket before and this seems like a rather large undertaking. -.-
Looking forward to this week:
TURKEY DAY!! :) I can't wait!! I may not like all the people I will be spending the day with, but I know I can hide myself away with Kelly and the kids and ignore them! :D
Tips and Tricks:
I found the best recipe ever last year. Bacon on the turkey before you cook it! You weave the bacon over the turkey and hold it down with toothpicks. While the turkey roasts the bacon cooks, and lends the flavors to the turkey, while also crisping the skin and holding in moisture! YUMMY!!!!
My favorite blog post this week:
anything on Kelly's blog. I'm so happy he's blogging again! :D
Blog Hopping (a new discovered blog you would like to share with the readers):
none
No words needed (favorite photo or picture, yours or others you want to share):
Lesson learned the past few days:
He who laughs last, tends to sound awkward because they didn't get the joke. -.-
On my mind:
Thinking up ways to make money since I never hear back about the applications I'm putting out. I love being at home with the kids, but I would rather make money so we could be in our own house in Idaho!!
Devotionals, Scripture Reading, Key Verses:
Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one's youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate. Psalm 127:3-5
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