In case anyone missed reading Manda's blog, I have a new little nephew! He was born at 12:42 am on May the 26th, he was 7lbs 5 oz , and 20 inches long.
His parents named him Walter Levi, and boy is he cute. Manda has photos posted of him on her blog, so all you have to do is visit it. :)

Okidoki, so time for one of my brief updates. Hm, that's an interesting word..up date..huh, ok anyway. :) So yesterday I received an acceptance package from the college for the Northern Collaborative Baccalaureate Nursing Program (NCBNP). Can anyone combine yippee and yikes into one word? I'm really happy as you can imagine, and I know I've only made it this far because of the Lord opening all of the necessary doors, and enabling me to go through them. On the other hand I can see that I've got my work cut out for me, but work is a good thing. This experience has often called to mind some of the verses in Psalm 18, especially the part about wall jumping. I shall share some of them with you, as they are always such an encouragement.

For thou wilt light my candle: the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness. For by thee I have run through a troop; and by my God have I leaped over a wall. As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him. For who is God save the LORD? or who is a rock save our God? It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect. He maketh my feet like hinds' feet, and setteth me upon my high places. He teacheth my hands to war, so that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms. Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation: and thy right hand hath holden me up, and thy gentleness hath made me great. Thou hast enlarged my steps under me, that my feet did not slip.
(Psa 18:28-36)

Now I just have to figure out which electives I should take, and submit my form with the admission fee before the 28rd and my seat is secured. After that it's on to the criminal checks, the vaccinations, and the health check.

To answer your question Joyce, the sewing is going quite well, although it's on hold for a bit, as the girl's slips I'm making are in need of some lace I'm hoping to order today, or tomorrow online. But having that on hold is no problem for me, as I just started my psychology course last night. It was interesting, and I'm sure it will continue to be interesting, even if I disagree with half of it, if not more than that. :D It amazes me how much further along in knowledge the first guys in psychology would have been, had they simply read the bible, although believing it would have to go in hand with that, or they would have reaped notta.

The lace awaits,

Jody

Once more, posting five very dull things, which may be entertaining to myself-- as simple minds enjoy simple pleasures. I gotta make this quick, as I have a toothbrush protruding from my mouth. :)

1) Today went great. I found out my final biology and English grades and I was very happy with them, and I took my statistics 3 hour exam this morning. My first exam of the type, and it wasn't too bad. Not sure how I did, but I tried..with every last minute of the allotted time. :D They practically had to kick me out, haha. So yeah, God's mercies abound, and I am a very thankful recipient of them.

2) I only have one exam left, can anyone say "yahoo"?

3) I'm itching to sew up a storm and I just hope the itch will outlast the inability to scratch it. In other words, I hope I still want to sew when I have the time to do so. Yes, I shall, I shall!

4) Finally it feels like spring outside, and boy I hope it lasts because I'm going to risk planting some evening scented stocks tomorrow. I hope they live, cuz I really want to smell them.

5) My brain is short circuiting, but I only have one more, and I knew what it was going to be a second ago..hmm. Oh yes, I've had an odd addition to my vocabulary as of late. Instead of saying, oh boy, I've begun saying oodalolly, like an oodalolly, oodalolly day. I realize this isn't quite the proper use, but it's fun anyway. Okay, I'm going before I break out in songs about old staw hats.

Over and out,
Jode

Geneva, napping in style. Not sure if the story was too long, or perhaps she was attempting to create some shade..at any rate it was worth a picture and a laugh. On a side note we were happy that she hasn't taken up reading encyclopedias yet, as she may not have been able to breath with that on her head. :) This also reminded me of the by gone days when she slept like this.

Cheerio,

Jode

1. My eyes are sore, thus I'm only doing a "five things" post, and as my self inflicted criteria is for five very dull things, this shouldn't be too hard...right Emma? :)
2. Well, 1 down, 4...3 more to go.
3. I'm so happy tomorrow---ok, I guess that is really is today now---is Saturday, and after that the Lord's day. Yes, I'm learning to love weekends/beginnings like never before.
4. I'm so tried of tests, but I realize these too have been good for me. Much like having to chop down an essay into a manageable size with all the main ideas and zero wasted words, a test puts your money where your mouth is..but not in your mouth, cuz that just wouldn't be healthy.
5. I wish I had more of a handle on one of my courses, it feels like I've somewhat lost the reins for it, if I ever had them, while barreling full speed down an embankment. But regardless, God has been really very merciful, and I'm still a float, although I won't receive my latest test back until sometime next week. Then it's on to the 3 hour finals. Ah yes, this too shall pass, and who doesn't like having the ability of telling others how they walked to school, uphill both way, in the winter, in their father's PJ's? Of course, that's not quite my case, because although I do walk to school..I only wish it was appropriate to wear my fathers Pajamas. Pajamas..those sound nice right about now, and so does sleep.

TTFN,

Jode

I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. (Psa 139:14)

http://aimediaserver4.com/studiodaily/videoplayer/?src=ai4/harvard/harvard.swf&width=640&height=520

Hello again,

I thought I would forgo 20 minutes of sleep in order post a blog, albeit a nearly brainless one. :)
Belinda received the pictures below earlier this evening from a friend, and I thought they were quite intriguing. As I was loading them, I was strongly reminded of how Dor and I would look through Sears magazines when we were little, and try to pick the fridge with the best food inside. Eh heh, what can I say, being constructive with time isn't a high priority to at 7 and 8 years old. At least I hope we were that young at the time. ;) The selections didn't stop at fridges either, but back to my point. Ah yes, the pictures below. I think they give a pretty good idea of the diet in the various countries, although not such a good over all in the cost area. I say this considering that each family has a different number of members (and some of them have boys!), and each family will also have their own financial situation. The pictures would be more complete if they gave an average income for each family, or the average in the country. Hm, odd, I did not notice until now that Canada was missing. But I suppose Canada's table would contain just as much Coke as the USA and Mexico, although hopefully more meat than the two of them combined. :) All that being said, you can certainly pick out the countries that are more impoverished, even though you cannot tell whether the amount of food is average, high, or low. I would suggest that the families incomes must match what is on the table, since if you consider the human aspect, I think most of us our prone to excess where possible. And I don't know about the rest of you, but there is something tempting (or wise) about shopping wholesale.

Sleep awaits.

Adieu,

Jode

PS. Wow, two posts in one week, I must be on a roll, even if the last one only contained pictures, and this one is half pictures. Perhaps I'll devote the next post to biology. Ok, I'm leaving, really


Germany: The Melander family of Bargteheide
Food expenditure for one week: 375.39 Euros or $500.07
United States: The Revis family of North Carolina Food expenditure for one week $341.98

Italy: The Manzo family of Sicily Food expenditure for one week: 214.36 Euros or $260.11
Mexico: The Casales family of Cuernavaca Food expenditure for one week: 1,862.78 Mexican Pesos or $189.09

Poland: The Sobczynscy family of Konstancin-Jeziorna

Food expenditure for one week: 582.48 Zlotys or $151.27

Egypt: The Ahmed family of Cairo
Food expenditure for one week: 387.85 Egyptian Pounds or $68.53 Ecuador: The Ayme family of Tingo
Food expenditure for one week: $31.55
Bhutan: The Namgay family of Shingkhey Village
Food expenditure for one week: 224.93 ngultrum or $5.03
Chad: The Aboubakar family of Breidjing Camp
Food expenditure for one week: 685 CFA Francs or $1.23

I took some pictures of Geneva and Lydia today in a couple of dresses I made them this week, as I was working on a new dress design during spring break. At any rate, here is a wack of pictures. :)

1. I seem to be continually running, I'm now in school 5 days a week, and have a hard time accounting for the lack of spare time.
2. I came on here with the purpose of uploading new pictures of Lydia, then I realized I haven't taken any. Eh heh. I guess I'll add that to the list of the 50 other things I want to do with my spring break, that we all know is really a reading break anyhow. :)
3. I have two assignments down, with only studying left for today (yay), but all I really want is a nap, and that elusive pastime called fun.
4. I'm itching to draw, hm, when did that start.
5. Boy, I need to get caught up on my statistics.
6. Yeah, a nap would be really good.

TTFN,

Jode

Only on occasion does something cause my blood to boil enough that I actually blog about it. This morning in an adult bible class the subject was atheism with the main text being Psalm 14:1 "The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good." I really appreciated the study as I sometimes forget just how much natural man hates God, and what lengths they will go to, to kill the God they don't believe exists, or don't want to believe exists. They will even blame Him for cruelty while denying His existence. Yeah, the reasonable man is so very illogical.

But now to the boiling part. Pastor Lee gave Philip Pullman, the author of the epic trilogy 'His Dark Materials', of which the first novel is The Golden Compass, as an example of why the topic of atheism is of real concern. Now I don't keep up to date on the latest best sellers, or newly released movies, so forgive me if this is old news. I did happen to notice a movie going around that was called The Golden Compass, but I thought it another work of science fiction for kids & teen, with unpleasant enough characters and topics, but no more than that. I thought these quote from Pullman were of particular interest:

"I’ve been surprised by how little criticism I’ve got. Harry Potter’s been taking all the flak. I’m a great fan of J.K. Rowling, but the people - mainly from America’s Bible Belt - who complain that Harry Potter promotes Satanism or witchcraft obviously haven’t got enough in their lives. Meanwhile, I’ve been flying under the radar, saying things that are far more subversive than anything poor old Harry has said. My books are about killing God."

"Atheism suggests a degree of certainty that I'm not quite willing to accede. I suppose technically, you'd have to put me down as an agnostic. But if there is a God, and he is as the Christians describe him, then he deserves to be put down and rebelled against. As you look back over the history of the Christian church, it's a record of terrible infamy and cruelty and persecution and tyranny. How they have the bloody nerve to go on Thought for the Day and tell us all to be good when, given the slightest chance, they'd be hanging the rest of us and flogging the homosexuals and persecuting the witches."

"All stories teach," he's said, "whether the storyteller intends them to or not. They teach the world we create. They teach the morality we live by. They teach it much more effectively than moral precepts and instructions. ... We don't need lists of rights and wrongs, tables of do's and dont's: We need books, time and silence. 'Thou shalt not' is soon forgotten."

"Blake said Milton was a true poet and of the Devil’s party without knowing it. I am of the Devil’s party and know it."

"I wanted to reach everyone," he says, "and the best way I could hope to do that was to write for children."


All I can say is, if I had children I certainly wouldn't be making him their schoolmaster.

1. I shouldn't really be taking the time to be on here
2. But I almost feel guilty for not blogging
3. Some level of satisfaction can be received from finishing long awaited projects
4. I hope to experience some of that satisfaction this evening when I wrap up the construction on a set of dresses that I've had cut out since hmm, October?
5. I'm so happy tomorrow is the Lord's Day, eternity will be bliss :)

A few pictures of Lydia that I took today. :)

http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=122204962

Ok, so perhaps I'm ready to start back on the 5 things track. So here is goes.
1. Boy, I'm so tired that after I finish this, I'm going to attempt a nap
2. 3 am is waay too late to stay up even to accomplish important things like..hm, cleaning, finding baby shower games, flour-less cake recipes, and a cleaner bedroom
3. 7 am is way too early to get up after having gone to bed at 3 am
4. Half a cup of coffee is not enough to combat sleep deprivation
5. Chocolate, and half a cup of coffee is able to combat sleep deprivation
6. Baby showers are great, and I didn't mind that fact that it was small, the better for really visiting
7. Milly is taking me to the symphony orchestra tomorrow evening, she is so sweet :D
8. I really like the K's, nothing like a few more near to kindred spirits
9. Ohh soo tired
10. Gluten free cakes can rise up and taste like normal cakes. This is a good thing.
11. Can't believe it's Friday
12. Life is complex. Perhaps next time I'll have the brain power to tell you something you didn't already know. :)

Chow,

Jode

The latest photos of Lydia. :)

I'm an aunt again! Lydia Doris Carrico was born this morning a little after 9:30, weighing 7lbs 5oz. She actually beat the midwife to the punch, but thankfully everything went smoothly, and they were able to take care of everything else when they got here. Lydia seems to be quite the contented baby, and both she and Belinda are doing well. :)

I've had this song stuck in my head for days, yes Shawn has succeeded in getting me hooked on Derek Webb. :D

Oh, and this one too

Okay, I won't swamp you with anymore right now.. :D

1. Yay, my sewing machine is fixed. More good news is that it'll only cost an arm, so I can keep my leg.
2. I'm sick with a sinus cold. This usually happens right when I'm getting ready to leave..I should gather the statistics, and create a graph. No, I'm not serious, I have enough things to waste time on. :)
3. This is a wonderful recipe, and it even works with pineapple juice instead of orange. Can you guess what ingredient I realized I didn't have on hand?
4. Tomorrow we're going to evening worship at the RPCNA in Cambridge Massachusetts. That is to say Shawn and Tam will, and I will provided I'm feeling well enough.
5. The Walmart here now carries Cold-FX. Happy thought indeed.
Today was Shawn's 30th Birthday, so happy birthday Shawn! :)

The ad Tam and I put together for Get Born magazine, so I guess we'll see how that goes. Still need to subscribe, so that we can see how it turns out. That and I'm curious as to what else is published in it. :)

1. The Lord's day is great, but Monday for me usually requires a little recovery time to get back into things. I certainly don't mind being out of things for the day though, in fact it's something I look forward to. :D
2. Started rereading A Remedy For Wandering Thoughts by Richard Steele on the way to Massachusetts yesterday. Read it to Tam, who was the driver for the day as Shawn had woke feeling really ill. Such a great book, and I so appreciate his colorful writing, it helps to keep my mind from wandering while reading it. :D Perhaps I'll post a short quote or two at some point. :)
3 Listened to a lecture and a sermon last night from the Together for the Gospel pastor conference held last year. From what I've heard, and seen about it, I think it's a great thing that is working in the direction the church needs to go. The lecture and sermon I heard from it were so spot on. The one was preached by RC Sproul titled The Center of Christian Preaching: Justification by Faith, and the second was a lecture by Albert Mohler called Preaching with the Culture in View.
4. The Friday night Derek Webb concert was great, I really enjoyed listening to him play, as well as listening to his in between soapbox comments, which were often pretty funny. If you have center stage, and people are there because they want to listen to you, and want to know what you believe, why not eh? :D If you want more details I refer you to Shawn's blog. :)
5. Only 10 days left, wow. I better be able to make it out to Manda's one more time, and I need to get my sewing machine back from you know who. Then I'm off to Edmonton for a week (woohoo!) Get to see all Jord and Dor's latest renovations, and more importantly, Jord, Dor and the kidlets. :) Then I bus back home see all my..ah..homeys? Good thing the use of a word doesn't make you cool or I would soo be bordering on the dangerous line of coolness right now. :P So PG will be a little different with a dog around..but other than that I'm sure it'll be back to reality.

Snap back to reality, oh there goes gravity. Oh, there goes.......if you know what that's from, don't even worry about it. I don't listen to that loser. :P

Jode