Pure in Heart

The Chronicles of Narnia and the Christian Life

2011-08-12T14:28:00.001-07:00

I know it has been a long time since I have posted, but I wanted to write a post about one of my convictions. I think it is good to write convictions down not just for the encouragement of others, but for your own benefit as well. To help solidify them in your mind and heart.

So I am writing my thoughts on The Chronicles of Narnia.

Everyone in our house loves the Narnia books and movies. Lately, though, I have been having questions in my mind such as "Should we really be watching these because of the magic? Has the devil really won a great victory by convincing Christians that they are really OK when it really displeases God?"

Let's examine the situation:

According to the Companion to Narnia (Written by a student of C.S. Lewis), the Narnia books were not written to be an allegory. Rather they were written as a suppository. Suppose Jesus Christ was incarnate as a lion in a world like Narnia, what would He say and do? So, any 'magic' of Aslan's really is the omnipotence of God.

All of the black magic (the White Witch, the Witch in the Silver Chair, etc.) is all portrayed as bad and to be avoided, just like the instances of magic in the Bible (Saul seeking a medium to call Samuel from the dead, Pharoah's magicians, etc.)

What about the items in Narnia said to be magical (Susan's horn, Lucy's cordial, etc.)? Since Narnia is a totally different world from our own, the science of Narnia is different from ours. Narnia's science is placed under the guise of 'magic'.

Also, no one in Narnia has magic in and of themselves. For example, Coriakin of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader had a book of spells. But since we have just proven that Narnia's science is under the guise of magic, the book of spells could be the equivalent of a science book from our world.

Saying all this, I am not condoning all movies with magic such as Harry Potter. I am adamantly against the Harry Potter movies. From what I gather, the kids in those movies are training to be witches and are learning practices that are used by real witches. The Bible clearly condemns witches and witchcraft, and Christians should not be entertained by movies where a witch is the hero.

Since the Bible doesn't give direct commands about movies (Thou shall not watch Harry Potter or Narnia), we need to follow biblical principles when choosing our movies. Here are a couple of verses to think about:

Philippians 4:8- Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.

Psalm 101:3- I will set no worthless thing before my eyes; I hate the work of those who fall away;
It shall not fasten its grip on me.

Katherine

Catching up......

2010-08-19T16:34:00.000-07:00

Wow, time flies when you're having fun! Hannah certainly has provided lots of fun and joy in our lives. Lots of things have happened since she was born.

First, we are getting ready to move the end of this month. So in addition to playing with Hannah, I have been doing a lot of packing. We are so excited for the opportunity God has given us!

In June, my mom's mom (affectionately known as 'Memaw' by her grandkids) went to be with Jesus in June. We all miss her, but know that she is in a place far, far better.

In August, I had my wisdom teeth out. It was the first time I ever had any sort of surgery and I was pretty nervous. Thankfully they were all impacted, which is better for healing. I swelled like a balloon. After most of the swelling went down, I had visible bruising on my face. I am pretty much back to normal now.

So, that is what has been happening around here. I also want to ask my readers a question. Is there anyone out there who is encouraged by my blog? I am thinking about quitting the blogging sphere, but if there is someone who is encouraged reading my blog, I might not quit.

Katherine Cole

Hannah Faith Cole

2010-04-15T05:14:00.000-07:00

My new little sister, Hannah, was born early this morning at 1:25. She weighed 7 lbs 8 oz, and is 20.5 inches long. As you can see from the picture, she is very cute! Mom and Hannah are doing well, but tired. We all are so excited to see her!

Katherine

Simple Woman's Daybook ~ March 23

2010-03-23T13:42:00.000-07:00

Here is my Daybook entry for today

~ Outside my window. . .Sunshine! We got some snow on Saturday and it is all melted now!
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I am thinking. . . That what Patrick Henry said about the Constitution is coming true "This, sir, is my great objection to the Constitution, ........ that the preservation of our liberty depends on the single chance of men being virtuous enough to make laws to punish themselves."(I am not against the Constitution, I just agree with Patrick Henry on this point.)
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From the learning room. . . Economics- Gross Domestic Product, Inflation, and Unemployment. Algebra 2- Graphing a circle
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I am thankful for. . . That God is faithful to His people, no matter what human government does.
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From the kitchen. . .Sloppy Joes and Pasta Salad
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I am wearing. . .Denim capris and a yellow t-shirt
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I am creating. . . An piano arrangement of 'When I survey the Wondrous Cross'
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I am going. . . To see what I can do to help around the house. There is usually some work that needs to be done in a house of ten! (Soon to be 11!)
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I am reading. . . Deuteronomy and "Knowing God" by J.I. Packer
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I am praying. . . That God will give me some inspiration for my hymn arrangement. I sure need it!
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I am hearing. . .piano practice, my little brothers playing trains
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Around the house. . .Waiting for Mom and Joshua to get home from his orthodontist appt. Joshua got braces today.
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One of my favorite things. . .Sunny days!
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A few plans for the rest of the week. . .School, Amtrak field trip on Thursday! My little brothers are going to be so excited!
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Here is a picture thought I am sharing... My poodle, Jack, sitting on the rug in our kitchen.

Thanks to Peggy at The Simple Woman’s Daybook

Simple Woman's Daybook ~ March 9

2010-03-09T13:11:00.000-08:00

Here is my Daybook entry for today

~ Outside my window. . Absolutely wonderful sunshine! We just came in from riding bikes.
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I am thinking. . . How much fun it will be when Hannah gets here! We haven't had a baby girl in 9 years!
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From the learning room. . .Algebra 2-Cartesian coordinates. Economics-Kinds of work and kinds of workers. I also read an essay on capitalism and socialism
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I am thankful for. . .My wonderful family. God is so good!
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From the kitchen. . .Wonderful homemade bread and garlic bread!
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I am praying for....Hannah's safe arrival
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I am creating. . .A post graduation reading list
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I am reading. . .Numbers and Seven Days Left by Charles Monroe Sheldon
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I am hoping. . .God leads us to our new home soon!
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I am hearing. . .Kids watching Curious George, the world being taken over in a game of Risk :)
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Around the house. . . Clothes and clothes totes. We are going through spring clothes for the younger kids.
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One of my favorite things. . .Volleyball. My brothers and I were hitting the ball to each other while we were outside. Tons of fun!
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A few plans for the rest of the week. . .Piano lessons and dropping off my poodle to get fixed on Thursday. We will be picking him up on Saturday.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing.... Sweet Hannah Faith!

Thank you for visiting! To read more Daybook entries, please visit Peggy at The Simple Woman’s Daybook

Goodbye

2009-12-03T14:34:00.000-08:00

I will no longer be posting on Pure in Heart. I have decided that there are more profitable things for me to do than spend time blogging. Thank you Bethany for the awards you gave me.

Katherine

Psalm 16:11

2009-12-01T06:45:00.000-08:00

You will make known to me the path of life;
In Your presence is fullness of joy;
In Your right hand there are pleasures forever

Photo edited by Caleb

Katherine

Simple Woman's Daybook ~ November 23

2009-11-23T12:33:00.000-08:00

FOR TODAY... from Katherine's Daybook

Outside my window... Beautiful sunshine

I am thinking... That it is so nice to have a break from school!

I am thankful for... Salvation by Jesus Christ!

I am wearing... jeans and a t- shirt

I am remembering... The Sooners' terrible loss to Texas Tech on Saturday. Oh, this is not to be borne!

I am going... To work on my mom's scarf for her birthday.

I am reading... "Joseph: A Man of Integrity and Forgiveness" by Chuck Swindoll

I am praying... for the Dutcher family who lost their precious baby girl, Anne Marie, on Saturday night. God, please comfort them during this terrible time.

I am hoping... That we have a blessed Thanksgiving and Christmas.

On my mind... Things I need to get done during Thanksgiving break: Piano practice, catch up on some leisurely reading, and plan Christmas activities.

Plans for the week... THANKSGIVING! And after that, CHRISTMAS DECORATING!

Pondering these words... "Know that the Lord Himself is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture." Psalm 100:3

From the kitchen... Homemade Bread

Around the house... An intense game of Dutch Blitz is going on in the next room.

One of my favorite things... Knitting and Crocheting!

From my picture journal... My cute little poodle! My younger sister made this hat for him to wear at our Thanksgiving party. I don't think he enjoys wearing it!:)

Thanks Peggy for this idea.

Latest Projects and Happenings

2009-11-18T18:07:00.001-08:00

Ever since the summer, I have been working on crocheting a Christmas afghan. I just finished it a couple of weeks ago. I have found that Granny Squares are quite easy to crochet. This was my biggest project ever, and I can't wait to have it out this Christmas season! Now, I am working on a scarf for Mom's birthday.

Today we went bowling, for the bowling alley in our town was offering a discount for homeschoolers. It was alot of fun! All the kids had a great time! This was Samuel's first time to bowl, and he had a great time. He loves to watch the Curious George show on PBS kids, and in one episode The Man with the Yellow Hat takes him bowling. So you can imagine how excited Sam was to go bowling like Curious George!

Now, I am going to watch Pride and Prejudice with Bethany and Mom!

Katherine

I am still here!

2009-11-11T18:42:00.000-08:00

As you can see, I am still here! I will be posting more later, but I have been on the computer long enough.

See you later!

Katherine

I'm Back!!!!!

2009-06-01T17:46:00.001-07:00

OK, I have decided to take up blogging again. Hopefully I haven't lost all my readers! :)

Let me give some family updates. First, we have moved to a beautiful new home situated on one acre in a lovely neighborhood. It is so nice because you feel like that you are out in the country (and what I mean by that is no traffic, lots of space, and quietness), but still very close to stores and all the conveniences of city life.
In May, we went to our homeschool convention. It was really good this year! Steve Demme, author of Math-U-See (which I highly recommend, especially for highschool math), was the keynote speaker. His talks were sooooo good! We got to meet him when he wasn't speaking and he was really nice!
Also, my older sister, Bethany, is graduating from highschool this year! I am very happy for her! How time flys! The picture of her above is her senior picture.

Have a great summer!

My new jewelry blog

2009-03-19T14:40:00.001-07:00

I have decided to start making and selling my own earrings! My earrings will be displayed on my new jewelry blog. I will put the URL at the bottom of this post.

I also will not be posting on Pure in Heart anymore. I thank you all who have commented and given me blog awards.

Bye for now,

Katherine

Blog URL: http://baublesandbeadsbykatherine.blogspot.com

Photo Tag

2009-01-22T18:12:00.001-08:00

I am initiating a Photo Tag! I got the idea for this from Bethany from Far Above Rubies. Here are the rules:

Find the scariest picture of yourself and post it on your blog

Explain the picture

Tag 2 (or more if you want, 2 is the minimum) people to do the same

Ok, here is the scary picture of me:

There is absolutely no explanation for this picture except that I just decided to take pictures of myself.

OK. Now I will name the lucky people who shall be tagged! The winners are.............

Caleb

Julia

Have FUN!!!

Julia's Jewelry Giveaway!

2009-01-13T18:37:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine, Julia, is having a jewelry giveaway! She makes some really cute earrings that you have to see! My sister and I each got a pair of her earrings for Christmas and we love them!

Here is the link to her blog post telling about the giveaway:

http://jewelsbyjulia-lauren.blogspot.com/2009/01/come-enter-to-win-my-jewelry-giveaway.html

Have a great day!

Like my new look?

2009-01-06T17:25:00.001-08:00

I really like hearts! I guess part of the reason is because my birthday is in February. :) I made the header on this really neat website called Scrapblog.com .

For Christmas, I got this really neat Bible study on the book of Esther by Chuck Swindoll. I just started it and it is really good! Right now he is talking ablout how even though God is not mentioned in ths book at all, It is amazing to see how God works all things together for good!
What is such a comfort is that He still works everything out in our lives! Even though He is invisible, His hand is on every part of our lives, working out everything for good. Even when things are at their worst, even if it seems life can't go on, even if it seems that God doesn't care, He does. Psalm 33 talks about the majesty, greatness, and compassion of God. It starts off talking about His power: " By the word of the Lord the heavens were made..... For He spoke and it was done." ( Psalm 33:6, 9 NASB) But then it says : " The eyes of the Lord are on those who fear them, on those who hope for his lovingkindness, To deliver their soul from death and to keep them alive in famine." (Psalm 33:18-19). God is so great, and He cares so much for us! Isn't that absolutely wonderful?!

This video is a must see for anyone going through something really difficult, or if you want to get really excited about the Lord's promise to care for us. This is just a sample of a message by a man named Louie Giglio. The message is entitled "How great is our God". If you have never seen that message, It is wonderful! (pause the playlist before you play the video)

Have a great day!

Katherine

Hello again!

2008-12-26T13:11:00.001-08:00

I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas! Our family went up to see my grandmother who lives in a nursing home. We had a great time visiting with her and my mom's sister and her family. All of us kids ( except my youngest brother) play the piano, so we brought some music to play for the residents at the nursing home. While we were there, one of the residents came into the main room with her violin and stared to play some Christmas carols. It was so pretty! I went up to her and complimented her on her violin playing and told her that I play the piano. She asked if I would play some Christmas carols and she follow along on the violin. So I got out a piano book of some easy-to-play Christmas carols and we played a few together. It was so neat to play with her! The Lord truly blessed me that day.

Please pray for my sister, Bethany. She is going to get her wisdom teeth out on the 30th. If you would leave a comment on her blog, she would really appreciate it! Her blog is Polished Cornerstone. There is a link to it on my list of links.

Have a great weekend!

Katherine

December Birthdays and more

2008-12-22T11:00:00.001-08:00

I just want to say Happy Birthday to my dear mom and my younger brother, Caleb.

Happy Birthday, Mom. I am so glad that God has blessed me with the best mom in the world! You are so selfless, hardworking, and loving. All the things you do and the things you give up for your children's sake inspires me. I hope that I can be as good of a mom to my kids as you are to all of us. I pray that God will continue to streangthen you and to bless you with the desire of your heart. I love you!

Happy Birthday Caleb! I am glad that God has blessed our family with such a fun-loving, sensitive brother. You always know how to make us laugh. I pray that God blesses you and continues to make you strong in Him. I love you!

Can anyone believe that Christmas is just 3 days away?! Time is just flying by! We baked some Christmas goodies last week. We made sugar cookies, peanut clusters, toffee, chocolate covered pretzels, and I made my very first cake from scratch! It was an Orange Marmalade cake, and it was pretty good!

Everyone have a very, Merry Christmas!

Katherine

I am still here!

2008-12-10T19:17:00.000-08:00

I'm sure lots of my readers are probably wondering if I have fallen off the face of the earth. :) Lo and behold, I am still here! Lots has been going on in our family lately. We just moved to a new town and are still trying to find our way around!

We had a very nice Thanksgiving and are looking forward to Christmas. In our family devotions the other night, we were reading about Mary, the mother of Jesus. She was just a teenager whne the angel of the Lord came to her telling her she would bear the Son of God, but the way she responded is just incredible to me. She must have been wise beyond her years to say " Let it happen as you say." Back in her time, she could have been stoned to death over this! Yet she surrendered herself to God's will and treasured all these things. I just think that she can be such an example to us of submitting to God's will.

Have a great week!

Katherine

P.S. Caleb dressed Samuel up the other day and we had to get some pictures! We called him "Little Elf Boy." Isn't he adorable?!

My first sock

2008-07-14T18:13:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture of my first sock. It was quite complicated. I got the yarn at this really neat yarn shop called L & B Yarn Co. They have all different kinds of yarn. It's really neat to see! Hopefully I will be able to get the other sock finished! :) If you like to knit, crochet, or do any kind of crafting, let me know!

This is a picture of some baby Mockingbirds we had in a tree in our front yard. Aren't they sweet? :)

We recently got my dog, Jack, groomed. The groomer left these little puffs around his ankles, which we thought made him look utterly ridiculous! I snapped this picture before we had them cut off.

Happy 4th of July!

2008-07-04T06:14:00.000-07:00

I am sorry I have not posted in such a long time!

Happy 4th of July, everyone! I hope everyone has a great day today! We are going to go swimming this afternoon with some friends of ours and then possibly go see the fireworks. Yesterday we went to the movie theater and saw the new Disney & Pixar movie Wall E. It was really cute!

I finished one of my socks! I will have to post a picture of it later. It was truly the most complicated thing I had ever knitted. I am now working on the other sock.

A new acquaintance named Hannah commented on my last post about my favorite movies. Another movie that we really like that is not on the list is The Sound of Music. We also recently purchased a documentry about George W. Bush called George W. Bush: Faith in the White House, which I can't wait to see!

Well, I better go. Have a very happy Independence Day!

Katherine

P.S. A message for Hannah: Do you have a blog? If so, could you post the link on a comment? I would like to visit!

Psalms of David

2008-05-15T11:56:00.000-07:00

For my quiet time, I have been reading a One year Psalms devotional. One thing I have noticed is that sometimes David gets really upset with God. He will lament and wonder how long God will "forget him". He always comes back though, and says that he will still praise God. This can be hard to do, especially when it seems that there is no end to our present problems. It is OK to ask God why things are going wrong in our life, but we still need to praise Him. This is an important lesson that our family is learning right now. My mom says that it is good for us kids to learn this when we are young, instead of when we are grown up.

I am now knitting with 4 knitting needles. I am hoping to knit my first pair of socks. Hopefully they will turn out OK! :) The other pictures are from our homeschool Olympic Day. Joshua (14), Caleb(13), Emily(8), Olivia(7), and myself all competed in different races. This was my last year to be able to do it :(. We all had a good time.

I hope everyone has a blessed weekend!

Katherine

Salad at a great price

2008-04-28T14:49:00.000-07:00

On Friday I was using a slicer to slice up some carrots for a salad. It was one of those slicers that works like a cheese grater, but you can change out the blades to grate, slice, etc. Anyway, as I was slicing, my hand slipped. I cut the tip of my right thumb. Boy, did it hurt! I had to wear butterfly band-aids on it until today. It is still a little tender, and it is quite inconvenient not being able to use my thumb! :)

So here is a tip for salad makers: Be very, very careful with slicers!!!!!! :)

Katherine

Jane Austen Personality Quiz

2008-04-15T11:26:00.001-07:00

Take the Quiz here!

I love Jane Austen movies. I took this personality quiz and found out that I am most like Marianne Dashwood from Sense and Sensibility. I really like that movie. I also like BBC's Pride and Prejudice and the new Emma. Try this quiz and let me know who you are!

Katherine

Jumpaline!

2008-03-25T17:38:00.000-07:00

Today we went to Wal- Mart and purchased a trampoline. We used to have one but we sold it a long time ago. Joshua (14) and Caleb (13) spent the afternoon setting it up. The trampoline part was not that hard to set up, the cage we bought to go with it was the hard part. The younger ones were very anxious to get on the 'jumpaline' as Jacob(5) and Samuel(2) call it! They had a great time playing on it when it was done. Samuel was a little intimidated at first, and only wanted to jump when everyone else was still. He would say "It's my turn." when he wanted to jump. He was sooooo cute! I will post some pictures of them on the trampoline later.

Katherine

Tagged!

2008-03-13T12:46:00.000-07:00

I have been tagged by Courtney Lambert at One of the Bunch, http://oneofthebunch.wordpress.com/ and my sister Bethany at Polished Cornerstone http://polishedcornerstone.blogspot.com/

Here are the rules of the game

Link to your tagger and post these rules on your blog
Share 7 facts about yourself, some random and some weird
Tag 7 people at the end of your post by listing their names as well as the link to their blogs
Let them know the have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog

Here are the 7 facts about myself

I am 5 feet and 4 inches tall
I have been bit by a horse before
I nearly broke my toe dancing
I like broccoli
I had braces for 4 years
I was an extremely naughty child before I turned 4
I love to quote Mrs. Bennett from the movie Pride and Prejudice (the BBC version)

I hope everyone likes the facts about myself! There are several other facts I could have listed, but I don't want to completely humiliate myself!:)

Katherine

I PASSED!!!!

2008-02-26T13:52:00.000-08:00

Today Mom, Bethany and I went to get my permit and Bethany's liscence. We drove up to the place to get the driving tests done. First I needed to fill out some paperwork, then I took a vision test. I also had to get my picture taken, scan my finger prints into the computer, and scan my autograph into the computer. Then I took the permit test. I was literally shaking while I took the test, but I passed! WHEW!

The other picture is when we went to the Children's Muesum in Seminole. They have all kind of different setups like a Doctor's office, a grocery store, and lots more. This picture was taken in the Courtroom. Do I look innocent? :)

Katherine

Reading Test

2008-02-18T16:43:00.001-08:00

In order to get my Driving Permit, I had to take a reading proficiency test. So this morning Mom and I went to a highschool to get it done. I was quite nervous before leaving. When we got there the principal got me setup to take the test. I had a booklet with the questions and a sheet to answer the questions with. Half the questions were vocabulary questions and the other half was reading comprehension. It took awile to finish the test, as there were about 80 questions total. After I finished the principal checked it and................................................... I PASSED! Whew! :)

I plan on getting my permit on the 26th. That's when I'll be 16. In Oklahoma, you don't have to take a Driver's Ed course to get your permit if you wait till you're 16. Then after you have had your permit at least 6 months you can get your liscence. I don't think I'll be ready that soon, though!:)

Katherine

Faster than a speeding bullet...

2008-02-11T18:32:00.000-08:00

Today I was playing with Samuel and I dressed him up as a super hero. We call him 'Super Sam'. He ran about the house in the costume with me running behind him holding up his cape (So he wouldn't trip). He is just the cutest little boy.(one of the cutest, My 4yr old brother Jacob is the cutest too:)

The other picture is when my 13yr old brother, Caleb, dressed him up another time.

Katherine

Blue's Clues

2008-02-07T18:39:00.001-08:00

For those of you who have little siblings who really get into a television show, I would like to tell you about my little brother. My 2 yr old brother, Samuel, is right now obsessed with a little kid TV show called Blue's Clues. He goes about the house with a notebook, singing songs from the show and dancing. It is sooooo cute to watch! This is a picture of him with his notebook.

Knit, Knit, Knit

2008-02-01T17:44:00.001-08:00

I have started a new knitting project. It will be a shawl when I get it finished. I just had some leftover skeins from other projects, so I decided to use those. I found the pattern on the internet and it is really simple. Here is the link to the pattern: http://www.craftown.com/knit/knit29.htm

Let me know what you think of it so far!

Olivia's Birthday

2008-01-24T18:29:00.001-08:00

Just to let you know, I have not fallen off the face of the earth. We have been sick with the flu. YUCK! We usually get the flu shot, but forgot this year. We will never forget it again.

Today was my sister Olivia's 7th birthday. She had a very nice day of playing with her new baby doll and other toys. We had stromboli and salad with cake and icecream for dessert.

I love you Olivia, Happy Birthday!

My Dog

2008-01-12T13:53:00.000-08:00

These are some pictures of my dog, Jack. He is a 1yr old toy poodle. He is very sweet, but annoying sometimes. :) One thing that he does that I have never seen a dog do is that he will wrap his paws around you! He will sometimes try to grab my foot and chew on it as I am walking! I love him all the same.

Jane Austen Poll

2008-01-10T17:39:00.000-08:00

Vote for your favorite Jane Austen Movie (If you haven't seen the movies, but read the books, vote for your favorite)! My favorite is probably Pride and Prejudice. If your favorite is not on the poll, leave me a comment telling me what your favorite is.

Introduction

2008-01-09T17:08:00.000-08:00

Hello! This is my first post on my new blog. I will be sharing recipes, daily life happenings, and some of my knitting projects. I also have a very silly dog and adorable little brothers and sisters that I will share stories about too. :)