I know that line faintness isn’t a real indicator. Or so they say. Nevertheless… I had to try again, and today’s test (not even first thing in the morning) was quite a bit darker than the one from two days ago… so I feel a little better about that.
Nate (our 8yo) has been telling everyone who’ll listen! Needless to say, he’s very excited. My friends at church are all thrilled! I love that we have such supportive surroundings!
I wasn’t expecting a positive yesterday. I (perhaps foolishly?) took another test this morning and the positive line, while still there, was even fainter than yesterday. I’m trying not to stress about it… but it’s difficult. Especially since my husband is nervous, too. We are both hyper-alert about possible signs/symptoms of something going wrong.
If you don’t mind praying for us, we would much appreciate it! For things to be ok, for peace, for our ability to rest in God’s plan, whether it is to hold this baby alive in 8 months or not.
Thanks be to God! He has blessed us again with a blessing due March 26 
This post from Praise & Coffee is a MUST-READ! The whole thing. All the way down to the comments (though the comments are, of course, optional).
yeah, you know. 7-11
We went camping over the Fourth; it was a great trip! We finally talked our friends into coming with us and had an excellent time! We saw some fireworks on Independence Day night, and (other than me coming home with poison ivy) a great time was had by all!
Since we’ve been home, we’ve been trying to get the camping stuff unpacked and camp clothes washed and reclaim the house. Or, maybe it would be more accurate to say “claim the house” since something really can’t be REclaimed until it’s been claimed once!!
I finally have my kitchen just about how I want it. It needs more work still, but it is once again USABLE, which is always a big plus, you know!
I also want to add that July 10 (yesterday, at this writing) was my brother’s 16th anniversary and my mom’s birthday! And tomorrow (July 12) is the birthday of my dad (Dusty - see “My Three Dads” below). Happy birthday!
I had something else in mind to ponder about earlier, but it has wandered off. If it comes back, I’ll let you know! 
This YouTube Video talks about Gardasil and the adverse reactions that it causes. This blog post contains more information about the DEATHS that have been caused by Gardasil and other information that EVERY parent should read before allowing this to be given to their child… and that every woman should read before consenting to get the shots themselves.
The FDA and the AMA have become very scary entities.
What we have here is the top 106 books most often marked as “unread” by LibraryThing’s users. As in, they sit on the shelf to make you look smart or well-rounded. Bold the ones you’ve read, underline the ones you read for school, italicize the ones you started but didn’t finish. Confusingly, everyone seems to create their own code at this point, but I’m going to stick with this one (from the Hoydens).
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
Anna Karenina
Crime and Punishment
Catch-22
One Hundred Years of Solitude
Wuthering Heights
The Silmarillion
Life of Pi : a novel
The Name of the Rose
Don Quixote
Moby Dick
Ulysses
Madame Bovary
The Odyssey
Pride and Prejudice
Jane Eyre
The [A] Tale of Two Cities
The Brothers Karamazov
Guns, Germs, and Steel
War and Peace
Vanity Fair
The Time Traveler’s Wife
The Iliad
Emma
The Blind Assassin
The Kite Runner
Mrs. Dalloway
Great Expectations
American Gods
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius
Atlas Shrugged
Reading Lolita in Tehran : a memoir in books
Memoirs of a Geisha
Middlesex
Quicksilver
Wicked : the life and times of the wicked witch of the West
The Canterbury Tales
The Historian : a novel
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
Love in the Time of Cholera
Brave New World
The Fountainhead
Foucault’s Pendulum
Middlemarch
Frankenstein
The Count of Monte Cristo
Dracula
A Clockwork Orange
Anansi Boys
The Once and Future King
The Grapes of Wrath
The Poisonwood Bible
1984
Angels & Demons
Inferno
The Satanic Verses
Sense and Sensibility
The Picture of Dorian Gray
Mansfield Park
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
To the Lighthouse
Tess of the D’Urbervilles
Oliver Twist
Gulliver’s Travels
Les Misérables
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Dune
The Prince
The Sound and the Fury
Angela’s Ashes : a memoir
The God of Small Things
A People’s History of the United States : 1492-present
Cryptonomicon
Neverwhere
A Confederacy of Dunces
A Short History of Nearly Everything
Dubliners
The Unbearable Lightness of Being
Beloved
Slaughterhouse-five
The Scarlet Letter
Eats, Shoots & Leaves
The Mists of Avalon
Oryx and Crake
Collapse : how societies choose to fail or succeed
Cloud Atlas
The Confusion
Lolita
Persuasion
Northanger Abbey
The Catcher in the Rye
On the Road
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Freakonomics : a rogue economist explores the hidden side of everything
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance : an inquiry into values
The Aeneid
Watership Down (LOVED this book!!)
Gravity’s Rainbow
The Hobbit
In Cold Blood : a true account of a multiple murder and its consequences
White Teeth
Treasure Island
David Copperfield
———————————————
I’m rather surprised how FEW of these I’ve read (or even HEARD of!) when one considers how many hundreds of thousands of books I’ve read over the years… I *may* have forgotten that I read some… and a few I read the “Classics Illustrated” version, but I didn’t think that would count
It’s a short time, and a long time.
9 months ago yesterday, I gave birth to a perfectly formed, stillborn little boy, who died at 14 weeks gestation. It seems like ages ago, and just yesterday.
It usually takes 9 months from conception to birth a baby. 9 months of anticipation can seem forever. 9 months of hoping and disappointment can also seem forever.
But in God’s grand scheme of things, 9 months is a blink. A moment.
I’m not sure what my point is… it was just rolling around in my brain so I thought I’d give it outlet. Thanks for reading.
Ok, so maybe the average person isn’t that interested in police gear, but I do have several friends involved in the police force.
5.11 Tactical Shorts from LA Police Gear look like an excellent solution for any police officer for the summer months. These shorts are durable with roomy pockets. They are made to last for the officer on the go. In addition, LA Police Gear is offering FREE shipping, FREE return shipping (if needed), a FREE hat, and, if you purchase enough, a FREE travel mug. How can you beat that deal? On top of that, most orders ship within 24 hours, so it’s great if your department is in a hurry. They have cotton or nylon, in at least two different colors (navy and khaki) to suit the needs of nearly any police department. Why not check ‘em out!
It’s Father’s Day, again. I kind of fell down on the job, this year, though. I did the moms up good at Mother’s Day (photo books for each of them) but totally flaked on the dads. But anyway, here’s just a little about them, in order of when I first met them :
My father (Ross O’Shaughnessy b.8/25/1947 d.10/10/2002)
I am thankful that I was brought up in a Christian home. My dad accepted Christ when I was 2, and our whole family went to church regularly all my childhood. We nearly always sat on the 2nd row from the front. We participated and were very involved.
My dad was artistic and musical. He “played with” the trombone (he did quite well, for never having had a single lesson). We each played an instrument (my mom plays the accordion, my brother plays the trumpet, and I play the violin) and we played at church and for nursing homes. We had a nursing home ministry for several years.
My dad and I had our clashes, but as many things as I disliked about him, it wouldn’t have been the same growing up without him. He was a charismatic personality and I can’t really remember anyone that just didn’t like him. He definitely kept things interesting.
My father-in-law (Ron Harvey b.10/20/1944)
I met Dad the winter of 1990, when I went home with Robby for Thanksgiving.
Dad is a pastor (has been since long before I ever met him) and we have been members of his churches most of our married life (he’s had two in that time - one of which he is still pastoring, and of which we are still members). He is pretty even-keeled and has a good sense of humor.
He has very neat handwriting. He is artistic and has a very good eye. He also plays the trombone; I don’t know if he’s ever had lessons or not. He is very good with the grandkids, and will sometimes take them places just because, and is an excellent role model for my boys. He’s a hard worker and stays busy.
I am very blessed to be related to this man!
My dad (Dusty Gee b.7/12/1946)
My mom married Dusty in 1993, I believe. Might have been 1992. It’s been quite a few years, anyway 
[Edited to add: My mom told me it was 1995. I was close ;)] Dusty is a Southerner for sure (nothing wrong with that!), and embodies many good qualities one expects from a Southerner - friendly, lovable, etc. He’s driven trucks for many years, and has a ‘map in his head’ - he can pretty much find his way anywhere! He fit perfectly in the family immediately, and since he joined us before my children were born, they can’t imagine him ever NOT being part of our family. And, honestly, I can’t either, even though I know there was a time when he wasn’t. He has always loved our children (and us!) just as if we were his own. He’s good to my mom and it’s good to see her happy You know that old saying, “The best thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother”? Well, Dusty has done that! I’m thankful God brought him into our family.
Happy Father’s Day!
I joined Facebook a while back because a couple of my friends were on there and I wanted to see what it was like. I added several more friends found through their “friend-finder” which takes one’s address book from any email program and checks to see if those emails are registered with them. One of the friends I added was one of my very best friends in the world who I met at college in Michigan.
She married someone and ended up living in Nebraska.
So yesterday, I decided to just run through her friends list, to see if there was anyone else there that I knew but hadn’t added to MY list yet. I recognized one name, but was a bit suprised to see it on her list, because (as it turns out), I was vaguely acquainted with the person from another college in another part of the country!
Following friends lists from one person to another, I found six or eight people whose names I recognized (and several whose names looked vaguely familiar, but not enough to be sure I knew them). I requested “friend” status with the ones I was pretty sure I knew. One of them turned out to be my roommate in the 2nd college!
There were only two or three “degrees of separation” between the two of them, which I find incredibly fascinating. I would not have thought that I could find friends from one college by looking at friends lists from someone I knew from the other college, but apparently it is, indeed, a “small world after all!”
DO NOT buy from Tiger Direct. Or CompUSA, who was bought out by Tiger Direct. They will not honor the warranty as stated. Their employees lie. Our friends bought a computer from them and got a defective motherboard. They did not have that motherboard in stock, so offered a different one as a replacement. They then refunded the ORIGINAL motherboard price, while charging for the new motherboard as an upgrade, rather than a replacement for a defective item. They are willing to lose countless customers yearly over a $76 difference that they are refusing to allow because their employee apparently lied. The employee ALSO said that they had none of the original motherboard in stock… and that they would NOT be getting any more in stock. Today, we were told they have 150 in stock. THEY LIE.
AVOID TIGER DIRECT AT ALL COSTS.
(More complaints from dissatisfied customers can be found at http://www.consumeraffairs.com/computers/tiger_direct.htm… this site claims there is someone who wants to make things right, but I have not seen any willingness to work with customers AT ALL.)
We went to our local movie theater tonight - the whole family - to see Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. It was discount night - every seat was the same price (normal ‘children’s’ price, so it wasn’t a huge savings, but not bad, either).
I loved it! I will definitely be purchasing the DVD when it comes out!
Harrison Ford is one of my very favorite actors in the world. I only watched Star Wars 4,5,6 because of Han Solo Even though he is getting up in years, he still looks great, and his acting certainly hasn’t suffered, either, in my opinion!
These auctions are a fundraiser for a friend of mine… and she does beautiful work! You will see wall hangings and quilt tops that are just gorgeous!
Check out this page of distilled versions of the classics. They are ultra-short and hilariously apt! There are also links to Sci-fi, bedtime, and movie distilled versions.
Always always always when we’ve had a dog and it chewed, it was MY STUFF. And never anything minor, either.
Stupid worthless dog just chewed up a set of Norman Rockwell posters that my mom got me that I’d just found again that I was going to put up in the bathroom (which I did over in Norman Rockwell after Christmas 2007).
ARGH!!!
JL is 2. Absolutely. He wants to do everything himself, whether his skill level is appropriate or not!
However, there are some things that he does well. You should see him bowl on the Wii! It’s really incredible. He even gets the occasional strike!
He had to get some dental work done Monday. To be specific, he had to get a broken baby tooth pulled. They gave him a sedative that makes him VERY woozy. This frustrates him as it means he cannot do some things. Nevertheless, he INSISTED on walking himself (”I have shoes!”) when we came out. I walked behind him, holding him up under his arms because he could not keep his balance, but he felt like he did it HIMSELF and it made him content.
He’s such a sweetie!
It looks like it will be a very interesting opportunity. It’s really easy to sign up - just enter your information and a password - and it doesn’t take long for them to approve one’s blog. I signed up on Friday and was approved by Monday. They have a great variety of things about which to post, and you can choose to post about whatever you like. Or don’t like. They have some who want you to post positive about them, others give you a choice of positive or negative. (I don’t know, SOME might want negative, but I didn’t see any offhand like that.)
They aren’t just a whatever-goes, though - they have a code of word of mouth ethics to which all bloggers posting for them must adhere.
Why not give them a try, yourself?
(The Man Rules taken from generic email…. rebuttal by Karla Maddox. Rules in black, Karla’s rebuttals in blue)
The Man Rules
At last a guy has taken the time to write this all down
Finally, the guys’ side of the story. ( I must admit, it’s pretty good - you guys always do )
We always hear “the rules” from the female side.
Oh right, and how many women do you find in Congress or the Senate making and passing all the rules?!!? How ’bout those great American ‘forefathers’?
Now here are the rules from the male side.
No breaking news here.
These are our rules! Please note… these are all numbered “1 ” ON PURPOSE!
Because that’s as far as you can count?
1. Men are NOT mind readers.
No kidding? Neither are we while waiting 2 hours for you to show up for dinner when you know it’s at 6 pm and has been for the past 17 years. So you wanted to get in a few baskets with the boys after work…the telephone has long since been invented and really works quite well.
1. Learn to work the toilet seat. You’re a big girl. If it’s up, put it down. We need it up, you need it down.
You need it up AND down, don’t try to make this sound like you’re such an equal opportunist! You don’t hear us complaining about you leaving it down.
No, you just pee all over the seat when you don’t feel like lifting it up. Why don’t you get a urinal just for you…then we’ll see how well you like sitting on that thing when the need arises.
1. Sunday sports It’s like the full moon or the changing of the tides. Let it be.
No, the moon circles round the earth and nothing else day and night, and shines on her, beaming with delight. The changing tides never cease to embrace the sandy beaches and wash away the scars of the days tramplings, ever so gently renewing their naturally smooth essence. This is not even remotely like Sunday sports.
1. Crying is blackmail.
God gave you tear ducts too, it’s not our fault you refuse to use them when necessary.
1. Ask for what you want. Let us be clear on this one: Subtle hints do not work! Strong hints do not work! Obvious hints do not work! Just say it!
Yes, please be clear, if you don’t like what’s for dinner, don’t just sit there mumbling about how you miss this or that, offer to do the cooking.
1. Yes and No are perfectly acceptable answers to almost every question.
Hello!! Communication isn’t black & white. When was the last time you said ‘yes or no’ when someone asked you if you liked your new…anything?
1. Come to us with a problem only if you want help solving it. That’s what we do. Sympathy is what your girlfriends are for.
I’d like to find a way to get rid of the television, think you could help me with that?
1. Anything we said 6 months ago is inadmissible in an argument. In fact, all comments become Null and void after 7 Days.
So you change your mind that frequently, eh?
1. If you think you’re fat, you probably are. Don’t ask us.
Then don’t make such a big deal about how good skinny women look and we won’t worry about whether or not you think we look good.
1. If something we said can be interpreted two ways and one of the ways makes you sad or angry, we meant the other one.
Wimp! Stand up and take a beating like a man!
1. You can either ask us to do something or tell us how you want it done. Not both. If you already know best how to do it, just do it yourself.
We have a reasonable expectation that you will remember how to do something when we first told you how to do it - that’s why we ask. We only ‘ask’ and then ‘tell’ when you obviously didn’t care to commit to memory what was important to us the last time.
1. Whenever possible, Please say whatever you have to say during commercials…
And you got married because…?
1. Christopher Columbus did NOT need directions and neither do we.
Clearly. And you keep landing everywhere but where you’re suppose to, and telling everyone you’re right where you wanted to be.
1. ALL men see in only 16 colors, like Windows default settings. Peach, for example, is a fruit, not A color. Pumpkin is also a fruit. We have no idea what mauve is.
Oh, so now you see in 16 colors, it’s not just black & white anymore. Already changing your mind and still on rule # 1.
1. If it itches, it will be scratched. We do that.
If it hurts us, we will cry. We do that.
1. If we ask what is wrong and you say “nothing,” We will act like nothing’s wrong.
We know you are lying, but it is just not worth the hassle.
Why act? Why analyze what we’re thinking? Just come out and ask what we’re thinking about instead of presuming.
1. If you ask a question you don’t want an answer to, Expect an answer you don’t want to hear.
If you give an answer to a question we didn’t ask, expect follow-up questions that you won’t have answers for.
1. When we have to go somewhere, absolutely anything you wear is fine… Really.
When we go somewhere, most anything you choose to wear is not appropriate for the occasion. We try to lead by example.
1. Don’t ask us what we’re thinking about unless you are prepared to discuss such topics as baseball or golf.
(Sigh) and we were hoping you had REAL thoughts…
1. You have enough clothes.
You have enough car parts.
1. You have too many shoes.
You have too many tools.
1. I am in shape. Round IS a shape!
Yes, we know, but you don’t seem to appreciate round on women.
1. Thank you for reading this. Yes, I know, I have to sleep on the couch tonight;
But did you know men really don’t mind that! ? It’s like camping.
Yes, we know it’s like camping, we like the couch too, but we don’t like the whining of men when they have to go to bed alone.
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