another digest.

I can't figure out what is the matter with me. I used to be a "thinker," and be able to pour out pithy blog posts pretty darned often. Of course, starting school last semester was sure to put a crimp in that. But here I am, in the third (and final) week of my break, and still no Astounding Thoughts for you to gather in to your bosom...just. another. digest. of. stuff. going. on.

(not in any particular order...)

On New Year's Day, Charming was feeling puny (and I had just recovered from my own 48-hr. bug), so we decided not to mass-infect our church family, and stayed home. While my offspring were still asleep, we read together Genesis 1&2, Matthew 1, and John 1. Though those chapters are oh-so-familiar, we tried to read them with fresher eyes. How astonishing that Almighty God would choose to share His story with us! We noticed with the creation story that it doesn't really matter if the "days" are literal 24-hour days, or "ages" or "eons" of time. What is clear is that our world (and us) did not just "happen." A Creator far bigger and wiser than we can imagine thoughtfully and deliberately created the world, in a specific order, for a specific reason. Then He hand-created Man (not just spoke us into being), and Himself breathed life into us.

Matthew 1 (and the companion Luke 1) give genealogies of the Christ, from His earthly father back to Abraham (and then from His mother back to Adam!). I find it fascinating that our Father thinks it is important for us to know the lineage, and places that lineage in time (fourteen generations from Abraham to the captivity, fourteen generations from the captivity to David, fourteen generations from David to Christ...) hey, ancestry.com can't do better than that!

John 1. What to say about arguably the most-loved book in the Bible? "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." "The world was created by Him, and without Him there was not anything made that was made." "And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us..." An unbelievable story, but believe it!

We also read all the historical notes in my Bible. Most interesting of those was about the four rivers mentioned in the Garden of Eden: Pishon, Gihon, Tigris, and Euphrates. The note said that photos taken from space show two dry river beds near the Tigris and Euphrates. And we talked about how the Garden of Eden was not destroyed--it's still there, somewhere, guarded by those angels with flaming swords. Fascinating stuff, and you can never get to the end of it!

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I can't think of a New Year's resolution. Last year, I chose No Barbie Bashing, because I am really good at that. My naturally negative disposition can get me in a downward spiral quickly. But I have learned over the years that negative self-talk does no one any good, and does me pretty bad. So I determined to stop it, and did generally Very Well noticing it and stopping it in its tracks. I'd give me a solid B for the year.

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The 48-hr. bug. That nasty ol' thing. Blackeyed Susan got it first--Wednesday the 28th at 3am. I got it Friday at 3am (making it a 48-hr. incubation, as well). Was I surprised when, 72 hrs. later (also at 3 am!) I. Got. It. Again. Mama was not happy. That was Monday, so I cancelled my trip to see my friend Kaybeautiful on Tuesday. We rescheduled for Friday. She said, "so in case you get it a third time, you'll be over it." ha. ha. ha.

Kaybeautiful lives 100 miles away, so we meet in the middle in a town that has a Goodwill and a quilt store. She always has 50% off Goodwill coupons for me. We usually hit the Pizza Hut buffet for lunch, and this time, I have a 10-punch buffet card that is full--free lunch for moi! She is also bringing my Christmas surprise from Violet (she and Violet live in the same town). Violet bought me a new winter coat! It was a $250-original-price-down-to-$99. I have never had a $250 coat! I'm so excited!! The little irony of it is that it has been in the teens this week, but will be 50 degrees on Friday. I never wear more than a sweater in that weather. Oh, well, guess I'll be roastin' this time...perspirin' but stylin'!

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Per my tradition of starting a new quilt after Christmas, I pulled out one I've been wanting to do for several years. I waited, because I planned to piece it by hand, something I do like, because I can do it while waiting for kids, or if I'm fifteen minutes early for Bible study. The pattern is dove-in-the-window, and if you remember, Mary Ingalls made one in the stories. I looked for three years for the "right" color pink that I pictured it in, and then found it on the $2 table at Wal-mart! In fact, I found mirror prints--the same pink on a white ground, and then white-on-pink. I bought blue on white and white on blue of the same print, so I may make it a blue and pink quilt.

I made one square, and wasn't too happy with it. It didn't lay very flat, and is very complicated (56 diamonds per square). So I don't know if it is something I want to deal with during school. I may pick it up in the summer, or I may continue it now--that completed square looks just like I pictured it, even if it isn't too flat. Everything "quilts out," you know!

Which brings me to another thing--my camera is not working. If I can get Susan to take a photo of my square, I'll be sure to post it.

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Back to school next week. My in-person classses are only on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, and Tuesday nights. I also have one online class. Hopefully, because I have that first semester out of the way, I can more keep up with housework and other things I love.

Have a wonderful weekend!