The Best Kind of Birthday Present

Feeling new life.

My birthday was on Wednesday. I purposely didn't remind anyone of it. Why not? Because I wanted my birthday to be special in its own way. I didn't want people telling me happy birthday because they felt like they had to or to give me anything because they felt like they had to. I really don't want those things. I want something that was given with love. Not because they HAD to. So with that in consideration, I had the best birthday present a girl could have. And it wasn't something that could be wrapped in a box and a bow put on it. It was feeling my little niece or nephew move. It was feeling the little baby kick my hand. It was feeling like inside the mother. It was so special. It was really special because its my brother and sister-in-law's baby and because its the first baby that I've ever felt.

The next best present was from my parents. It was a Bible. For me, it was a slap in the face. I could have used a new Bible, but it was a slap because I had fallen behind on my Bible reading. We had Bible study last night as well and that just went even farther to show that I needed to stop ignoring God. It doesn't work that way. One of the verses that spoke the most to me was I John 4:10, "And this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for out sins." ...Not that we loved God...

...but that He loved us...

...sent His Son...

...to be the propitiation for out sins...

And the next best present. Also not one that you could wrap in a box and put a bow on it. It was an e-mail from a friend who I haven't talked to in ages wishing me a happy birthday. It was indeed a happy birthday.

The Best birthday a girl could have. Well...almost. Only one thing missing, but that's not for this. It was the best birthday I could have. :)

Crazy Eight

As I have been tagged by my dear sister Jessica.... ;)

Eight Things I'm Passionate About:
1. Christ
2. Reading
3. Cooking
4. Cleaning
5. Kids (mostly little kids)
6. helping others
7. my family
8. looking forward to being a REAL aunt :)

Eight Things I Want to do Before I Die:
1. See all 50 States
2. Climb several Fourteeners
3. Go on at least 5 mission trips
4. Work with diabetics
5. Teach someone from my own experience
6. Draw someone to realize the love of the Lord
7. Get a college degree
8. Meet Prince Charming ;P

Eight Things I Often Say:
1. Oops!
2. Oh.
3. That's Nice.
4. Okay.
5. Uh...
6. Yeah...
7. Right
8. And?

Eight Books I've Recently or Currently Reading:
1. Mere Christianity
2. Little Men
3. The Perfect Match
4. Happily Ever After
5. Algebra I
6. World History for Christian Schools
7. Apologia Chemistry
8. English Workship 4th Course

Eight Songs I Could Listen to Over and Over:
1. Point of Grace: Turn Up the Music (How You Live It)
2. Rascal Flatts: Take Me There
3. Josh Groban: Remember When It Rained
4. Josh Groban: You Are Loved
5. ZOEgirl: With all of My Heart
6. Casting Crowns: East From the West
7. Keith Urban: I Told You So
8. Carrie Underwood: Some Hearts

Eight Things That Attract Me To My Friends:
1. Honesty
2. Love
3. Commitment
4. Willingness to put up with me :)
5. Determination
6. Good Listener
7. Willingness to hurt my feelings for my own good (at least I hope so :)
8. Kindness

Eight Friends I Think Should Do Crazy Eights:
1. Martha
2. Jacque
3. Sarah
4. Austin
5. Eric
6. Jessica (does the person who tagged you count?)
7. Rick
8. I'm people deprived...I can't think of Eight people who read my blog. Unless I just don't know you read it.

Weird Recipes

My family has been known to "accuse" me of making weird food. Now, if this is true or not has yet to be decided. BUT! I'm going to do two posts. One full of the weirdest, halfway interesting recipes that I can find and the other full of really delicious recipes. You can vote on whether or not these posts are accurate. Some of these recipes have not been tested; you'll have to do that yourself. ;)
But, starting with weird, we have:

Lemon Cornmeal Cookies

The post will continue to grow over the next few days. :)

Redecorating all started with one room. It got painted yellow and white. It has never been completely finished, but it doesn't need a whole lot more. Then it spread. Dad's office was next. It got painted green, cream, and a John Deer border. It was finished. Next came the porch. The old one was torn out, a new floor was poured, new walls and windows were installed, and then construction stopped for harvest. The kitchen was next. New wall paper was put up. It's rather pretty. New project...the family room. Mom wanted to move the computers out from the office and turn the office into a spare bedroom and Martha wanted to paint something. So, colors have been chosen and furniture has been moved. Not only does our living room represent a jungle of furniture and boxes, but the family room is weirdly empty and hollow. But that will all change in due time. It should be fun painting and redecorating.

What do you think of the colors of a light tan for the ceiling, a medium tan for 3 wall, and a dark/medium blue for the 4th wall? It's also been discussed painting part of one wall with a chalkboard paint. Personally, I like the idea. We'll have to see, tho.

The Thing About Winter

Is it seems to last forever. And forever, I mean FOREVER! This is the longest winter that I can remember. I'm sure there've been lots longer winter with a lot more snow, but I can't remember them. Winter started in early October, if not before, this year. First there was a dusting or two of snow. Nothing too bad "cold" temperatures. Then came the ice storm in December. We had ice on the ground (and trees) from that until early January. And on top of the ice was several inches of snow. It seemed that it would never end. At the end of December, the family spend a few days in Ohio. It was sunny, 40 degrees, and dry ground. Not a spot of snow ANYWHERE! It was so nice. But then we came back. Snowy, cold, and predicting more snow. It seems as if snow has come at least once a week since we got back from Ohio. When will it ever end? Sometime, I hope.

But winter does make for some good picture taking times. So far, I've captured the last rose of the season encased in ice, a sunrise glistening off the ice on the trees, a sunset over a perfectly white horizon, a train passing as the snow was coming down, a doghouse encased in snow (literally), big mountains of snow piled up from blading streets and roads, and lots and lots of branches that fell during the ice storm. So many picture opportunities and not enough memory on the camera to capture them all. Either that or I don't have the camera...or I figure that someone else has already gotten that picture so many times, why take more?

The presidential causcus is today. I'm not old enough to vote, but it's so interesting to hear about everyone else's opinion on the canidates. I saw on the news the other day about Ann Coulter saying that she would support a Hilary Clinton over Mitt Romney (I think that's who it was...I'm probably wrong). I wasn't sure what to think about that. Supporting a full fledged lie over a half truth. True, a half truth is just as, if not more dangerous, than a full fledged lie, but endoursing a full fledged lie....what does that say about you? And wasn't the middle of last year really far too early to be starting to campaign for presidency? It's like saying to the president, "I don't like you. We're going to insult you as much as possible and tell you that we want you out RIGHT NOW!" That doesn't show very much respect for our national leaders. Even though we don't like them, we should still show respect for them. I'm not political. This paragraph probably made no sense and was probably screwed in several places. But that's just my opinion. It'll probably change as I get older. Who knows.

And so starts Lydia's campaign against early campaigning. :) I'll not say another word.

100 random things from Lydia

1. I have the youngest girl in my family
2. I'm taller than the second oldest and almost as tall as the oldest
3. I play piano
4. These aren't really random things
5. I have two perfectly NORMAL hands
6. I wear two different sizes of shoes
7. It bugs me
8. I don't have a very big vocabulary
9. I'm not good at english
10. But I like writing
11. I've had diabetes for 11 going on 12 years
12. It doesn't bother me so much as it used to.
13. My dad has diabetes, too
14. Most of my friends have moved withing a year of meeting them
15. Some haven't, but they still live too far away
16. I don't know a whole lot about computers
17. I've fallen in love with a boy
18. ....a two month old boy
19. His two sisters are a lot of work
20. but a load of fun!
21. Chemistry with dad isn't so bad as I thought it was going to be
22. But I still don't like it
23. I have three employers
24. But only one official job
25. I like my job
26. I like to cook
27. but I'm not very origanal
28. or a good cook
29. I'm tired of winter right now
30. But I like winter
31. my middle name is Hope
32. I bet you know all of these things
33. I've been asked out 4 times in my life
34. I turned every one of them down
35. Except the fourth
36. He retracted his offer when he found out my age
37. You didn't want to know that, I'm sure
38. I want to go to college when I'm out of high school
39. But I don't know what I want to major in
40. Or what college to you to
41. I'm leery of people in cars who drive by really slow
42. I'm leery of driving a car by myself
43. but it's okay when you know the people around you
44. I'm scared of swimming pools
45. Not really, but I don't want one anywhere near my house when I'm older
46. I've watched too many creepy movies
47. But I like Numb3rs
48. Christ is really merciful to me
49. II Corinthians 12:9 takes on a whole new meaning when God makes something happen for you that you really don't deserve
50. I shouldn't be alive right now
51. But God love me enough to die for me and take away my sins
52. I don't understand all of Proverbs
53. taking off is the best part of flying
54. I don't think landing is very fun
55. I've flown twice in my life
56. Once was to my brother's wedding
57. I like going to retreats
58. My favorite part about them is the lectures and the psalm singing
59. I'm not a good social person
60. I wanted to learn how the play the flute at one point
61. But decided I couldn't since my finger isn't long enough
62. People say I'm not good at keeping secrets
63. I am, though
64. I joined the church a year and a half after my twin siblings
65. I didn't know if I wanted to or not
66. Turns out, I did.
67. I like pictures
68. I sleep on the bottom bunk of a bunk bed
69. My closet creeps me out at night
70. But only if it's at 4 in the morning
71. I don't like dark
72. I'm weird
73. I like being weird
74. I've thought about growing my hair out again just so I can straighten it
75. But decided that would be really annoying
76. I talk a lot
77. You already knew that
78. I dislike dirty rooms
79. But mine is dirty right now
80. I dislike spiders
81. But I've petted a grashopper
82. I convinced my girls that grasshoppers are not gross
83. I like swings
84. But only certain ones
85. I don't like going really high on swings
86. It makes me dizzy
87. I don't get sick a lot
88. I should exercise more
89. But it hurts when I run
90. I can really ramble when I want to
91. Like now
92. When I'm running out of words or things to say
93. It is 6:17 pm
94. It won't be when I post this
95. I like sweatshirts
96. But not sweats
97. But I do like yoga pants
98. I'm supposed to be going to Bible study now.
99. We're doing Lamentations
100. I like shoe shopping
101. I like shopping period
102. I'm done.