ARE YOU WELL READ?

I love it when my friends put cool things on their blogs tha I can pass on to others. Terri, over at Nana's Faith, gets the credit for this one. I must admit I was surpised at how many of these I have read (67, I think)....but then I would read a cereal box if that was the only thing around!!!

The BBC has reportedly named these the top 100 books a well-read person will have read, but estimated most people have only read about 6 of them. I've colored the ones I read in BLUE....and it is way more than 6!!

1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
6 The Bible
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
12 Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulk
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
19 The Time Traveller’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot
21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25 The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
34 Emma - Jane Austen
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
38 Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44 A Prayer for Owen Meany - John Irving
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan
51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel
52 Dune - Frank Herbert
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones’s Diary - Helen Fielding
69 Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75 Ulysses - James Joyce
76 The Inferno - Dante
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal - Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80 Possession - AS Byatt
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87 Charlotte’s Web - EB White
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl

100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo
How many have you read?

WE HAVE LUMBER!!!!

It’s exciting to know that something is finally being done on our building again!! All the plans have been approved by the city, the insurance, and the contractor ~~ so.....CONSTRUCTION IS UNDER WAY!!!!

I will try to take the camera over there one day this week to get some pictures taken and posted for everyone. I’m still praying for our first service to be April 12th. Sometimes I think that can’t happen when I see how much needs to be done , but then I remind myself that all things are possible with Our God.

Simple Woman's Daybook ~ February 24th

Outside my window... It’s a bit foggy and 17 degrees.....snow is on the way again.

I am thinking... that I have a lot to be thankful for.

I am thankful for... wonderful doctors that are watching Aundrea and Madison very closely.

From the kitchen... Is the smell of my morning coffee ~~~ and a perfectly clean counter and sink (which always makes me smile first thing in the morning.

I am wearing... my pajamas.....will get dressed here in just a bit.

I am creating... a cross-stitch quilt for my hubby ~~~ over 15 years in the making.

I am going... to a basketball game this evening! It should be a lot of fun.

I am reading... My Bible ( in Joshua right now) and a book by Jeffery Deaver ( I love reading in the bathtub.)

I am hoping... That my granddaughter will be born this week. We are all very excited to finally see her face!!!!!

I am hearing... the sound of the furnace and nothing else. Mornings are very quiet at my house.Around the house... There isn’t a lot going on. Just the normal school and work stuff right now.

One of my favorite things... my hours of quiet first thing in the morning. I am the only early riser in my house and I think God did that just for me. He knows how much I love this uninterrupted time.

A few plans for the rest of the week... It’s hard to make too many plans when you’re waiting on a baby. I do have some taxes I need to finish up for people today and tomorrow and it is close week at work so Thursday and Friday could be pretty busy.

A picture to share this morning... This is my sister and my best friend. Welcome Home, Margaret!!

It's Almost Time

I feel like a kid on Christmas Eve right now!!!! My granddaughter could be here any time!!!

Last night they admitted Aundrea into the hospital trying to determine if they were going to induce her. She has been sick off and on for quite a while now. They were worried that she might have preeclampsia.

The good news is SHE DOES NOT. The not-so-good news is that because of the pregnancy she is having gallbladder attacks. They are thrilled that baby Madison is fine, but need to determine to best way to take care of Aundrea.....and one of those options is to go ahead and have her deliver the baby.

Right now Braden is staying with us while mommy and daddy are at the hospital....of course, there is no complaints from me about that!! Now we just wait and see what the doctor decides.

Please pray for Nick and Aundrea. They were both worried last night that Maddie would be born too early or that something was seriously wrong with Aundrea. (For those who don’t know, she is only 21 and has already gone through chemo for other health reasons.)

Because of the chemo she was on they really don’t have an exact due date for her. They are figuring she is about 36 weeks along ~ maybe a little further. One thing they did tell them last night was that even if Maddie were born today they did not expect any complications with her. I know that made them both feel a lot better.

I’ll post another update as soon as we all know more.

CHURCH UPDATE

There isn’t really much to update at this moment. We have been at a stand still while we waited on all the permits and paperwork. I think the last of that should be done today and ~ Lord willing ~ construction could start as soon as tomorrow!!

We did go over to the building yesterday and I was excited at the fact that I did not smell the fire as I have every other time we have gone over. They have be using a sealant and primer throughout the building to kill the smoke smell and I think they may be winning the battle.


Some of the lumber has been delivered and chalk marks have been added for where walls need to be built, so now it is just a matter on getting the final approval to let the work begin. Our prayer is that everything will go smoothly and timely so that we could be back in the building by April 12th ~ Easter.

ARE YOU SALTY??

Matthew 5:13 Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.

In ancient cultures salt was extremely valuable. Not only did salt add flavor to food, it was also used as a preservative. By drying meat and salting it the food would not spoil. It would actually be preserved until its life-giving nutrients were consumed.

When Jesus told His disciples that they were the "salt of the earth," they would have immediately recognized the significance of that.

Think of the importance and implications of being told such a thing. The flavor they were to add to the world speaks of the abundant life Jesus came to give (John 10:10). Their role as a preservative required deeper understanding.

Without the spiritual presence of God in this world, darkness would quickly overtake everything. After the rapture of the saints from the earth, evil will have its way (2 Thessalonians 2:1-12). But as long as Christians are on earth, the Holy Spirit is working through them to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:8-11)

By living for Christ today, you add abundant flavor to this world and hold back the darkness so that more might believe.

We are the salt of the earth . . . not the sugar. Our ministry is to truly cleanse and not just to change the taste.

Today ~ February 10th

Outside my window... it is very dark ~ and we are still waiting on a storm.
I am thinking... that I love the early morning hours when the house is perfectly quiet.
I am thankful for... Our temperatures staying above freezing the last two days. We have had rain and once the temperature drops everything will be ice.
From the kitchen... I can smell the morning coffee and hear my dishwasher running (I forgot to latch the door last night before bed.)
I am wearing... my PJ’s!!!
I am creating... a peaceful and content home. I am amazed at how much clutter and stress built up while I was finishing school. Now my home isn’t just tidy ~ it is CLEAN and we are all more content.
I am going... to work today...as long as the roads aren’t icy.
I am reading... my Bible (the whole family is ~ we are in numbers) and some novel.
I am hoping... that Brett’s cough is better today.
I am hearing... The dishwasher
Around the house... everything is done ~ even the laundry!!!
One of my favorite things... playing with my Grandson, Braden
A few plans for the rest of the week . . . not making too many plans. The doctor told Nick and Aundrea that the baby could come any time, so we are just taking each day as it comes.
Here is a picture thought I am sharing...

MOMMY SURVEY

See what happens when Jeff goes to work at 5:30am and I get up before 6am.....I have all this quiet time and I can play with my blog!!! This was on Susan’s blog and I thought it was kind of neat. I love thinking back on my pregnancies!


1. WAS YOUR FIRST PREGNANCY PLANNED? Not really
2. WERE YOU MARRIED AT THE TIME? Yes
3. WHAT WERE YOUR REACTIONS? We were thrilled to death!!
4. WAS ABORTION AN OPTION FOR YOU? No way, no how, not even thought of for a second!!!
5. HOW OLD WERE YOU? 19
6. HOW DID YOU FIND OUT YOU WERE PREGNANT? Home pregnancy test and then confirmed by my doctor.
7. WHO DID YOU TELL FIRST? My husband
8. DID YOU WANT TO FIND OUT THE SEX? No, they never even made that an option for me...but I never even considered that he would be anything but a boy. WOW, would I have been shocked if it had been a girl.
9. DUE DATE? June 12, 1986
10. DID YOU HAVE MORNING SICKNESS? Not a bit
11. WHAT DID YOU CRAVE? Frozen yogurt – with no toppings, just the yogurt
12. WHO/WHAT IRRITATED YOU THE MOST? Nothing irritated me.
13. WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CHILD'S SEX? Boy
14. DID YOU WISH YOU HAD THE OPPOSITE SEX OF WHAT YOU WERE GETTING? Absolutely not!!!
15. HOW MANY POUNDS DID YOU GAIN THROUGHOUT THE PREGNANCY? Can we just say way too many?!??!?!?!? I was young and believed my grandmother and her whole YOU ARE EATING FOR TWO THEORY!!!
16. DID YOU HAVE A BABY SHOWER? I sure did – it was wonderful
17. WAS IT A SURPRISE OR DID YOU KNOW? I knew
18. DID YOU HAVE ANY COMPLICATIONS DURING YOUR PREGNANCY? No complications, but he was premature
19. WHERE DID YOU GIVE BIRTH? Simi Valley Adventist Hospital, California....in the same room my mom had me in.
20. HOW MANY HOURS WERE YOU IN LABOR? About 4
21. WHO DROVE YOU TO THE HOSPITAL? My mom. Jeff was still in Tech school for the Air Force and no one had expected the baby that soon.
22. WHO WATCHED YOU GIVE BIRTH? Absolutely no one – not even a doctor or a nurse. Everyone was out of the room getting ready and I delivered the baby onto the bed. I told them I was done when they came back in.
23. WAS IT NATURAL OR C-SECTION? Natural
24. DID YOU TAKE MEDICINE TO EASE THE PAIN? Nope
27. HOW MUCH DID YOUR CHILD WEIGH? 5lb. 4oz.
28. WHEN WAS YOUR CHILD ACTUALLY BORN ? May 4, 1986
30. WHAT DID YOU NAME HIM/HER? Jeffrey Alan
31. HOW OLD IS YOUR FIRST BORN TODAY? 22

Maybe

My mom would have to let us know if this is truly accurate....but from what I can remember, it is!!

You Were an Outgoing Kid

When you were a kid, you had no problem expressing yourself. There's a good chance you started talking early - and never stopped! You had a lot of friends, and unlike most kids, you weren't shy around adults. You were well adjusted and confident. You enjoyed speaking up and participating.

What Kind of Kid Were You?

A GLIMPSE INTO THE FUTURE

There haven’t been any changes made at the church this last week because we were still waiting on the architect. He has now finished the drawings and they will be submitted to the city this week. Once the city gives us a building permit the work can begin again.

Here are a few of the drawing of what the finished work will look like:

This is the new kitchen. For anyone who remembers the old kitchen, I'm sure you are just as excited as I am about this. The old kitchen was way to big, way too old, and just BLECH!!

This will be the new downstairs. The apartment is mot being put back in and the other class room is being moved so the whole center in wide open. This picure shows the stairs that come from upstairs, the open area to see into the kitchen, the door to the kitchen, and then the door to the furnace room.
This will be our new sanctuary. the baptistry is actually in the very back behind a huge curtain. There are built in riser for the choir and the pupit area is much bigger. The door to the left leads to Jeff''s new office (this is where the baptistry used to be.) The door to the right leads to the downstairs and the changing area.