Introducing my new blog and Farewell

This is my final blog post on Simple Musings. Thanks to all of you who made this blog something that was worth pursuing! And I hope you'll do me the honor of visiting my new blog.

And with the poll closed.... I guess I should summarize the results.

For those of you who didn't know:
"Sigh No More" & "Are All Men Mad?" are both from Shakespeare.

"Simple Musings 2", "Ideas and Consequences", & "A Delightful Bag of Contradictions" had  2 votes each.

"Life n' Times of La" & "Sigh No More" came in first place with three votes each...

So, just what is my new blog title?

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Find out here.

And, my favorite blog titles that weren't chosen are "sprinkled" around the new blog. So, they each have a proper role to fulfill. :)
See you all soon!

Happy Birthday, Keely!

:( I can't share any pictures, girlie....

But this is me wishing you a "HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KEELY!" with my appropriate party hat : *<]:O)

I'm so blessed that God gave me you for a friend.

Powerful Words

This post is a long time coming...

When he first penned The Book Thief, Marcus Zusak could not have known the phenomenon it would become. Set in Nazi Germany during World War II, Zusak’s novel is tragic, yet it should be cherished. While The Book Thief deals with hardship and heartache, it does so with sensitivity and insight. Zusak’s protagonist, Liesel Meminger, is a young girl whose life is changing. Her parents were communists, and they were taken away from her. While traveling on a train to her foster parents, her brother died. During the course of the novel, her foster parents hide a Jew. Max Vandenburg and Liesel establish a friendship. Adapting to her new life, she develops a need for words. Liesel longs to read; her longing translates into book thievery. In Liesel’s world, these words become very important. Liesel’s story is hard. It is not light; it is not fluffy. It is arduous. With every page, the reader is reminded of the grievous effects of World War II. It is then very appropriate that Death narrates Liesel’s tale.

Liesel’s tale is universal. While Zusak may have written The Book Thief for young adults, adults can enjoy this heartwarming story too. In fact, adults may appreciate it more. Middle-school readers may find The Book Thief too disturbing; the fear and violence may be inappropriate for young children. However, high-school students can (and should) read about Nazis Germany. Markus Zusak’s story may be the perfect combination of a history and literature study for these students. Young women may prefer to read The Book Thief more than young men because of a female protagonist. Though, these same young men may identify with Rudy or Max. As an adult reader, I loved The Book Thief. Initially, I found it hard to warm up to. However, given the chance, The Book Thief charmed me. I am almost sorry that I had never read it before; The Book Thief would have been the perfect addition to my homeschool curriculum.

The Book Thief deals with the bombing of Germany, the Holocaust, and lots of death. While it is terribly tragic, The Book Thief is very moving. Zusak’s prose is dynamic and effective. I cannot help but agree with Max, “The best word shakers were the ones who understood the true power of words” (445). Understanding the power of words is a lesson we should all learn whether young adults or not. 

School and Such

One of the things I love most about being out of college is spending time with these four kids...

School and all!

Polling Has Begun

While this is not a straight democracy... Please feel free to vote in the sidebar. And yes, 2 of them come from Shakespeare. :)

Some conclusions

Ok. So, I'm pretty sure I've made that decision. Right now, my plan is to finish this blog... Wrapping up old drafts... etc. Therefore, over the next few days, you'll see some randomly generated posts. :) Hopefully, they will keep you entertained until the next phase...

A move to a new blog! Yay! Where I've be downsizing my photos from now on. :P Eventually, I'll have a poll along side here somewhere, and I'll be asking for your help picking a new blog title. Thanks for all your input!

What Myers & Briggs says about me

ESTJ - The Administrator

Outgoing, personable, responsible, and direct. Proficient at delegating, setting schedules, and supervising others. Has the ability to see what needs to be done and follow through to make it happen.

You all be the judge. True or False?

Home Industry: Just add purple ribbon

And the drawers are done! Whoot!

Decisions, Decisions

Hmph. Well, Google informs me that I've used all of my storage space. So, I need to make a decision about my blog. And here are my current options:

A) Continue my current blog without anymore pictures.
B) Pay for more storage space
C) Start a new blog
D) Discontinue blogging entirely

I'll be praying and considering carefully my options... I do enjoy blogging. And, it gives me an outlet to write and think, but is it the best use of my time? "All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable." 1 Cor. 6:12a

If y'all have any advice or thoughts to share, feel free to comment! :O)

Brrr! Who thought we should dance outside?

Um, I guess I did? Despite cold wet pants, we braved the weather to practice some dances for the New Year's Ball...

And grinned to bear it!

While cold and slightly wet, we mastered the "Ferris Wheel" and a few others... I just wish I had s'more photos to share.

But, I do, of course, have a foot picture!

Narnia with Ineke and Ana

Finally! I have seen The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, and while my thoughts would probably take another blog post... let me just say, it was wonderful! And watching it with two of my favorite young ladies made it even better!

Me, Ana, Ineke

Lunch at Chick-fil-a was a great start... Chatting about music and books, I always enjoy my time with these two.

And I know they'll appreciate my silly moments. :P

Thanks, Amelia B. for taking these photos!

Happy Birthday, Daniel

 Merry Birthday, brother! You've said goodbye to your teenage years. Whoot!

 And your idea to play Life was awesome!

 I <3 you!

Happy New Year!!

Happy New Year, everyone! And without further ado... My 2010 according to FB. :)