Our Zoo

Our list of animals just grew! We're now nursing a small rabbit back to health, after a cat attack. It seems to have a good temperament, not being too skittish or withdrawn, and lets us hold it. Then when we put it in the tank, it walks around looking at things, so it seems to be doing well.

Edit: We believe the rabbit must have had internal injuries we didn't know about, as he died tonight. We're glad we got to see him though.

Redneck Security

Just got this in an email:


HOW TO INSTALL A HOME SECURITY SYSTEM IN THE SOUTH

1. Go to a second-hand store and buy a pair of men's used size 14-16 work boots.


2. Place them on your front porch, along with a copy of Guns & Ammo magazine and your NRA magazines.


3. Put a few giant-sized dog dishes next to the boots and magazine.


4. Leave a note on your door that reads:


"Hey Bubba, Big Jim, Duke, and Slim,

I went for more ammunition. Back in about an hour.

Don't mess with the pit bulls -- they attacked

the mailman this morning and messed him up

real bad. I don't think Killer took part in it, but it was

hard to tell from all the blood. Anyways,

I locked all four of 'em in the house.

Better wait in your truck till I get back."

Question...

I have a question I've been unable to find the answer to so far, so I'm hoping someone who reads this might know. I want to stitch around the edges of some cloth napkins with embroidery floss. The thread will be red, and I'm concerned about it fading once the napkins get in the wash. Any suggestions on how to pretreat the thread to avoid this problem?

Updates

I went to the doctor today, and it went pretty well. I was apprehensive over seeing a new doctor, not knowing how well she would listen to me or if she would want to run tests or put me on all this medicine I didn't want. However, she listened to me well, and it went better than I thought it would. I got on Prednisone, which I took once last fall. It's a steroid, so it isn't something I want to take unless I have to, but it will help me get over this some so I can recover and get back to breathing properly. She actually put me on is for a shorter time than the doctor did before, and I'll only be on it for a week. It's the only medicine that has actually helped, and with minimal side effects. It does cause an increase in appetite though, and last time I was on it, ate about twice as much as usual!

Tonight, I tackled a project I've wanted to take on for a few years now. When I graduated, Mama gave me a hope chest she had gotten for her graduation. The top was covered in upholstery, and I've wanted to recover the top. I settled on a thick denim, as it matches my room and will go with many things. I bought myself a staple gun a couple of weeks ago, then tonight, I set to work. It wasn't too hard, and went well, though it was my first experience using a staple gun. I didn't injure myself though. I'm very pleased with the results, and it looks even nicer than I thought it would. The dark blue looks beautiful against the dark wood, and the chest looks very nice in front of my window. I'll try to post pictures soon.

The night I bought the staple gun, I also bought an apron panel in the fabric department, then type that's already printed on the material. I washed that tonight, and hope to sew that up over the weekend. I'll post pictures of that as well. I love the material.

Sensitive Skin

Tomorrow, I'm going to the doctor for my asthma. I've been having a lot of trouble with it lately, and have reached the point where I need to get some medicine to help me get back to feeling well. The doctor I usually go to isn't there, because his wife just had a baby, so I'll be seeing a new doctor. Hopefully that goes well, and she won't want to try to push too many medicines on me.

I'm currently researching herbs and photosensitivity. This summer, I've developed a sensitivity to the sun, where if I'm out in direct sunlight in the heat, it actually hurts my skin. I've always had light skin and burned easily, but I've never felt this way before. My skin has become more sensitive this year, with me reacting to products I had never had a problem with before; the last time was a few weeks ago, when a body wash made me break out in hives, which started causing respiratory problems as well. I'm using more natural products now. But I'm trying to figure out if the increased skin sensitivity is why I'm more sensitive to the sun, or if it's something I'm taking. I'm taking some herbal pills for my asthma, but haven't yet found anything about those herbs causing photosensitivity. It would make sense that it was something in there, since I've just started doing this over the summer, which is when I started taking these pills as well.
I've been learning to knit this week. I bought a book that teaches the basics, then I found a kit on sale at Wal-mart for $1. I'm enjoying it, but it is hard to get used to after crocheting. I thought it was a lot harder at first, but I just wasn't used to it.

Personality Types

I find these things fascinating. A friend on Livejournal posted this test today, and I thought I'd take it. I'm INFJ. I took a different one of these a couple of months ago, but wondered if I'd get the same results with this now, and I did. It describes me well. Apparently, the INFJ type is the rarest, making up less than 2% of the population.

INFJ personality
INFJ - Portrait of Counselor Idealist

A Glass Half Empty...

I'm not a pessimist, but this is great. I'd like one anyway. :)

Aye, avast!

Rachel's 12th birthday was August 6. For her birthday, she wanted a pirate themed party. Our parents took her out for dinner and a movie, while the rest of us decorated the house and prepared for her party. Hannah, Caroline, and I thought it would be fun to dress up as well, to go along with the theme. We dug through our old clothes and material scraps, and set to work putting together costumes. They put on a bit of makeup as well, and no pirate would have skin as white as mine...So here are the results:

We had a lot of fun with it. We thought it would be fun to go outside and dance around while singing piratey songs and see what reactions we could get from the neighbors, but we restrained ourselves from trying that. If we hadn't, Mama probably would have, so it wouldn't have happened anyway. :)

I'm still working on the literary project I mentioned previously, but due to sickness in the house, it's moving rather slowly right now. Hannah, Rachel, and I have had a lot of bad allergies, as well as respiratory problems, and I've got a bad sinus infection. So that has things slowed down a lot here. I've also been working on our evangelism site some, fixing up some small problems and working on some other changes. I have a migraine from my sinus infection though, so I might just spend the afternoon in bed with a movie on. I'm sure the rest would be good for me anyway. Last year, I had a migraine with a sinus infection like this which lasted four days, so I'm really hoping this won't be like that one.

Our dove is still doing well, and you can see a picture of him(or her) at Mama's blog.

Christmas

Just 19 weeks away! That really isn't very long. I'm posting this largely because I just like that banner. You can get to others by clicking on that one.

Rescue

We're currently caring for a dove rescued from a neighborhood cat Friday evening. When we found him, we didn't think he was going to survive the night because he appeared to be hurt badly. He had some injuries to his chest that looked bad, but they seem to be healing nicely, and aren't as deep as we first thought. He is missing most of his tail feathers, as well as the wing feathers from one of his wings, and has some cuts. However, he appears to be doing well, and seems even more alert today than he was yesterday. He's hopping around his box, and will step up on my fingers and try to walk up my arm. We have to be careful though, as he's still hurt and he keeps trying to fly, not realizing he can't.

The cat who attacked him was Mr. Tumnus, the cat that adopted us recently. He's been moody ever since, and was mad at us for a while Friday night. He was sitting out on top of the van and wouldn't even look at us when we called him. I think he's getting over it though.

Exercise for Fun

This could really catch on as a fun way to exercise. Much more fun than the boring method of simply walking on a treadmill.

Faith and Guidance

Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." - Matthew 5:1-3

So begins what is commonly known as "the sermon on the mount". When reading this passage earlier this week, I noticed something I had never paid attention to before. When a pastor preaches a sermon, he is usually standing on a stage, behind a pulpit, giving an instructive message to the people from a position of authority. But think of the difference in the atmosphere if instead, the person speaking was sitting on the floor, along with everyone else, and speaking to them in that manner? Such a setting is much more intimate and personal, and the speaker seems to be on the same level as the rest, rather than above them. That's what Jesus did, "he sat down".

I know that whenever I've thought of the sermon on the mount, I've always pictures Jesus standing before the people, preaching to them in that manner. But reading this passage thinking of Him sitting in front of the people put it all in a different perspective for me. It felt like Him guiding and advising the people, helping them through their spiritual struggles, rather than Him taking an authoritative stance, exerting His power. He was mighty and powerful and had authority, yet He humbled Himself in coming to the people. In reading these chapters with that perspective, it seemed more real, more personal, and I kept thinking of the love He has for us, so strong that He humbled Himself here on earth to guide and instruct us, and ultimately, to die for us. I think His time of ministry here on earth should mean a lot to us today, seeing how much He gave of Himself and how much love He had for us. We have that example He gave, in showing us how to live and serve others. We also have words He spoke to others, such as the sermon on the mount, telling them how to live and serve as well. It makes God feel much closer and personal, having that account of Christ's life, the written, tangible Word of God. How much He must love us!

And when I think, that God, His Son not sparing;
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in;
That on the Cross, my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin.

Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!